No. 11 West Virginia Looking For First Program Win Over No. 1 Gonzaga
The No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers are looking for their first win over the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs in tonight’s matchup at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Mountaineers are 0-4 all-time against the Zags, who knocked them out of the Sweet Sixteen with a three-point victory in 2017.
Gonzaga has an explosive offense, averaging 96 points and outscoring opponents by an average of 17.5 points per game. Guard Jalen Suggs and forwards Drew Timme and Corey Kispert lead the Bulldogs’ offense, accounting for a combined 71.3% of all Gonzaga’s points.
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins is confident that West Virginia forwards Derek Cuver and Gabe Osabuohien will be able to match up against the height of Gonzaga’s roster. However, he cites the Mountaineers’ perimeter defense as a vulnerability that the Zags, who are averaging 58.4% from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc.
“Those guys that are starting are really good,” Huggins said during an interview with media. “I don’t worry about Derek (Culver’s) ability to matchup with a 7-footer. Gabe (Osabuohien) guards anybody. We can put Gabe on their point guard, and we can put him on their center. I don’t think that is as big of an issue as what our perimeter defense has been.”
West Virginia’s strongest perimeter defender, Deuce McBride, has also led the Mountaineers’ offense with an average 16.3 points over their past three games. In order to get past a consistent Gonzaga defense, Huggins believes that his team needs to improve its floor vision to see more passes and take smarter shots.
Playing the No. 1 team in the country brings an opportunity for the Mountaineers to claim their place as a legitimate contender to have an impressive March Madness run.
“This is a statement game for us,” explained WVU guard Taz Sherman. “We want to show everybody that we deserve to be one of those teams that is talked about in the Final Four and National Championship conversation. That’s why this is a big game.”
West Virginia will tip-off against Gonzaga at 7PM EST.
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