Tip off 7 PM EST
Spread: WV -5.5
Total: 134
ML: WV -240, MIA +200
MIAMI
The Hurricanes had a decent record last year. They finished 15-5 in non-conference play, but struggled in conference games, finishing only 6-10 in ACC play. They did get invited to the NIT, where they lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the quarterfinals.
The Hurricanes are usually known to be a great rebounding team, but that hasn’t been the case this season. Last year, paced by Reggie Johnson, the Hurricanes ranked among the best in the ACC in rebounding, but the highest rebound average of any Hurricane is 5.4 per game, by Trey McKinney Jones…and he is a guard. Gone are the 9.6 rebounds per game of Reggie Johnson, who has yet to play this season. He is due to return around the first of the year, and it will hopefully breathe some life into the team, as they are not playing their best ball right now.
Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott have accounted for most of the offensive damage for the Miami squad. Together, they average 28.2 points per game, while no other Hurricanes’ players average double figures. They employ a tight nine man rotation, but are going to have to score more than 67 points per game if they want to be better than the 5-3 team that they have been so far.
WEST VIRGINIA
All things considered, West Virginia can call last year a success. The Mountaineers got out of the first round in March and finished with a 21-12 overall record, while more than holding their own in the Big East (11-7 Big East record). Their loss in the NCAA tournament was not a bad one, either, as they dropped the game by 8 to the #1 ranked Wildcats of Kentucky.
The reason they did so well last year is the reason they have had success this year: they rebound the ball very well. While they do rank in the top 55 in all major statistical categories, they excel the most at rebounding and are averaging 40.7 rebounds per game this year. Last year, they were at 37, so they have improved even further on what was already a strength. Last season, Kevin Jones averaged 7.5 rebounds per game and John Flowers 6.2, and this year Flowers has made the leap to being a 21.3 point per game player while ripping down 11.7 boards per game. Flowers graduated.
In addition to Jones’ 21.3 points per game, 6’2″ senior guard Darryl Bryant has increased his 11.3 point per game average last season to 15.6 this year. He is shooting a career tying high 39.5% from the floor. That isn’t a typo. He takes some bad shots and has an inconsistent jumper, but West Virginia isn’t loaded with weapons other than Deniz Kilicli (11.3 ppg) and Jabarie Hinds (10.1 ppg). No other Mountaneer averages more than 6 a game. Yet, the team is still putting up 77 a game this season, largely due to the fact that Jones has been so prolific. Jones is also making an impact defensively, averaging over a steal and a block per contest.
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