West Virginia - Arizona Preview

West- Round One
West Virginia Mountaineers (7) Vs. Arizona Wildcats (10)
Thursday, March 20 @ 9:40 pm
Betting Line From Bookmaker: West Virginia -2

The West Virginia Mountaineers (11- 7 Big East, 24- 10 overall) were true overachievers this season. New coach Bob Huggins had inherited a John Beilein team and needed time to establish his own system. Instead of finishing last in the Big East, as was thought, Huggins brought the team in fifth, garnering over 20 wins.

Forward Joe Alexander (16.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG), the team’s leading scorer, can post up and also hit from the outside. Sophomore forward De’Sean Butler (12.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG) had the best field goal percentage of all starters—49%. Guard Alex Ruoff (13.5 PPG, 3.0 APG, .404 3-PT%, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG) is a versatile performer and the club’s most accurate foul shooter, hitting 84%.

The team launches threes in the style of Beilein and plays intense man-to-man defense in the style of Huggins. The Mountaineers dominate the boards, grabbing an average of 36.3 RPG.

For the Arizona Wildcats (8- 10 PAC-10, 19- 14 overall), it’s been a season of learning to play disciplined ball. Coach Kevin O’Neill rejected the zone defense and also ran specific plays on offense. Although the offensive part of the puzzle seems to have been solved, the defense is still relatively porous. Additionally, during the season, there were injuries to major players, including Jerryd Bayless, Nic Wise and Bret Brielmaier.

With the central players healthy again, the club is scoring more consistently. Bayless (20.0 PPG, 4.1 APG .408 3-PT%) sets up plays, hits hoops and defends. Sophomore forward Chase Budinger (17.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.9 APG) is a sound scorer and tough defender. Forward Jordan Hill (13.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG), another sophomore, hits 62% of his shots from the field. He’s also the team’s leading rebounder.

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The Wildcats hit their frees 75% of the time. That gives them a 7% edge over the Mountaineers. They hit their threes 39% of the time, making them 5% better than their opponents. Still, if the Cats don’t defend, they could find themselves out of the tourney.

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