MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — By his own admission, Sagaba Konate was a man playing nearly on empty during the first half Saturday.
There was no real reason given. Konate said his sore right knee didn’t bother him. But West Virginia coach Bob Huggins offered a theory:
“I think people have stopped challenging him at the rim,” Huggins said after the Mountaineers downed Valparaiso 88-76 in front of 9,188 at the WVU Coliseum. “If you kind of think back, he got a lot of energy and enthusiasm by blocking shots and he didn’t block a shot today.