West Virginia March Madness Predictions

Article Updated March 14th, 2010

One team that could make some in this year's NCAA Tournament is the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Mountainers have won six straight games, including their three wins over Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Georgetown which won them the Big East championship title this weekend. West Virginia enters the tournament with an overall record of 27-6, which includes being 13-5 in Big East play

West Virginia Mountaineers Tournament Prediction

West Virginia is a school with a Basketball program that continues to improve every season, as this will be their 3rd consecutive trip the NCAA Tournament. After knocking off Duke in the 2nd round of the 2008 tournament, the Mountaineers have dropped decisions to Xavier and Dayton, the latter being in the first round of the 2009 tournament. Overall, this is the 23rd appearance for WVU in the big tournament, with a disappointing record of 20-22. With only one Final Four appearance and zero championships, it is time for West Virginia to make a name for themselves in this tournament. It would be a far stretch to call them a Cinderella team , but I believe this team will turn more than a couple heads when they make their way into the Sweet Sixteen and ultimately, what I think, their 2nd Final Four appearance in school history.

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How do you think West Virginia will do? Leave your comments below!

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Article Written February 21st, 2010

Team Offense - A veteran contingency runs the Mountaineers offense, as the top 5 scorers on the team are all at least in their Sophmore season. The Highest scoring Freshman for West Virginia is Turkish Forward Deniz Kilicli, who averages almost 5.5 points per game, however the rookie has only played in 5 games for the Mountaineers this season. Leading the way on offense for West Virgnia is Senior Forward Da'Sean Butler who averages 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game and Sophmore Forward Kevin Jones, who almost scores 14 points a game for the Mountaineers while grabbing almost 8 rebounds per contest as well. As a team, their offense may not be explosive, but everyone on the floor is capable of putting points on the board. This offense that averages around 75 points per game, has reached the 85 point plateau on5 occasions this year, however 2 of those games went into extra time. This offense may not be able to carry the Mountaineers through the tournament, but it's this team's offense combined with their defense and transition that will make them a threat.

Team Defense - A fairly sound defensive squad led by 6'9" Devin Ebanks with 120 defensive rebounds on the season averages under 65 points per game against, which could lead to a surprise run in this tournament. Offense can only get you so far against powerhouses such as Duke, Kansas or any other ranked team in the nation. Being able to stop these high-octane offenses is the key to success deep in these tournaments, and I believe the Mountaineers have the defense to do so. This team averages 6 steals per game to go with 4 blocks, but the important thing for West Virginia is these stats are spread out through the entire roster. Defensive contributions from everyone on the floor is what will lead West Virginia through this year's tournament.