WVU must find a way to slow down Mike Miles, fast-paced TCU

MORGANTOWN — Forget what you remember about Jamie Dixon’s coaching philosophy when he was Pitt.

Forget about the big physical battles in the paint and the hounding defenses that seemingly made each game a race to 60 points.

Where it concerns Dixon and the No. 14 Horned Frogs this season, well, it’s just a race now.

WVU STATS

As in TCU (14-3, 3-2 Big 12) likes to get out in space and run, an attempt to wear down opponents cardiovascularly rather than physically like in the old Big East days.

This is not a misprint or some type of misinformed opinion. WVU head coach Bob Huggins went as far as comparing TCU to the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers teams of the 1980s ahead of Wednesday’s 7 p.m. home game against the Horned Frogs.

“They’re like the Lakers used to be. They’re like the Showtime Lakers,” he said. “They do a great job of running lanes. There’s various clips of them rebounding the ball, making an outlet pass and scoring the ball at the other end before the ball ever touches the floor.”

As evidence, there is TCU’s 82-68 victory against Kansas State last Saturday, in which the Horned Frogs scored 32 fast-break points.

WVU (10-7, 0-5) has scored 33 fast-break points combined over its first five Big 12 games.

“This is Jamie’s most-talented team since he’s been there,” Huggins said. “He’s done a really good job at making it an up-tempo style. It shows you how good of a coach he is, because he can adjust.”

Leading the way for the Horned Frogs is junior guard Mike Miles, a cousin of WVU point guard Kedrian Johnson.

Miles was voted the Big 12 preseason player of the year and has lived up to that by scoring 19 points per game, while shooting 52% from the field.

In four career games against WVU, Miles is averaging 13.5 points per game.

“He’s terrific in transition,” said Huggins, who referred to Miles as one of the top players in the Big 12. “He’s certainly a guy who will play in the (NBA), because that style of play is sought after and he’s very good at it. He’s as good in the open court as anybody we have in the conference now.”

Is it possible for the Mountaineers to slow down TCU? History seems to be on WVU’s side, as the Horned Frogs are 0-10 at the Coliseum and Dixon hasn’t won a game in Morgantown since 2012, while he was still coaching Pitt.

Yet this is a WVU team in a much different position than previous years.

The Mountaineers are coming off a one-point road loss against Oklahoma, in which Huggins said his players felt “disappointed.”

That was a noon start in Norman, Okla., yet the Mountaineers didn’t return home until 2 a.m. the next day due to a malfunctioning indicator on the plane that needed replaced.

WVU is also trying to avoid an 0-6 start to conference play, something it’s never experienced since joining the Big 12 in 2012.

“That’s the way it’s fallen for us. We haven’t got a lot of breaks or made a lot of breaks,” Huggins said. “We’ve had opportunities, for sure.”

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