Story by Blake Sandlin, Assistant Sports Editor
A six-year NCAA tournament drought will come to an end on Friday when Murray State basketball steps onto the court against West Virginia University.
The 5-seed Mountaineers will meet a formidable 12-seed in the Racers in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, March 16, in San Diego, California. But don’t let the seeding differential fool you; the first ever meeting between the two blue-collar programs is destined to exceed expectations, and maybe even bust some brackets along the way.
A tale of two programs
Murray State’s tournament berth marked the 16th time in program history the Racers have qualified for the Big Dance. They’ll be looking to capitalize on their third-straight NCAA tournament win and fourth in program history, with the previous two coming in 2010 (Vanderbilt) and 2012 (Colorado State). The Racers finished their season 26-5 and claimed the OVC tournament crown to reserve their spot in the tournament.
The Mountaineers, however, are all too acclimated with the tournament landscape. Hailing from the Big-12, Head Coach Bob Huggins and company are practically regulars in the month of March, having advanced to the tournament in nine of the last 10 seasons
West Virginia compiled an impressive 24-10 (11-7) record in a Big-12 conference that is arguably one of the most prolific leagues in the nation. The Mountaineers advanced to the Big-12 championship game against Kansas, but ultimately fell 81-70 to finish second in their conference.
Scouting report
Keys to bracket-busting
Take care of the rock- They don’t call ’em “Press Virginia” for nothing. The Mountaineers are extremely adept at stifling opponents defensively, and that defense is predicated on their full-court press. They average eight steals a game and turn opponents over 16.5 times per game while only committing 11.3 turnovers themselves. Not only can they force turnovers, but they can parlay those turnovers into points, averaging 20.1 points off turnovers. Fortunately for Murray State, they aren’t a turnover-prone team. They average 11.9 per game, ranked 71st nationally for fewest turnovers. However, they’ve certainly had their moments of frivolous play, like a season-high 20-turnover game against Tennessee Tech. Or when they faltered in the face of Jacksonville State’s press in the OVC tournament.
Light it up from three- Second only to West Virginia’s press defense is its post defense. Headlined by sophomore forward Sagaba Konate’s 3.3 blocks per game — more than Murray State averages as a team — the Mountaineers employ an athletic front court that will out-match Murray State nine games out of 10. Collectively, they average 5.3 blocks per game, and pose a staunch threat to the Racers’ inside attack. Luckily, Murray State thrives on a perimeter offense that can remedy its deficiencies in the paint. Comprised of senior guard Jonathan Stark, junior guard Byron Hawkins and senior forward Terrell Miller, the Racers are ranked 48th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, averaging 38 percent from three on 8.5 threes per game. If the paint is clogged, and odds are it will be, the Racers will need to center their attack from behind the arc.
Get the Mountaineers in foul trouble- The Mountaineers’ stifling defense has its flaws. West Virginia’s 725 fouls through 34 games is the fourth-highest in the country. In order for the Racers to have a shot, they have to not only get West Virginia in foul trouble, but also convert at the line.
Ride the wave- Armed with perhaps the most valuable intangible coming into the tournament: momentum. Riding a 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in the country, the Racers would be wise to ride their hot streak into Friday’s game. As history has shown us, it’s not always the most talented team that pulls off the massive upset; it’s the hottest.
Bobby’s Bytes
West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins shared his thoughts on his team’s chances during Thursday’s NCAA press conference in San Diego.
“I think if anybody is equipped to do it we can do it after what we do in our
league. We fly across the country constantly in our league, so our guys are pretty used to it.”
“It’s like anything else. You have to have trust in it. If you don’t trust it it’s not going to be any
good. You have to trust it and you’re going to give up some layups sometimes and some easy shots, sometimes it’s just not going to work. But I think over the long haul, it’s been good for us.”
“It’s different. You don’t see it all the time. It’s like a guy said to me what makes it so effective and I said if you walked out of your hotel and some guy got in your face and followed you everywhere you went wouldn’t that bother you? And he said, yeah, and I said that’s what we try to do for forty minutes is do that.”
McMahon’s Message
Murray State Head Coach Matt McMahon also addressed the upcoming matchup.
“Our guys are really excited to be here. We’ve had a great
season to this point. We were able to win the regular season, Ohio Valley
Conference Championship. We went on to the OBC tournament, beat Jacksonville
State and Belmont and excited for the opportunity we have tomorrow against what
I believe is one of the top-10 teams in the country in West Virginia.”
“Like we have talked about all week, I want them to enjoy this experience. But I also
want them to find a balance of we’ve got to go to work and we’ve got to try to
prepare to win and beat a great team. I think our guys have been very mature in
that way and having two great senior leaders in Jonathan Stark and Terrell Miller
has driven that for us.”
“The thing about this team that’s special is they have eliminated everything that’s
happened in the past and focused on becoming the best team they can be and
that’s all I want them to continue to do, to play with great energy and passion and
joy and a lot of toughness, because if you don’t bring toughness tomorrow you’re in
a world of hurt.”
Game Info
The Jevon Carter-led Mountaineers open up as 9.5 point favorites against the Racers, but many pundits have tabbed the 5/12 matchup as a potential upset. Murray State will look to reaffirm that prediction at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 16, at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.
