No. 19 West Virginia’s defense, so suffocating against inferior competition to begin the season, looked equally disruptive against Illinois during an 89-57 romp Thursday in the NIT Tipoff semifinals in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nathan Adrian finished with 13 points and eight rebounds despite early foul trouble, and Jevon Carter made six steals to go along with 10 points and five assists for the Mountaineers (4-0), whose full-court pressure forced 24 turnovers to fuel the blowout.
“We were flying around pretty good there for a good stretch of the game, and we’re pretty deep so we keep bringing guys in,” said coach Bob Huggins.