West Virginia faced Maryland in the last round of this tournament and won 69-59 as a 1.5-point favorite. The Mountaineers have now won-and-covered in two straight games and three of their past four. They have also covered in seven of their past nine games. Kentucky, meanwhile, defeated Cincinnati 64-51 as a 16-point favorite last round. The Wildcats obviously come into this game after having won 36 games in a row SU. They have held their past nine opponents under 70 points and have only allowed their opponent to shoot over 40% from the field in four of their past 10 games. The Wildcats know how to make their opponent uncomfortable and they’ll look to do the same against West Virginia Thursday. These teams have met four times since 1997 and Kentucky has gone 3-1 both SU and ATS in those games. The one West Virginia victory will hold significance though, as it was a Mountaineers 73-66 upset over John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins’ then 35-2 Kentucky team in 2010. That John Calipari team was considered one of the best he ever coached, so Bob Huggins will draw motivation from that upset for this year’s bunch. West Virginia is 12-3 ATS when seeded 5 to 8 in the NCAA tournament since 1997 and 19-5 ATS overall in the tournament since then as well. Kentucky, meanwhile, is 84-58 ATS off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite since 1997. F Kevin Noreen (Undisclosed) is out indefinitely for the Mountaineers and F Alex Poythress (Knee) is out for the season for the Wildcats.
Can the Mountaineers defeat the perfect Wildcats in the Sweet 16 on Thursday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. StatFox Zach is on a 56% ATS (32-25) Best Bets run since Jan. 1 and has a 55% ATS mark (52-43) this season. StatFox Brian is a strong 59% ATS (19-13) in Best Bets since Feb. 6 to put him at 55% ATS (52-42-1) this season, while StatFox Gary has a 55% ATS (52-43) record for the season.
The Mountaineers have been a solid team offensively this season, putting up 73.9 PPG (36th in NCAA) but they’re shooting just 41.2% from the floor (282nd in NCAA). They are also decent on the defensive end, allowing just 66.5 PPG (164th in NCAA) thanks to 10.9 SPG (1st in NCAA). West Virginia will need to play a nearly perfect game on Tuesday, forcing turnovers against Kentucky and also avoiding turning the ball over itself. G Juwan Staten (14.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG) will have to play a very good game against the Wildcats in this one. Staten struggled against Maryland, finishing with just six points in 34 minutes of action. He is this team’s most reliable scorer and will need to get his shots to fall in this one. He also has to do a solid job of finding his teammates, as he is this team’s best passer. F Devin Williams (11.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG) has come into his own for the Mountaineers, averaging 17.0 PPG over the past three games. He had 16 points and 10 boards in 32 minutes against Maryland and must be extremely active in the game Thursday. Williams will be battling for rebounds against a big and athletic frontcourt, so he will have to bring some serious intensity to this game. F Jonathan Holton (7.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG) also must have a big game on the glass. Holton had 12 points against Maryland last game, but he has had four or less rebounds in each of the past four games. He will need to be much better in that department in order for his team to have a chance of upsetting Kentucky. G Daxter Miles Jr. (7.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG) is going to be an x-factor for this team. Miles Jr. is on fire recently, averaging 12.0 PPG over the past four contests. He is shooting 50% from three in those games and can really impact this game if he is stretching the floor.
Kentucky has been dominant throughout the course of the entire season, playing flawless basketball on both ends of the court. The Wildcats are allowing just 53.9 PPG (3rd in NCAA) thanks to 6.9 BPG (2nd in NCAA). Defense has been the strength, but they are also very good on offense. Offensively the team is impressive as well, scoring 74.9 PPG (29th in NCAA) on 46.9% shooting (40th in NCAA). The guy that makes this team go is C Willie Cauley-Stein (9.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG). The big man has had 2+ blocks in each of the past five games and has unbelievable athleticism for a player his size. At 7-feet tall, Cauley-Stein runs the floor like a point guard and has very good timing. He’ll serve as a serious source of rim protection in this game and should also have a number of dunks as well. F Karl-Anthony Towns (10.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.4 BPG) is another big man with big-time shot-blocking ability. Towns has stood out for Kentucky in this tournament, averaging 14.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 3.0 BPG over the past two games. He’ll need to continue scoring around the basket in addition to playing the great defense that fans have become accustomed to. In the backcourt, Gs Andrew Harrison (9.2 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.2 RPG) and Aaron Harrison (11.1 PPG, 1.2 SPG) are the two most consistent contributors. Andrew Harrison is responsible for running this offense. He is a smart player that avoids turnovers and he is capable of knocking down shots when called upon (39% 3PT). Aaron Harrison is this team’s crunch time scorer. He knows how to create his own shot and is not afraid of the big moment. He’ll need to play well in this game or the Wildcats could be upset before the Elite 8. G Devin Booker (10.1 PPG) is going to be an important player in this game. Booker is one of the best shooters in the nation (41% 3PT) and is second on the team in points per game, but he’s scored in double figures just once in the past seven games. He’ll need to find his stroke in this one. Fortunately for the Wildcats, their roster runs nine-deep with players that could start on any other team in the country.
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