NCAA Tournament Preview - Texas-WVU

By Big12-Fans Writer Josh Cline


#2 Texas Longhorns (29-6/At-Large Selection)

Sweet 16 Opponent: #6 West Virginia Mountaineers (22-10/At-Large Selection) Thursday, March 23, 8:40 PM CT

What to Expect: This is a rematch of a game that occurred way back in November, which Texas won 76-75. The game was just as close as the score indicated as LaMarcus Aldridge hit a put-back with less than four seconds on the clock to give Texas the victory. In that game, star big-man Kevin Pittsnoggle was held to just nine points, but Mike Gansey lit up the Horns to the tune of 28 points (interestingly, only 9 of those points were via the three-ball). Texas had four players in double-digits, with Gibson leading the way with 20. The balance was only in the starting lineup, however, as the Horns had only two bench points.

West Virginia is a team that is very hard to prepare for if you haven’t seen them. In this respect, Texas is lucky to have already played them. They run a very unique attack, as everyone on the floor can shoot the three, and they will any time they have a hint of room from behind the arc. Pittsnoggle is 6-11 and shoots over 39% for three and is a matchup problem for just about anyone. Gansey is as sharp a shooter as they come, shooting over 42% for three and averaging 16.8 points per contest. As much as their offense focuses on the three, once they draw the defense out, they open up their offense to include a back-door cut which is a deadly companion to the outside shot.

Defensively, the Mountaineers will run a 1-3-1 zone after they make a basket, which will require cross-court passes to defeat. They get a lot of steals, especially considering the low amount of fouls they get called for. The zone will need to be effective in order to stop the Longhorn’s very talented starting five. If West Virginia can ratchet up the pressure, they might be able to tire out Texas, as the Horns aren’t very deep. Also, it must be noted that West Virginia is one of the worst teams in the nation in rebound margin...something that can be seen in their previous box score as Aldridge and Brad Buckman had 14 and 11 rebounds apiece as Texas won the rebounding contest by a whopping 40-19.

Texas should be able to win this game, given the experience against the hectic West Virginia system earlier in the year. The Longhorns are more athletic and also will have a huge rebounding edge in the game. However, the Longhorns can’t have complete control on how many threes go in for the Mountaineers, and if they start falling, Texas might not be able to win no matter what they try to do. I expect Texas to win a close one with West Virginia’s tenacious defense and their three-ball magic keeping it close.

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