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UCONN upsets West Virginia

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:37:25 +0000

The Huskies may be the scariest team to play right now in the Big East Tournament. The Huskies came back from being 10 points down with 10 minutes left, and won 71-67 in overtime. The Huskies will face #Syracuse tomorrow at 12pm ET.

Shabazz Napier from the Huskies had 26 points had a few key steals at the end of the game to help lead UCONN to its second win in 2 nights.

Mar 7, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward/center Alex Oriakhi (34) and Cguard Shabazz Napier (13) react after the second round of the Big East Tournament against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Madison Square Garden. UConn won 71-67. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

“We were down by nine with 3 minutes, 40 seconds left. We dug down deep,” Napier said. “We have everything to lose so why not go out there and give it your all? … Everybody just went out there and played as hard as we can, win or lose.” -ESPN.com

All I have to say is I’m glad we don’t have to play last year’s champion. The Huskies looked great in the final minutes and we all know the hottest team usually wins the Big East, and they sure look hot right now. They have their biggest test of the season tomorrow, when they take on Syracuse.

Here’s the box score from the game.

Connecticut Huskies
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Alex Oriakhi, F-C	36	3-4	0-0	0-0	1	5	0	0	4	3	2	6
Roscoe Smith, F	19	0-0	0-0	0-2	0	0	1	0	1	1	3	0
Andre Drummond, C	32	3-3	0-0	1-2	1	4	1	0	2	0	1	7
Shabazz Napier, G	40	7-18	4-10	8-9	1	4	6	3	3	4	5	26
Jeremy Lamb, G-F	43	9-16	3-8	1-1	1	8	1	0	0	1	1	22
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Niels Giffey, G-F	16	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0
Tyler Olander, F	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Boatright, G	35	3-9	0-0	4-8	0	1	3	2	0	3	1	10
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		25-51	7-18	14-22	6	24	13	6	10	13	14	71
		49.0%	38.9%	63.6%

West Virginia Mountaineers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Kevin Jones, F	44	10-21	1-8	4-4	5	10	0	0	0	1	1	25
Deniz Kilicli, F	19	3-8	0-0	0-0	4	4	0	0	0	0	5	6
Darryl Bryant, G	44	4-14	2-8	10-13	2	3	1	2	0	3	0	20
Jabarie Hinds, G	33	3-8	0-1	0-0	1	2	1	1	0	1	4	6
Keaton Miles, F	9	0-4	0-0	0-0	2	2	0	0	0	0	2	0
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Aaron Brown, G	18	0-4	0-1	0-0	1	4	0	0	0	1	2	0
Gary Browne, G	30	2-4	0-1	0-0	0	4	3	1	0	1	3	4
Dominique Rutledge, F	27	3-8	0-0	0-0	6	11	3	1	0	2	4	6
Paul Williamson, G	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		25-72	3-19	14-17	21	40	8	5	0	9	21	67
		34.7%	15.8%	82.4%

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Notre Dame 55, West Virginia 51

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:22:19 +0000

Notre Dame fought off a very tough team today by the name of West Virginia. The Irish advance to 8-3 in the Big East, while West Virginia falls to 6-6. This game was definitely a must win for Notre Dame. WVU, like Notre Dame, is a bubble team and whoever won this game has a great advantage over one another in the NCAA Tournament drawing.

Player of the game: Jack Cooley

Despite the fact that he was going up against one of the best frontline’s in the Big East and the fact that the student section was all over him, Jack Cooley stepped up and recorded his 7th double-double of the season. Cooley had 21 points and 12 rebounds and commanded the down low post when he was in. Cooley ran into some foul trouble early but it never affected his play later in the game.

Dec. 8, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Jack Cooley (45) celebrates after a basket in the second half against the Maine Black Bears at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 87-78. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s what head Coach Mike Brey had to say about Cooley’s play.

“I think (Jack Cooley) took it as a challenge. We talked about their front line. I thought Jack was fabulous tonight. He guarded but he also knew he could move around them a little bit. He has quicker feet to get there and get some buckets. The way he got some offensive rebounds tonight was amazing.”

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Notre Dame vs West Virginia Preview

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:52:04 +0000

On Wednesday, the men’s Fighting Irish basketball team will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Notre Dame will be heavily tested on the road, something they’ve been pretty good at overcoming during Big East play.

The Irish 7-3 in the conference and sitting nicely in 4th place. For WVU, they are 6-5 and are in 8th place in the Big East.

This is the first of two meetings between these teams. On the 22nd of February, they will met in South Bend for what could be a “bubble game” for Notre Dame.

Feb. 4, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Pat Connaughton (24) shoots a three point basket in the second half against the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 76-59. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Players to watch:

For Notre Dame, it has to be Pat Connaughton. This freshman played outstanding last Saturday against Marquette. I expect him to get a lot of minutes tomorrow and to be heavy guarded by the Mountaineer defense. It will be tough for him to match his numbers from Saturday, but even half of his production will go along way in this game.

For West Virginia, look for senior Kevin Jones. He is solid forward from Mount Vernon, New York that will play all 40 minutes, and have a 20 point-10 rebound outing. He is the go-to-man and has been great for them all year long.

Score Prediction:

Notre Dame 68, West Virginia 59

The slow-tempo Mike Brey offense will be too much for WVU to handle. I can’t see Notre Dame losing after the great wins and effort they have shown me over the recent weeks. Notre Dame will get it done and move to 8-3 in conference play.

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