Ross Hodge Points to Turnovers, Physicality for WVU’s Big 12 Tournament Exit

The WVU basketball appearance in the Big 12 Tournament was short-lived, as BYU came out on top 68-48 Wednesday.

Afterward, head coach Ross Hodge spoke to the media and gave two primary reasons for the loss: turnovers and physicality.

“I thought they were the more physical team today. Obviously, turned the ball over entirely too much,” Hodge said in the postgame. “Felt pretty fortunate to just be down eight at the half, considering we had 14 turnovers and felt like our defense held up pretty good for the most part when we weren’t throwing them the ball, and just didn’t play well enough to beat a quality opponent this time of year.”

The turnover count only increased after the first half, as WVU committed a season-high 22 on the night. Hodge said BYU’s intensity and shifting a lineups played a part in WVU turning the ball over.

“Yeah, I thought the biggest thing was just their physicality and the intensity at which they played with,” Hodge said. “They made it hard for us to move the ball. They played some different lineup combinations and ended up playing a little more athletic and a little more physical.”

Hodge put it simply that turning the ball over 22 times and expect to win. On the other hand, he credited BYU for its play and making the game difficult for the Mountaineers.

“And obviously, like I said, just turning the ball over 22 times, you don’t give yourself much of a chance. But you’ve got to give them a lot of credit for that. I just thought their physicality and intensity level was a lot higher,” Hodge said.

WVU basketball finishes the season at 18-14 with a 9-10 Big 12 record.

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