No. 6 West Virginia set to Square Off at No. 3 North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC - Sixth seed West Virginia meets third seed and regional host North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and the action will broadcast on ESPN2.

The Mountaineers (25-7) advanced with a 78-59 win over Columbia. Senior guard JJ Quinerly scored a game-high 27 points, surpassing 2,000 career points, and recorded seven steals, and seven assists, while junior guard Jordan Harrison put in 23 points and six assists.

Quinerly leads the Mountaineers in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game and is tied with teammate senior forward Kyah Watson for 10th nationally in steals per game at 3.1.

West Virginia University guard JJ Quinerly (11) | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Harrison averages 13.8 ppg and dishes a team high 3.2 assists per game and along with junior guard Sydney Shaw (11.5), help pace a Mountaineer offense that averages 75.9 points per game.

West Virginia has leaned on its elite defense this season, ranking first among Power Four schools in scoring defense, holding opponents to 55.6 points per game, and in turnovers forced per game at 23.8.

The Tarheels (28-7) made their way into the round of 32 with a 70-49 win against Oregon State. Senior guard Lexi Donarksi scored 17 of her game-high 19 points in the third quarter points behind five threes to turn a two-point advantage at halftime to a 23-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Senior forward Alyssa Ustby hit her nearly double double season average with 10 points and nine rebounds.

“She’s the heart and soul of that team from my vantage points,” West Virgnia head coach Mark Kellogg said.

West Virginia University guard Jordan Harrison | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on S

Senior center Maria Gakdeng controls the paint and leads the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg and brings down 7.6 rebounds per game. She had 13 points and five rebounds in the win against Oregon State.

The Tarheels possess one of the best defenses in the ACC, ranking second in scoring defense (57.9) and in defensive field goal percentage (36.6%).

“This is an elite, elite defensive team in North Carolina,” Kellogg said. “Their positioning is great. Their rotations are great. They’re tough, they’re physical.”

“They just do a good job of getting into their stuff on the offensive end, taking the right shots. So, their transition defense is really good and then they can get set defensively and that’s when they’re pretty elite,” Kellogg added.

West Virginia will be playing on North Carolina’s home floor, but the Mountaineers feel confident after last year’s second round game Iowa prepares them for the challenge ahead.

“I’m glad that we were in that situation, so now when this situation presents itself, we’re prepared and we know what to expect,” Harrison said. Honestly, we’re going to control what we can on the court. I mean, if they’re not scoring, then the crowd can’t really get into it.”

Surprisingly, West Virginia and North Carolina have only met once throughout their history, dating

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