subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Nov 21 2009 

Published: March 18, 2008 11:24 pm    print this story  

WVU slight favorite over Arizona

By Mickey Furfari
For The Register-Herald

MORGANTOWN — Seventh-seeded West Virginia has been installed a two-point favorite over 10th-seeded Arizona by oddsmakers across the board for Thursday night’s first-round game in the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament.

The Mountaineers (24-10) and Wildcats (19-14) clash at about 9:45 p.m. Thursday in the nightcap of the West Regional’s four games at the Verizon Center in Washington.

The winner of that contest will move on to Saturday’s second round against the winner of second-seeded Duke (27-5) and 15th-seeded Belmont (25-8) at 2:10 p.m. Saturday.

WVU coach Bob Huggins, in the NCAA for a 16th time, said the Wildcats “are really talented” and have overcome a series of injuries to become at or near full strength.

“Getting (point guard) Nic Wise back, I think, has really helped them to fortify the backcourt,” he noted. “They run a lot of good things on offense. They’re very quick and score well.”

Huggins said Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, Arizona’s top scorers, are two of the best players the Mountaineers have played against this year. Bayless, a 6-3 freshman, is scoring at a 20.0 clip and Budinger is right behind at 17.0.

Bayless also has a team-high 118 assists, or two more than Wise, a 5-10 sophomore guard. Jordan Hill, 6-10 sophomore, is averaging 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds.

“I think they’re really good offensively,” Huggins said. “They’re hard to cover, and they shoot the ball well.”

Both teams are averaging in the low 70s.

He and Kevin O’Neill, the Wildcats’ interim head coach this season, have been close friends for some 20 years. Each has said both will have their teams prepared well for a very competitive contest.

“Kevin and I go way back when both were assistants,” Huggins said. “Then he got the Marquette job and I was at Cincinnati, so we were in the same league. A great rivalry developed along with a great friendship.”

O’Neill also has coached in the National Basketball Association, and Huggins said he has incorporated pro-style plays into his bag of tricks. The two have not talked previously this season.

The Mountaineers left Tuesday for the nation’s capital. They will hold a final practice session there today.

print this story  



autoconx

Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

LABORATORY SUPERVISOR
Immediate OPENING at the Robert C. Byrd Clinic for a skilled Laboratory Supervisor to supervise and assist team to assur...>MORE

TEREX / SHM HIGHWALL MINER OPERATORS, HIGHWALL MINER FOREMAN, CERTIFIED ELECTRICIANS
Pocahontas Coal Company’s North Star One Surface and High Wall Miner operations located near Beckley, WV is now acceptin...>MORE

UNDERGROUND MINING POSITIONS - KINGSTON RESOURCES
Kingston Mining, Inc. (A subsidiary of Riverton Coal Production, Inc.) is seeking qualified applicants with proven, acce...>MORE

LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES
Make a difference in the life of a veteran. Are you interested in working in a state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind organizat...>MORE

PREP PLANT CONTROL ROOM OPERATOR, PLANT ATTENDANT, ELECTRICIAN, MOBILE EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, LOAD OUT OPERATOR
Local coal processing company has immediate openings for Preparation Plant Control Room Operator, Plant Attendant, Elect...>MORE

CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT - MONTGOMERY GENERAL ELDERLY CARE
MONTGOMERY GENERAL ELDERLY CARE is accepting applications / resumes for Certified Nursing Assistants. Applicants may app...>MORE

UNDERGROUND COAL MINING FOREMAN / COORDINATOR
GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance is seeking a Virginia certified Underground Coal Mining Foreman / Coordinator for work i...>MORE

EMT APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
EMT Apprenticeship Program. Jan-Care Ambulance Service is currently accepting applications for our Emergency Medical Tec...>MORE

CLINIC DIRECTOR - BECKLEY TREATMENT CENTER
BECKLEY TREATMENT CENTER CRC Health Group CLINIC DIRECTOR Career opportunity available with Beckley Treatment Center,...>MORE

JOB FAIR - NOVEMBER 20TH
Job FAIR. Massey Energy is accepting experienced underground applicants. Our expanding operations are located in Raleig...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Jobs

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index