MORGANTOWN - Before West Virginia took on Oklahoma Saturday at the Coliseum, a large gathering stood in the sunshine at the Blue Gate plaza for the unveiling of the Hot Rod Hundley statue.
Among those speaking at the ceremony was former Mountaineer and NBA great Jerry West, who also has a statue in front of the arena. Toward the end of West's remarks, he turned to WVU coach Bob Huggins.
"When they did this for me," West said, "[WVU] didn't win against LSU. Bob, the pressure's on you to win today."
Unfortunately for Huggins, though, the pressure wasn't on the No. 3 Sooners. "Press Virginia" was ineffective on the day and the No. 10 Mountaineers fell 76-62.
In the first half, WVU turned the ball over 10 times, while Oklahoma turned it over four. That's called a flipped script, folks.
"We just weren't making crisp passes," said Mountaineer Nate Adrian. "[The Sooners] were getting their hands on them. We should have swung the ball more."
There were other stats that stood out. Sooner star Buddy Hield, for instance, scored more points (29) than West Virginia's starters (23). OU outrebounded WVU 48-37. The Sooners had nine - yes, nine - blocked shots. And, offensively, the Mountaineers shot 33 percent. Guard Jevon Carter was 1 for 10 shooting. (For the season, he is shooting 37.3 percent. Only Teyvon Myers has a worse percentage on the team, which is odd considering Myers was brought in to be a shooter.)
Huggins went over all afterward. The rebounding. The shooting. (WVU was 3 of 13 on layup and dunk attempts.) The turnovers. Plus ...
"They got Buddy Hield and we don't," he said.
Other things to note: Regular starter Dax Miles didn't play because of injury; Jaysean Paige played with a sore right ankle that was iced after the game. ("It felt good," Paige said afterward. "There wasn't too much pain on the court. It felt loose.")
Overall, though, Oklahoma simply outplayed West Virginia. The Sooners exposed WVU's flaws. Huggins even pointed to Myers, who started but played just eight minutes, and freshman Esa Ahmad. He said both have been taking plays off.
Afterward, you could see the disappointment - especially on the face of Devin Williams.
"I don't know," he said. "They just outplayed us."
That cannot be the case from here on. Until the last couple of games, West Virginia has had a fine season. Now, Big 12 regular-season title hopes look dashed. WVU has been sniffing a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Now, that looks like a longshot. The team will tumble in the rankings.
It's a dangerous time for the team. Iowa State will be hitting the Coliseum Monday looking for revenge. WVU visits Oklahoma State afterward. After a home game against Texas Tech, the Mountaineers visit Baylor. This thing could go sideways in a hurry.
"You don't want to waste a good season," Paige said. "You want to win out and get a seed we deserve."
He was asked about the locker room after the loss.
"Nobody's head was down," he said. "We just have to get everyone healthy and on the same page."
Actually, Williams looked sullen - which was understandable after a tough game.
But now is the time for WVU to "be pissed," in the words of Huggins, and finish strong. It's the time to come together after the injuries and suspension of Jon Holton.
This is what's called the home stretch of the season.
And the NCAA selection committee, they will be looking on.
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As mentioned, Hundley's statue was unveiled before Saturday's game to a large crowd goose-necking for a glance at the art piece and the speakers: WVU athletic director Shane Lyons, West, Huggins, radio announcer Tony Caridi, Hundley's daughter Kimberly and donor Ken Kendrick, who footed the bill.
The statue, sculpted by state native Jamie Lester, is 10 feet high on the same scale as that of West. The pose is of Charleston native Hundley in the midst of a right-handed hook shot.
"It's the completion of West Virginia's twin towers," Caridi said. "It's truly a wonderful moment in the history of West Virginia athletics."
Hundley, who attended Charleston High, was a consensus All-America pick in 1957 and the first pick of that year's NBA draft. Known as the "Clown Prince," Hundley's No. 33 number is retired at WVU.
West shared humorous stories of Hundley and called him "fun-loving and a tremendous player." He added that he will "treasure this day." Kendrick, an owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, looked at the statue and said his "first hero in basketball was that guy."
Then Hundley's daughter took over the microphone wearing her father's old warmup jacket. ("They don't make polyester like they used to," she joked.)
Hundley passed away last year at the age of 80.
"My father loved West Virginia and West Virginia loved him back," she said. "He always knew he'd have friends here."
Daughters Jacquie and Jennifer and grandson Tanner also attended.
"Did my dad want a statue? Damn right he did," Kim said. "He loved West Virginia."
So much so, she added, that Hundley was trying to hatch a move back to the Mountain State before he died.
"He just kept saying he wanted to go home," she said.
And now, with the stature in place, he'll remain at home. At the Coliseum. In West Virginia.