West Virginia Mountaineers – March Madness Team Predictions, Odds and Preview 2016

No. 3 East – West Virginia Mountaineers (Overall: 27-4, Conf: 13-5)

Team Strengths:

Bob Huggins has turned West Virginia into one of the premiere defensive teams in the nation. The Mountaineers rank 43rd in scoring defense (66.2 points allowed per game) with KenPom.com going as far as determining their defense as fourth best in the nation in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency. This is mostly a product of the Mountaineers’ opportunistic ball pressure defense that made them top the regular season in steals (9.8) and opponents’ turnovers (18.1) per game.

As great as they are defensively, the Mountaineers’ offense is pretty neat, too. With lots of steals in a game, they’re going to get plenty of easy layups on the other end of the floor. The Mountaineers take 45.3% of their shots at the rim, while averaging 79.6 points per game.

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Team Weaknesses:

Behind the Mountaineers’ gaudy scoring average is a mediocre perimeter shooting percentage.  They’re making just 33.8% of their two-point jumpers and 32.3% from beyond the arc—second worst in the Big 12.

They’re going to have problems making baskets if an opponent finds a way to break their press, which could take away West Virginia’s fastbreak points.

And because the Mountaineers have no chill on defense, they’re very susceptible to picking up a myriad of fouls and giving up numerous free throw attempts to opponents. West Virginia commits the seventh most fouls in the nation with 23.3 per game, while letting opposing teams make 18.9  free throws per contest.

Team Stats:

Category | Stat | NCAA Rank
Points Per Game | 79.6 | 30
Rebounds Per Game | 39.8 | 28
Blocks Per Game | 2.5 | 274
3-Point Percentage | 32.3% | 276
Free Throw Percentage | 66.8% | 288

Starting Lineup:

Position | Name | PPG
F | Jonathan Holton | 9.4
F | Devin Williams | 12.7
F | Esa Ahmad | 4.7
SG | Teyvon Myers | 2.4
PG | Daxter Miles | 9.9

Writer’s Prediction:

West Virginia reaches the Sweet 16 round.