Duke - West Virginia Preview

West- Second Round
West Virginia Mountaineers (7) Vs. Duke Blue Devils (2)
Saturday, March 22 @ 2:10 pm

For the Mountaineers it was the tale of the threes, as they hit 11 on their way to a 75- 65 victory over Arizona. West Virginia gave the Wildcats too many chances at the foul line as Arizona got 21 opportunities to make free throws. The Mountaineers only went to the charity stripe 9 times. A total of 17 Wildcat points came as a result of free throws.

But West Virginia hit 51% (28- 55) from the floor and 58% (11- 19) from beyond the arc! Their opponents were good for 47% (21- 45) and 40% (6- 15). From the backcourt, guard Alex Ruoff hit for 21, while point guard Darris Nichols dished off 6 assists and scored 14 points. Upfront, forward Joe Alexander and Da’Sean Butler were instrumental. Alexander hit for 14 and grabbed 8 rebounds and Butler put in 19 and took down 7.

The second seed Duke Blue Devils barely survived the fifteenth seed Belmont Bruins. It came down to Gerald Henderson sinking a shot with 11.9 seconds left and DaMarcus Nelson stealing the ball at the end. Henderson led Duke in points (21), rebounds (7), assists (2) and steals (5).

At the half, Duke led 42- 35. But in the second stanza the Bruins scored 35 points, while the Blue Devils managed only 29.If Belmont had given up one or two less fouls, the outcome would have been reversed. The Bruins played gritty ball down to the very end and that kept them in the game.

West Virginia looks to be running on all cylinders and will give Duke a good battle. The Blue Devils have had a wake-up call and should be ready for their next test. The Mountaineers can win this game, especially if they can keep Duke away from the foul line.