Return of Ebanks gives West Virginia Final Four feel

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- West Virginia has the best team here at the 76 Classic and one of the better teams in the country. The Mountaineers are tough in the backcourt, skilled and versatile in the frontcourt, experienced enough to win the Big East and make a run at the Final Four ... especially now that Devin Ebanks is back.

Right, Bob Huggins?

Devin Ebanks returns to action with 14 points and nine rebounds. (AP)

"I think we suck right now with or without Devin," Huggins answered in the typical low and straight-forward voice he uses in interviews. But then the West Virginia coach cracked a smile, looked at Ebanks and frontcourt-mate Da'Sean Butler and said what a lot of people were thinking after the eighth-ranked Mountaineers dealt Texas A&M a 73-66 loss Friday in the first semifinal of the 76 Classic.

"There's not a better pair of forwards in the country," Huggins said. "There aren't two forwards who can do everything they can do. They both can shoot it from the perimeter; they both can play in the post. They both can guard. They both can handle the ball. Nobody has two more versatile guys than these guys."

Who's arguing with that?

Butler was just as steady as always, getting 17 points, five assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes against Texas A&M. Meantime, after missing the first four games because of what was officially described as "personal issues" (though most believe they were "knucklehead issues"), Ebanks made his season debut against the Aggies. He checked in with 15:46 remaining, the score tied 11-11.

"When he came in the game I told him, 'Welcome back,'" Butler said. "It was good to have him back."

It was obvious early. Just 18 seconds after checking in, Ebanks sank a jumper from the right wing. Next possession, he buried another jumper, this time from the left baseline. In the possession after that, Ebanks drew a foul and sank both free throws. It took less than two minutes for him to score six points and push the Mountaineers to a 17-13 lead.

"I felt good," Ebanks said. "I was in a groove after that."

Ebanks finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

He got two steals late to seal the win.

"I thought he was pretty good," Huggins said before his thoughts drifted to Texas A&M.

It was classic Huggins, really, never as positive about the wins as he is negative about the losses, never as focused on the good as he is on the bad. He spent about 90 seconds praising Butler and Ebanks. Beyond that, if you didn't know better you would've thought West Virginia had just lost 74-47 to Portland. He talked about breakdowns on defense and his desire to watch five players work together to create good shots. But don't be fooled. Deep down, Huggins knows he's got a special roster, the kind he could use to make the Final Four for the second time in his career, the first since he took Cincinnati in 1992.

Tough and physical guards?

Yep.

Darryl Bryant, Casey Mitchell and Joe Mazzulla.

Versatile forwards?

Yep.

Butler, Ebanks and Kevin Jones.

NBA prospects?

Ebanks is a lottery pick.

Butler could be a first-rounder.

And Jones might play in the league someday, too.

So while West Virginia isn't as talented as Kansas or Kentucky, as deep as Texas or as heralded as Michigan State, this is not the type of team anybody will want to play come March. Huggins might think the Mountaineers "suck right now with or without Devin," but the reality is that they were still good enough to move to 4-0 while handling a Texas A&M team that a day earlier handled a Clemson team picked third in the ACC.

And they did it with Mitchell missing eight of nine shots.

And with Mazzulla playing only six minutes.

And with Ebanks just working himself back into the rotation.

If that's sucking, I can't wait to see the good.

And with Ebanks back, my guess is there's going to be a lot of good.

Maybe even some great.