Xavier - West Virginia Preview

Sweet 16
Xavier Musketeers (3) Vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (7)
Thursday, March 27 @ 7:10 pm

In their second round game, the Xavier offense put up 85 points, hitting 51% from the field, 42% from the three-point arc and 79% from the charity stripe. The team went to the foul line 33 times, converting 26 of those chances. Although Purdue led 61- 60 with 5:42 to go in the second, Xavier’s “D” played efficiently and guard Drew Lavender went 8 for 8 from the foul line in the final minute.

Point guard Lavender, who put in a total of 18 points, including going two for three from downtown, kept the offense moving by tossing teammates 9 assists. Swingman C.J. Anderson, who led the team with 7 rebounds, was also good for 18 points. Upfront, forward Josh Duncan took in 5 rebounds and hit for 16 points.

In their second round game, the 7th seed West Virginia Mountaineers surprised the 2nd seed Duke Blue Devils 73- 67. Down by five at the half, the Mountaineers outscored Duke 44 to 33 to win the contest 73- 67.

Victory was earned under the boards where West Virginia out rebounded Duke 45 to 19. Additionally, the Mountaineers kept the Blue Devils success rate from the field at 38% and their three-pointers down to 23%.

Forward Joe Alexander led all scorers with 22 points. His 11 rebounds earned him a double-double. Guard Joe Mazzulla put in a monster performance earning a double-double with 11 rebounds and 13 points. He also had 8 assists. Alex Ruoff at guard brought down 6 rebounds while pumping in 17 scores.

Two solid defenses with fine shooting from the field and foul line meet in this Sweet 16 match-up. For the Mountaineers to win, they’ll have to defend mightily versus the Xavier shooters while staying out of foul trouble.