With just over a minute left and WVU up 58-57, the Mountaineers’ Daxter Miles Jr. missed both his free throws, and Nathan Adrian scooped up the rebound but couldn’t make the layup.
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Zach Collins #32 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs blocks a shot by Tarik Phillip #12 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first half during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at SAP Center on March 23, 2017 in San Jose, California. And if Gonzaga goes on to win the national title, the two defensive plays it made in the game’s final 70 seconds will be essential to include in the highlight reel. There was no way West Virginia would have had to a chance to win this game without him.
His teammates have made just 4 of 14 shots from the field and the Mountaineers are doing even worse, shooting 5 for 18. “‘I knew they had a lot of guys at the top. So, when he said ‘Ma, I’ll call you tomorrow, I’m getting ready to go”. Both players played their tails off for three and four years, respectively and hopefully will be remembered for the great things they brought to the West Virginia program.
The possession looked dead at this point, but Carter had to do something.
The coaching staff came up with a good plan to combat the West Virginia traps. “I know this, they put an enormous amount of time in”, Huggins said.
“He said, ‘Well, there’s a lot of things you have to adjust to”.
The 4th seeded Mountaineers will take on No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. But the Mountaineers have a way of wearing down their opponents, and their quickness on defense began to bother Gonzaga late in the first half. The Musketeers have won five of six games since the skid.
After a sleepless night of two distinct sequences of play waking me up randomly, I’m still not ready to really talk about what happened. In the end, though, Few’s bunch doesn’t have to deal with Arizona again. “And there were big shots being made right and left and fortunately, we made the two big plays at the end”. You are not supposed to win shooting 16-60. But with the game on the line, he missed two threes and then dribbled around looking for another shot before dumping it off to Miles at the buzzer. Although Gonzaga is an up-tempo team on offense, it’s merciless with its half-court defense, thriving on outstanding athleticism and length. Luckily, a West Virginia player is able to collect the rebound. Another Karnowski hook shot tied the game at 24 with 3:19 remaining. The Bulldogs rank first in adjusted defensive efficiency this season; no team in the country has allowed fewer points per possession, adjusted for its competition. If this absurd pace continues, Kansas will threaten for a spot in the record books for most dominant Final Four runs in tournament history.
“Their size bothers everybody around the rim”, Huggins said. The Bulldogs suddenly went cold themselves, turning it over five times in a stretch of a little more than five minutes while making just 1-of-7 field goals. “And we just didn’t make shots that we normally make”. West Virginia’s Jevon Carter had a game-high 21 points but missed two 3-pointers in the final seconds while being harassed by Nigel Williams-Goss. “To know you were so close and you gave everything you had and to come up short, it hurts”.
“We’re seeing the fruits of that labor now”, Zaninovich said.
Mathews nailed it, though he never saw it go down because of the pressure in his face – “but I heard it, ” he said with a smile.
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Nevertheless, this trip to the Sweet 16 offers a completely different outlook for West Virginia basketball compared to the last one they made back in 2015.
