PREMIUM
Rogers' West Virginia/Gonzaga SHOWDOWN >> 21-12 Overall L9 Days!
(NCAAB) West Virginia vs. Gonzaga,
Point Spread: -3.00 | -104.00 Gonzaga (Home)
Result: Push
Point Spread: -3.00 | -104.00 Gonzaga (Home)
Result: Push
The set-up: Mark Few has been at Gonzaga since the 1999-2000 season and has led the Bulldogs to the Big Dance in all 18 seasons. This year's team was 32-1 and earned the No. 1 seed in the West and now takes a 34-1 record into Thursday's meeting with 4th-seeded West Virginia, which has gone 28-8 under head coach Bob Huggins. Gonzaga held South Dakota St. to just 46 points in its first-round win and although the Bulldogs let Northwestern back in the game after owning a 38-20 halftime lead, the Bulldogs are right where they wanted to be. Huggins has always been known for his defense and West Va. provides plenty of that (more in a bit) but the Mountaineers averaged 84.5 points in the two NCAA Tournament victories over Bucknell and Notre Dame.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers allow 66.8 PPG (51st) but also earned the nickname "Pree Virginia" for their ability to disrupt an opposing team with their relentless pressure. West Virginia leads the nation in turnovers forced with 20.1 per game (including 10.2 steals per game) and turns that into offense. PG Carter (13.3-4.9-3.8) and Miles (8.8) start in the backcourt while upfront, it's the trio of the 6-9 Ahmad (11.3 & 4.4), the 6-8 Adrian (9.7-6.0-2.9) and the 6-9 Macon (6.4 & 4.1). Guard Phillip (9.6 & 3.1 APG) is the first player off the bench.
Gonzaga: Junior PG Nigel-Williams Goss (16.7-5.8-4.7) was the WCC player-of-the-year and will counted on to neutralize the West Virginia pressure. He's joined in the backcourt by Mathews (10.7) and Perkins (8.3). Starting up front is 7-1 center Karnowski (12.4 & 5.9 rebounds) plus 6-9 junior power forward Williams (10.0 & 6.6). However, it's hard to ignore 7-0 freshman reserve Zach Collins, who averaged 10.3 & 5.7 on the season. NBA talent evaluators sure haven't overlooked him, as he averaged averaged 12 points and blocked a total of seven shots in two NCAA Tournament victories. Gonzaga shoots 51.2 percent a s team (second in the nation) and defensively allows 61.1 PPG4 (th) on 36.7% shooting (2nd). That's quite a combination.
The pick: Mark Few has done a remarkable job at Gonzaga but he's never led the Bulldogs to the Final 4 and in fact, he's only taken the team to a the Elite 8, once (in 2015). The Mountaineers are a team of athletes but they can't match Karnowski and Collins' power inside. Is this the year Gonzaga makes that much-needed Final 4 appearance. First things first. Expect them to slay "Press Virginia" in this one. make Gonzaga an 8* play.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers allow 66.8 PPG (51st) but also earned the nickname "Pree Virginia" for their ability to disrupt an opposing team with their relentless pressure. West Virginia leads the nation in turnovers forced with 20.1 per game (including 10.2 steals per game) and turns that into offense. PG Carter (13.3-4.9-3.8) and Miles (8.8) start in the backcourt while upfront, it's the trio of the 6-9 Ahmad (11.3 & 4.4), the 6-8 Adrian (9.7-6.0-2.9) and the 6-9 Macon (6.4 & 4.1). Guard Phillip (9.6 & 3.1 APG) is the first player off the bench.
Gonzaga: Junior PG Nigel-Williams Goss (16.7-5.8-4.7) was the WCC player-of-the-year and will counted on to neutralize the West Virginia pressure. He's joined in the backcourt by Mathews (10.7) and Perkins (8.3). Starting up front is 7-1 center Karnowski (12.4 & 5.9 rebounds) plus 6-9 junior power forward Williams (10.0 & 6.6). However, it's hard to ignore 7-0 freshman reserve Zach Collins, who averaged 10.3 & 5.7 on the season. NBA talent evaluators sure haven't overlooked him, as he averaged averaged 12 points and blocked a total of seven shots in two NCAA Tournament victories. Gonzaga shoots 51.2 percent a s team (second in the nation) and defensively allows 61.1 PPG4 (th) on 36.7% shooting (2nd). That's quite a combination.
The pick: Mark Few has done a remarkable job at Gonzaga but he's never led the Bulldogs to the Final 4 and in fact, he's only taken the team to a the Elite 8, once (in 2015). The Mountaineers are a team of athletes but they can't match Karnowski and Collins' power inside. Is this the year Gonzaga makes that much-needed Final 4 appearance. First things first. Expect them to slay "Press Virginia" in this one. make Gonzaga an 8* play.
