WHEELING, W.Va. — Exactly one year ago Wednesday, Best Virginia got by Herd That 89-79 in a second-round matchup of The Basketball Tournament’s West Virginia Regional.
With the teams set to battle again on the same stage at 7 p.m. Thursday inside WesBanco Arena, all that’s changed is a venue 180 miles north and several names on each team’s roster, as has become common practice for TBT teams.
“Revenge, redemption,” said Herd That guard Jon Elmore, a former Marshall standout and West Virginia native. “They kind of partied on us and handled us last year. They’re a good team. They have vets and new guys and kind of revamped the roster. It’s going to be a loud environment, but revenge is on our mind and we’ll see what happens.”
If Tuesday’s TBT opener for both teams is any indication, Best Virginia has significant improvements to make to live up to its billing as top seed, while No. 4 Herd That has a lot working in its favor.
Best Virginia avoided elimination thanks to a timely defensive stop followed by an Erik Stevenson three-pointer, allowing the WVU-alumni based squad to prevail 70-68 over DuBois Dream.
“Someone asked me about the nerves and I tell people all the time it’s the first game, because you don’t know the other team and your team and it’s just figuring it out,” Best Virginia head coach James Long said.
Survive and advance is the name of the game in this event and it’s just what Long’s team did, though a better showing will be necessary to get by Herd That for the second time in as many years.
“They’re very good and they’ve added a couple pieces that change it,” Long said. “They have a lot. Talent wise, they’re as good as anybody in this region and it’s not even an argument.”
One of those pieces was on display Tuesday with former Houston guard Rob Gray leading the way in a resounding win over Zoo Crew. Gray scored 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting to lead the team’s four double-figure scorers. Elmore followed with 13 points and six assists, Derek Cooke Jr. scored 13 on 6-for-7 shooting and Jacorey Williams added 11. JP Tokoto contributed nine points to also play a pivotal part in the balanced effort, which included 21 assists to just 11 turnovers as a team.
While Herd That shot 54 percent from the field and 28-for-45 on two-point field-goal attempts, the team’s defense that limited Zoo Crew to 22 baskets, 38 percent shooting and 14 turnovers was of equal, if not more, importance.
“The biggest thing we preached during training camp is we’re playing for $1 million on ESPN,” Elmore said. “If you can’t play hard, get ready for a game like that and bring energy when you’re in, you’re probably in the wrong place. One through twelve, however many minutes guys do or don’t get, loose balls and balls on the floor, you have to play hard. One game down, we are going to have to bring it even more next game. No letups. We had some spurts this game that we can definitely improve on to play a more full game, but it was a step in the right direction.”
In what he’s said will be his last TBT, Best Virginia forward Kevin Jones led the way in the opening-round victory before Stevenson made a pair of critical threes during the Elam Ending portion of the matchup.
Jones finished with 22 points, made 10-of-14 shots, added 12 rebounds and assisted Stevenson’s winning triple.
“Getting to know these guys, being one of the older guys and this being my fourth time, I want to have fun,” Jones said. “The results obviously matter in winning the money, but being around these guys is the best part about it.”
Stevenson scored 16 points and grabbed 11 boards in his TBT debut, while Teyvon Myers added nine points and seven assists.
Stevenson, a late addition to Best Virginia following a stint with the San Antonio Spurs in NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, has only been with the team one week.
“Basketball is basketball and concepts are concepts,” he said. “Spacing is a little different from being in the summer and a professional training camp and coming to this which is way different. This is more like college with the college line. I don’t know if that makes it easier or harder. It just depends on the guys you play with. The biggest thing is hydrating and making sure the legs are there.”
Outside of Best Virginia’s highest-scoring trio against DuBois Dream, the remainder of the roster combined for 23 points on 10-for-28 shooting. Best Virginia also turned it over 16 times, but it was plus-7 in rebounding (42-35), scored 38 paint points and limited DuBois Dream to 36 percent field-goal shooting, including 7 for 25 from long range.
“West Virginia always preaches that toughness, grit and grind, grind out games and win ugly or whatever it takes,” Elmore said. “This year, we have offense, but I think we might even be a little better on defense. There are those college styles, but guys are one year removed from college or 10, 15 years removed from college, so system and style wise, guys are a lot different than what you’re used to seeing at the college level. We watched them and we’re going to go watch the video on them, watch our game and prepare as much as possible.”
The winner of Thursday’s matchup moves on to the regional final at 2 p.m. Saturday against the winner of No. 2 Sideline Cancer-No. 3 Challenge ALS: Florida, which will battle 20 minutes after Best Virginia and Herd That.
Both games will be shown on ESPN+.