Washington (26-9) vs. West Virginia (29-6)
Thursday, March 25th, 7:27 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Carrier Dome (33,633) -- Syracuse, New York. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: Washington 17-15, West Virginia 22-22. Series Record: Washington leads, 1-0.
GAME NOTES: The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers have reached the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 as expected, and they will attempt to avoid an upset tonight against the red-hot Washington Huskies, the East Region's 11th seed.
Up next for the winner of this contest is an Elite Eight matchup with either top-seeded Kentucky or 12th-seeded Cornell.
Washington carries a nine-game win streak into tonight's game, including a successful run through the Pac-10 Tournament and the first two rounds of this NCAA Tournament. The Huskies, who are 26-9 overall this season, defeated sixth-seeded Marquette by an 80-78 final in the first round before knocking off third-seeded New Mexico rather easily, 82-64. Washington is making its third Sweet 16 appearance during the Lorenzo Romar era, and the program is 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies will tie a program record with their 36th game played tonight, a mark previously set by the 1938 squad.
West Virginia has won its last eight games to move to 29-6 overall, and head coach Bob Huggins thought his team was worthy of a No. 1 seed, especially after winning the Big East Conference Tournament. The Mountaineers may be using the perceived snub as motivation, as they crushed 15th-seeded Morgan State in the first round before knocking off 10th-seeded Missouri by a 68-59 final in the second round. That victory enabled WVU to even its all-time NCAA Tournament record at 22-22. The Mountaineers finished sixth in the final regular-season poll, the best finish for the program since placing fifth in 1960.
The Huskies won their only previous meeting with the Mountaineers back in 1973.
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.
The Mountaineers do not win pretty, but they have found a way to get the job done 29 times this season. Expect number 30 today, as they will get past the Huskies to advance despite the absence of Bryant.
Predicted Outcome: West Virginia 79, Washington 72
