West Virginia Mountaineers
Big 12 (24-10, 11, 7)
Heading into mid-January, West Virginia was 15-1, including wins over Virginia and Oklahoma. However, after that the Mountaineers dropped five of their next six games. The Big 12 was extremely tough this year though so a tough run like that is not completely unexpected, but it certainly made WVU vulnerable heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/5 Virginia (68-61), 2/12 TCU (82-66), 2/26 Texas Tech (84-74)
Bad Losses: 1/31 at Iowa State (77-93), 2/10 Oklahoma State (85-88), 3/3 at Texas (79-87)
Coach: Bob Huggins
Why They Can Surprise:
West Virginia has one of the best turnover margins in the country. Much of that has to do with leading scorer Jevon Carter, who dished out 6.6 assists per game and only turned the ball over 2.7 times. On top of that, he led the nation in total steals and averaged 2.9 per game. Carter will lead the way, but the Mountaineers also have five other players who are very capable scorers. Daxter Miles, Jr., Lamont West and James Bolden are all shooting threats, while Esa Ahmad and Sagaba Konate are the big men in the paint.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Traditionally a Bob Huggins coached team does great on the glass. This team is great when it comes to offensive rebounding, most notably Konate, but the team as a whole has been a bit disappointing in the rebounding department. However, that is partly due to Ahmad missing the first half of the season. The 6-8 junior made his return on January 13th and provided even more size to an already big roster. Wesley Harris, Teddy Allen and West are the other forwards in the regular rotation. Harris is a 6-8 forward who starts in the frontcourt and gives WVU three players who are 6-8 or taller in the starting five, but this is not the toughest group of Mountaineers in the frontcourt and it will show on the glass.
Probable Starters:
Jevon Carter, Senior, Guard, 17.0 ppg, 6.6 apg, 4.7 rpg, 2.9 spg
Daxter Miles, Senior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 3.2 apg
Wesley Harris, Sophomore, Forward, 5.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Esa Ahmad, Junior, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg
Sagaba Konate, Sophomore, Forward, 10.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.3 bpg
Key Role Players:
Teddy Allen, Freshman, Forward, 6.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
James Bolden, Sophomore, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 1.1 apg
Lamont West, Sophomore, Forward, 9.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.4 (44th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.9 (91, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.6 (237, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.9 (66, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.8 (75, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.9 (176, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.7 (27, 1)
Rebound Margin: 3.4 (66, 4)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (81, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.3 (34, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Bucknell
2017 NCAA Round of 32 win over Notre Dame
2017 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Gonzaga
2016 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Stephen F. Austin
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Buffalo
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Maryland
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
2014 NIT First Round loss to Georgetown
2012 NCAA Round of 64 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
*all team stats through 3/4
