Well, here we are. Having already chewed the whole pack of Cornell’s “Big Red”, the Cats avoided a fairytale ending for the Revenge of the Nerds 2, and are just one win away from the Final Four. But, our Hillbilly brethren to the East stand in the way. Yes, the Mountaineers, the same as Tennessee’s Volunteer, but like a true mountain man with a musket in hand. It has been said by many that this is college basketball’s version of the Hatfields and McCoys. This is the same team that has won the Big East in both football and basketball, only to falter to a more superior team in the end. It is the same team ran by Bob Huggins, a coach who could compete with Gillispie in DUI’s and Calipari in “recruiting thugs”. A team, and state, for that matter, that draws many comparisons with Kentucky. Yet they are completely different.
Even on the court they are similar, yet different. Kentucky is ran by point guard John Wall, who is not only the SEC Player of the year and one of the most talented freshman in the country, but is also projected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and last year’s also while we’re at it/ West Virginia’s point guard, well, he’s not that important right now. Darryl “Truck” Bryant is on the bench with an broken foot for the rest of the tournament so the Mountaineers have a man down at that position, as Casey Mitchell and Joe Mazzulla, his replacements, combined for 6 points yesterday. So advantage: Kentucky. But they do have to talented players in Da’sean Butler and Devin Ebanks, two forwards who account for roughly 30 points a game. They are athletic and long and like to attack the lane, as does Wall. UK’s wings are more of outside shooters than slashers, so more defense will need to be applied at the perimeter.
But where the Mountaineers are at a disadvantage, though, is in the inside. Kevin Jones is their primary post player with 14 points and 7 rebounds a game, and after scoring 18 against Washington, he is due for another big game one would think. Wrong. He will have to compete with the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and Patrick Patterson, all three listed to be lottery picks and two of which are freshmen. The latter one, Patterson, being a West Virginia native and having turned down the opportunity to play for the Mountaineers, will have his hands full this game, but will compete all the way to the end. West Virginia attains most of their points in the paint, usually from offensive rebounds. They are a grind-it-out type of team as they have no guard play to display any outside shooting, and are defense-oriented.
Does all of this mean we have anything to worry about? Of course not. Need we remind ourselves of the last time these two teams played? It wasn’t that long ago, although it might be erased from our memory banks. The Cats defeated the Mountaineers 54-43, in a game where UK dominateed defensively as they did last night. They held the Mountaineers’ best player, Alex Ruoff, to 10 points, the highest point total of anyone on that team. This was a game in which Jodie Meeks, Patrick Patterson, and yes- Josh Harrellson, with a double-double, dominated. All players scored in double figures and accounted for 46 of UK’s 54 points. UK was down 26-16 at halftime, but allowed less than 20 points on the defensive end in the second half. Ebanks and Butler only combined for 11 points that game. The differences this year? West Virginia has the same exact roster minus Alex Ruoff, and Kentucky has even better players, with the same ones that dominated last year coming off the bench. And an even better coach, good enough to beat the Mountaineers time and time again. As long as this time DeAndre Liggins plays when his name is called and doesn’t decide to sit on the bench, I’m calling a Kentucky victory and a trip to Indianapolis on this one.
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