Further Reading: For all things related to tonight’s game, visit our Mountaineers blog, The Smoking Musket, and our Huskies blog, UW Dawg Pound. For a Game Thread, head over to TSM.
No. 2 West Virginia Hopes To End Washington’s Tournament Run
The second game to tip-off in the Sweet 16 Thursday night is out of the East Region, where No. 11 Washington will look to keep their tournament run going with an upset win over No. 2 West Virginia, who will be playing without starting point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant, a player who they lost to a broken foot earlier this week.
The winner gets either top-seeded Kentucky or 12th-seeded Cornell in the next round.
Here’s how our own Blogging The Bracket’s Chris Dobbertean sees Thursday night’s game:
Of course, if the Mountaineers can force a free throw duel, they’ll likely prevail, as they’re just a bit better from the charity stripe. The Huskies beat New Mexico handily despite only hitting half their foul shots, and 68.8 percent against Marquette meant they needed a last-second Pondexter scoop shot to claim the win.
My pick: West Virginia
From the Sports Network preview:
Quincy Pondexter was the hero for Washington in the first round against Marquette, as he hit the game-winning shot at the end of regulation. Pondexter leads the squad with 19.7 ppg, and he is shooting 53.2 percent from the floor while pulling down 7.5 rpg. Isaiah Thomas is the only other double-digit scorer on the roster, as he checks in with 17.1 ppg and 3.1 apg. The Huskies are netting 79.9 ppg while limiting foes to 70.0 ppg. In the 18-point romp over New Mexico, Pondexter scored 18 points, while Thomas added 15 points and seven assists. Matt Bryan-Amaning, the club's best frontcourt performer, posted 15 points and nine rebounds, while Elston Turner tallied 10 points. The Huskies played strong defense in that tilt, holding the Lobos to 39.4 percent shooting from the field. Washington finished the game with 21 assists against five turnovers and drained eight three-pointers.
West Virginia is generating 72.9 ppg while limiting opponents to 63.3 ppg on 41.7 percent shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are led by Da'Sean Butler, who is scoring 17.5 ppg to go along with 6.3 rpg and 114 assists. Kevin Jones, who has started all 35 games alongside Butler, checks in with 13.6 ppg and 7.2 rpg, while Devin Ebanks rounds out a solid trio with 12.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg. The Mountaineers are strong on the boards, outrebounding foes by nearly seven caroms per contest. In the nine-point win over Missouri on Sunday, Butler scored 28 points on the strength of a 12-of-13 effort from the foul line. Ebanks tallied 14 points, and Jones netted 13 points to go along with nine rebounds. Strong defense was key to the triumph, as WVU limited Missouri to 32.8 percent shooting from the field. A 25-12 edge in points from the foul line helped the cause as well. There is some bad news to report for the Mountaineers, as starting point guard Darryl Bryant broke his foot in practice on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the tournament. Bryant is averaging 9.3 ppg to go along with his 108 assists, and he will be missed [...]
West Virginia 79, Washington 72
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