Rushed Reactions: #4 West Virginia 86, #13 Bucknell 80
Posted by Bennet Hayes on March 16th, 2017West Virginia‘s press caused chaos often enough to help the Mountaineers advance Thursday afternoon, as Bob Huggins‘ group outlasted Bucknell, 86-80.
The Mountaineers have more to celebrate as they advance to the Second Round (Photo: Getty)
- Balanced West Virginia attack again successful. West Virginia’s offense has been predicated on balance all season, and Thursday afternoon’s game in Buffalo was no different. Five Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by Tarek Phillip‘s 16 points. The variety of contributors stressed a relatively thin Bucknell rotation, as nine of the 10 West Virginia players to see the floor entered the scoring column. As this afternoon suggested, no single Mountaineer will dictate this team’s fate over the next couple of weeks.
- Hustle point count for Mountaineers. All things considered, Bucknell handled the Mountaineers’ press relatively well. They only turned the ball over 15 times in a high-possession game, but West Virginia was able to create consistent offense with its numerous hustle plays. Nathan Adrian‘s diving steal, assist, and subsequent drawn offensive foul was the sequence of the game, and it was little plays like that within the press and on the offensive glass (17 offensive rebounds for the Mountaineers) that represented the winning difference.
- Bucknell acquits itself nicely on significant stage. The Bison may be heading home after one day but they represented themselves well on a national stage. Bucknell’s four double-figure scorers combined to score 72 of its 80 points, all proving up to the challenge that the West Virginia defense presents. The best news for Bucknell fans: No piece of the quartet is a senior. The future is indeed bright for the Bison.
Star of the Game. Lamont West, West Virginia. The Mountaineers’ freshman was an unexpected contributor this afternoon, scoring 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. In typical West Virginia fashion, four other plays scored in double figures, but West outscoring his season average by more than nine points offered an unexpected lift. West scored nine of his 15 points before intermission, closing the first half with a layup at the horn to give his team a nine-point lead they would not relinquish.
Quotable.
- “What Bucknell did was make shots. Not everyone makes shots.” – Bob Huggins, on Bucknell’s game performance Thursday afternoon.
Sights and Sounds. For the second time this afternoon, Buffalo watched as a favorite survived a challenge from a plucky mid-major. West Virginia brought a dose of energy to the KeyBack Center when its press initiated an early lead, but expect the evening session with Villanova and Wisconsin to bring some more noise to the arena.
What’s Next. The Mountaineers advance to face a Notre Dame team who was lucky to escape Princeton’s upset bid earlier this afternoon. It will be a classic strength-on-strength matchup, as Notre Dame’s possession offense (best in the country in offensive turnover percentage) matches up with “Press Virginia” (tops in the country in defensive turnover percentage). With both teams harboring legitimate Final Four aspirations, it should be one of the most compelling battles of the second round.
