Elite 8 Here We Come
West Virginia was able to make it to their first Elite 8 appearance since 2005 after holding off 11th-seeded Washington Huskies. If I were to say that the Mountaineers were to have a season-high of turnovers, would you think we even would of had a chance to win? The Huskies defense managed the Mountaineers to give up the ball a total of 23 times, 13 of them being in the first half. This was the first time all season that they exceeded the 20 point mark.
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The Mountaineers take the #2 seed for the East Region
The Road to the Final Four will begin in Buffalo, New York on March 19 for West Virginia as they are set to take on the No. 15 seed Bears of Morgan State. The No. 2 Mountaineers were in the mix of being a potential one-seed but, with Duke wining their Conference Championship, the Selection Committee thought that Duke should overtake that spot.
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West Virginia, The New Beasts Of The East
In a tournament full of upsets, games decided by 3 points or fewer, and late game heroics, this was the perfect ending to what has been a Big East tournament to remember. It started off with the third-seeded Mountaineers being the one out of the top four-seeded teams to surpass the quarterfinals. West Virginia was able to win its first Big East Tournament Championship in school history and their first Conference Tournament Championship since the Mountaineers played in the A-10 in 1984. West Virginia was able to achieve this goal that was set prior to the season.
The Mountaineers captured their first ever Title by defeating the Georgetown Hoyas with a score of 60-58, their highest point total in the tournament. West Virginia was fortunate enough for Georgetown Guard Chris Wright to foul Joe Mazzulla after the offensive rebound from Butler’s missed 3-point attempt with a mere 27 seconds left on the game clock. The game was tied when the surprising foul occurred and to what was later said by Wright a “mistake” as he stated that he did not look up at the scoreboard. Mazzulla knocked both free throws down to break the tie but did not stay that way for long. Chris Wright was able to create a little daylight between Mazzulla and himself on a spin move, leading to a game-tying layup with 17 seconds left. After a little chaos, West Virginia called a timeout at midcourt with 9 seconds left, which is when the magic started to happen once again.
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WVU Beats Bearcats on Butler Buzzer-Beater
BlueandGoldNews.com
WVU played Cincinnati in the Big East Conference Tournament at Madison Square Garden Thursday night. The 54-51 win for the Mountaineers was achieved by a banked three by Da’Sean Butler as the clock expired. Leading the Mountaineers were: Kevin Jones (17 Pts, 6 Reb), Da’Sean Butler (15 Pts, 5 Assists, 6 Reb), and Devin Ebanks (10 Pts, 5 Assists, 6 Reb). Read the rest of this entry »
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WVU Squeezes By Villanova In Convincing Win
What more can you ask for than to beat a top 10 team to end the regular season. This win was huge for the Mountaineers as it gives them incredible and much needed momentum heading in to the Big East Tournament.
West Virginia once again found a way to overcome yet another first half nightmare after scoring a season low 16 points in the half. Da’Sean Butler was once again the hero as he was able to dribble through the Wildcats defense and scoring a a 2-point runner with 5.8 seconds left to play, leading West Virginia to a 68-66 overtime win. The Mountaineers first half shooting woes consisted of 2 of 12 from the behind the arc, 2 for 10 from the free throw line and 6 for 25 from the field, accumulating a dreadful 24% from the field. Was it the Mountaineers second half defensive change that triggered West Virginia’s second half burst? Or perhaps was it Bob Huggins unusual halftime speech?
It was a combination of the two, but more so the 1-3-1 defensive switch which has been most effective. The second half adjustment seemed to do its job as Villanova (24-6, 13-5 Big East) could not get through the passing lanes. Bob Huggins, on the other hand, did not take his normal halftime routine of yelling but yet was calmer than anyone can recall. The combination of the two seemed to have worked and got the job done.
Leading West Virginia (24-6, 13-5 Big East) was led by Da’Sean Butler who finished his last regular season game with 21 points and 10 rebounds.