Column: Second-half refrain sounds the same for Mountaineers

ESPN basketball analyst Jay Williams chose wisely by picking Kentucky to beat No. 7 West Virginia, but it required a huge second-half comeback.COMMENTARY

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The refrain, now too familiar for West Virginia, bears the same cadence, the same conclusion: Fiery start fades to flimsy finish.

What portended to be a monumental night at the Coliseum, with decibels soaring, glow-sticks glowing and Kentucky on the cusp of crack, briskly U-turned into an 83-76 defeat.

These Mountaineers of late have shown a tendency to streak out and then freak out. Up by 11 points in Lubbock with 12 minutes to play. Up 12 on Kansas inside of nine minutes. Up 17 (twice) on the Wildcats in the second half.…