POG: West Virginia - Arkansas

West Virginia's comeback bid fell short against Arkansas in the finals of the Old Spice Classic, but it wasn't due to the efforts of our Player of the Game.

Junior point guard Darris Nichols spearheaded West Virginia's attack with 15 points while playing the entire game. The Radford, Va. native was one of two Mountaineers named to the all-tournament team along with senior Frank Young.

Nichols turned in ten of his 15 points in the first half. He also directed an offense which turned the ball over only five times against a Razorback defense that was forcing 19 per game heading into tonight. Nichols had four assists to just one turnover, giving him a 24 to 5 assist/turnover ratio through the season's first sixth game.

NET BURNERS

Sophomore guard Alex Ruoff continued to show off his all-around game. The Spring Hill, Fla. native had 10 points, four assists, and four steals in the first loss of the season.

Sophomore forward Joe Alexander scored 14 points on the night. For the first half, it looked as though the Mount Airy, Md. native would be kept in check as Joe only had two points at intermission. In the second half, though, Alexander got hot and nearly brought the Mountaineers back against a very good Arkansas squad.

One wonders how the Mountaineers would have faired on Sunday night had they shot the ball like they normally do. West Virginia shot 32 three-pointers, making nine. Two of the team's best shooters, Ruoff and Alexander, were a combined 2-12.