West Virginia Mountaineers
Big 12 (17-15, 9-9)
Any team that went 9-9 in the Big 12 this season has to have some big wins. For West Virginia the biggest came against Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma. A tough, and disappointing, non-conference schedule kept WVU out of the national radar for most of the year, but eventually this group proved that they could beat anybody on any given day.
Big Wins: 2/5 Oklahoma (91-86), 2/10 Iowa State (102-77), 3/8 Kansas (92-86)
Bad Losses: 11/12 at Virginia Tech (82-87), 12/5 at Missouri (71-80), 12/22 Purdue (70-73)
Coach: Bob Huggins (7 seasons at West Virginia)
Why They Can Surprise:
For West Virginia to get more big wins, they will need to limit their turnovers and knock down three-pointers. The turnovers have not been a problem this year thanks to the superb play of Juwan Staten. The point guard averages a very impressive 18.0 points, 5.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds. Those numbers are eye popping enough, yet it is Staten’s ability to run the offense and take control of the ball and the tempo that is most valuable to this team. Eron Harris and Terry Henderson do much of the scoring for the Mountaineers. Remi Dibo and Nathan Adrian are also quality shooters who can spark the offense. This is a team that shoots a lot and, with all of those quality options, WVU will find the hot hand.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Coach Bob Huggins’ teams are traditionally known for tough rebounding, but this group has struggled on the glass. That is in large part due to the youth and inexperience in the frontcourt. Devin Williams deserves a ton of credit for his production in the paint, but it is often not enough. Fellow freshman Nathan Adrian and defensive specialist Kevin Noreen are the other frontcourt options. Dibo is also a forward with some nice size, yet he spends a lot of time on the perimeter and is not the bruiser that West Virginia needs in the paint.
Probable Starters:
Juwan Staten, Junior, Guard, 18.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.8 apg
Eron Harris, Sophomore, Guard, 17.4 ppg, 1.6 apg
Remi Dibo, Junior, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Nathan Adrian, Freshman, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Devin Williams, Freshman, Forward, 8.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Gary Browne, Junior, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 1.6 apg
Terry Henderson, Sophomore, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 1.1 apg
Kevin Noreen, Junior, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.5 (29th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.5 (263, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.3 (166, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.6 (225, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (38, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.6 (33, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.5 (77, 4)
Rebound Margin: -0.3 (203, 8)
Assists Per Game: 13.2 (136, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.6 (8, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Gonzaga
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Clemson
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kentucky
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Morgan State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Missouri
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Washington
2010 NCAA Regional final win over Kentucky
2010 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Duke
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Dayton
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arizona
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Duke
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Xavier
2007 NIT First Round win over Delaware State
2007 NIT Second Round win over Massachusetts
2007 NIT Quarterfinal win over North Carolina State
2007 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi State
2007 NIT Final win over Clemson
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
