MORGANTOWN - Jamie Smalligan was talking about West Virginia's recent and inexplicable free-throw shooting woes, but he could just as easily have been addressing something else.

His own problems getting his once-accurate 3-point shots to fall.

"When you start missing them, it goes from the easiest shot in the world to the hardest one,'' Smalligan said. "And it's all mental.''

Here's perhaps the best thing to come out of West Virginia's heart-breaking 58-57 loss to Georgetown Saturday night at the Coliseum, though: Smalligan may have magically put his own horrendous 3-point shooting woes behind him.

You remember Smalligan, right? The 7-footer with the stunningly accurate stroke? Since transferring from Butler and working his way into just enough playing time to make a difference last season, Smalligan became the ultimate matchup problem. In 36 games during the Mountaineers' NIT championship season, he was 31-of-68 on 3-point attempts, or 45.6 percent. In West Virginia's first two games this season he made four more long balls in 11 attempts.

But then in the 17 games between then and Saturday night's showdown with Georgetown, Smalligan launched 27 3-pointers and made just one.

One.

Not that it needs any more perspective, but that's 3.7 percent. His only make in more than two months was against Maryland-Baltimore County on Dec. 15.

"And I was in exactly the same boat with all my shots, not just my 3s,'' Smalligan said.

Indeed, in those same 17 games Smalligan's overall shooting was 8-of-40, or an even 20 percent. And remember, this is a 7-foot, 265-pound center who when he isn't shooting 3-pointers is closer to point-blank range.

And Smalligan's shooting problems made him easily expendable since that was his major asset. If he was the type of center who could bang and play tough defense he might have stayed on the floor. As it was, he has started every game this season for the 15-5 Mountaineers, but went into the Georgetown game averaging less than 13 minutes of playing time per game, dead last among the eight players in WVU's normal rotation. Six times he has played six or fewer minutes, usually being pulled early and never seeing the floor again.

MORGANTOWN - Jamie Smalligan was talking about West Virginia's recent and inexplicable free-throw shooting woes, but he could just as easily have been addressing something else.

His own problems getting his once-accurate 3-point shots to fall.

"When you start missing them, it goes from the easiest shot in the world to the hardest one,'' Smalligan said. "And it's all mental.''

Here's perhaps the best thing to come out of West Virginia's heart-breaking 58-57 loss to Georgetown Saturday night at the Coliseum, though: Smalligan may have magically put his own horrendous 3-point shooting woes behind him.

You remember Smalligan, right? The 7-footer with the stunningly accurate stroke? Since transferring from Butler and working his way into just enough playing time to make a difference last season, Smalligan became the ultimate matchup problem. In 36 games during the Mountaineers' NIT championship season, he was 31-of-68 on 3-point attempts, or 45.6 percent. In West Virginia's first two games this season he made four more long balls in 11 attempts.

But then in the 17 games between then and Saturday night's showdown with Georgetown, Smalligan launched 27 3-pointers and made just one.

One.

Not that it needs any more perspective, but that's 3.7 percent. His only make in more than two months was against Maryland-Baltimore County on Dec. 15.

"And I was in exactly the same boat with all my shots, not just my 3s,'' Smalligan said.

Indeed, in those same 17 games Smalligan's overall shooting was 8-of-40, or an even 20 percent. And remember, this is a 7-foot, 265-pound center who when he isn't shooting 3-pointers is closer to point-blank range.

And Smalligan's shooting problems made him easily expendable since that was his major asset. If he was the type of center who could bang and play tough defense he might have stayed on the floor. As it was, he has started every game this season for the 15-5 Mountaineers, but went into the Georgetown game averaging less than 13 minutes of playing time per game, dead last among the eight players in WVU's normal rotation. Six times he has played six or fewer minutes, usually being pulled early and never seeing the floor again.

The low point came last Wednesday against Marshall, when he played two minutes and was yanked and never returned, despite the fact that West Virginia's foul trouble forced coach Bob Huggins to dig deep into his bench.

Yet Smalligan won't complain because he knows why.

"I haven't been ready to play,'' Smalligan said. "And if I'm not ready I don't deserve to be out there if I'm not helping.''

Perhaps, though, Smalligan's performance against Georgetown and 7-2 All-America center Roy Hibbert will signal a change. Not only did he make two 3-pointers - along with a third that was waved off when replay showed it came just after the first-half buzzer - he stood his ground against Hibbert. Not only did he play 19 minutes, he was on the floor at the end of the game when the outcome was in doubt.

"I think that was really a good matchup for Jamie,'' Huggins said. "He's really gotten better with his defense in the post. And at the end of the game I wanted him on the floor because I thought he would make free throws.''

Afterward, Smalligan's biggest problem - aside from his team's loss - was that he was exhausted. Playing half a game, virtually all of it banging into Hibbert, is a lot different that warming up for a few minutes and then watching the rest of the game from the bench.

"It's hard, but not just the up-and-down the floor part,'' Smalligan said. "Banging against big guys and boxing out takes it out of you, but believe it or not so does making big shots. You kind of tense up and get excited.''

Smalligan's shots were certainly big, even if he didn't have an opportunity to score in the game-deciding final minutes. His first 3-pointer helped get WVU back after falling behind 8-4 and was a huge part of getting a crowd of 14,048 into the game. The one at the end of the half would have given the Mountaineers the lead had it not been waved off. Then he opened the second half with a 3-pointer that started a 13-2 run that gave West Virginia a 10-point lead.

That's the reason Smalligan remains in the lineup. Each game Huggins wants to see if he can bang in the middle with any success, and if he can open the game with a 3-pointer or two that will really get a defense thinking about how it is going to play the Mountaineers.

"He knows I'm a good shooter and so do I,'' Smalligan said. "But if I hadn't made the two in the first half, even though one of them didn't count, I never would have shot the one to start the second half.''