A. Jones
2010-03-25 20:10:42 UTC
Mountaineers upbeat despite Bryants broken foot
JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP)West Virginias DaSean Butler already was settled
in his seat preparing for the news conference to begin while teammate
Darryl Bryant with his broken right footstill was hobbling up the
stairs of the riser.
Hurry up, Butler yelled out with a playful smile to emphasize he was
kidding.
Im trying, Bryant said, laughing as he carried his crutches and
hopped to his seat on one foot Wednesday, a day after hearing
something pop in his foot during practice.
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Evidently nothingnot even the sudden news of losing their starting
point guardseemed capable of penetrating the seemingly unflappable
upbeat mood of the second-seeded Mountaineers (29-6) a day before they
faced the upstart 11th-seeded Washington Huskies (26-9) in the East
Regional semifinal.
I dont see where the whole panic about everything will be. I think
well be fine, Butler said. Well continue to smile and be loose and
enjoy ourselves because this is, well, wow.
The Big East champions had reason to be confident. Following a 68-59
win over Missouri on Sunday, West Virginia was on an eight-game
winning streak and led by a shutdown defense that held each of its
past five opponents to under 60 points. They feature a clutch senior
in Butler, who has made six game-winning shots this season and proved
unstoppable in scoring 28 against Missouri.
And though Bryants loss depletes West Virginias depth at the
position, the team has a capable backup in Joe Mazzulla. The junior
already was playing an expanded role, averaging 5.5 points and 3.75
assists and nearly 25 minutes in his past four games.
All that will be tested against the Huskies, on an impressive roll of
their own since discovering their up-tempo identity. En route to
claiming only their second Pac-10 tournament title, the Huskies have
won 14 of 16, including nine in a row. They opened the NCAA tournament
with an 80-78 win over sixth-seeded Marquette and followed with a
82-64 rout of No. 3 New Mexico.
Throughout this run, I think we have gained a lot of confidence
because were starting to see us playing right, senior forward Quincy
Pondexter said. It just gets you anxious to play the next game and
continue for it to go on.
In registering their fourth 25-win season in eight years under coach
Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies have rebounded from a terrible start, in
which they lost their first seven away from home and then got off to a
3-5 start in conference play.
Well, I think for one, weve matured, Romar said of Washingtons
turnaround. The question for me was how long was this going to take?
Because we were running out of time.
One question is how the Huskies will handle playing in the east. They
spent the first two rounds of the tournament at San Jose and have
played only one game a 99-92 overtime loss at Texas Teach on Dec.
3outside the Pacific time zone this season.
Washington features an opportunistic, high-tempo attack averaging 79.9
points, 11th in the nation. It is led by the one-two of Pondexter,
averaging 19.7 points, and sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas (17.1).
The Huskies have struggled defensively, giving up an average 70
points, which ranks 215th in the country.
Washington is attempting to advance to the round of eight for the
first time since reaching the Final Four in 1953. The Mountaineers are
seeking to reach the regional finals for the second time since 2005,
when they squandered a 13-point halftime lead in a 93-85 overtime loss
to Louisville.
The game will be a test of styles. The Mountaineers use a patient
half-court approach to slow the tempo, while the Huskies like to run
the floor.
That doesnt concern West Virginia, which effectively neutered
Missouris frenetic style in Buffalo last weekend.
Theres not a whole lot that people can throw at us that we havent
seen before, Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins said. We guard
everything from the Princeton offense to people trying to score 100
points a game. So I dont see that as being an issue.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-ncaa-washington-westvirginia&prov=ap&type=lgns
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JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP)West Virginias DaSean Butler already was settled
in his seat preparing for the news conference to begin while teammate
Darryl Bryant with his broken right footstill was hobbling up the
stairs of the riser.
Hurry up, Butler yelled out with a playful smile to emphasize he was
kidding.
Im trying, Bryant said, laughing as he carried his crutches and
hopped to his seat on one foot Wednesday, a day after hearing
something pop in his foot during practice.
ADVERTISEMENT
Evidently nothingnot even the sudden news of losing their starting
point guardseemed capable of penetrating the seemingly unflappable
upbeat mood of the second-seeded Mountaineers (29-6) a day before they
faced the upstart 11th-seeded Washington Huskies (26-9) in the East
Regional semifinal.
I dont see where the whole panic about everything will be. I think
well be fine, Butler said. Well continue to smile and be loose and
enjoy ourselves because this is, well, wow.
The Big East champions had reason to be confident. Following a 68-59
win over Missouri on Sunday, West Virginia was on an eight-game
winning streak and led by a shutdown defense that held each of its
past five opponents to under 60 points. They feature a clutch senior
in Butler, who has made six game-winning shots this season and proved
unstoppable in scoring 28 against Missouri.
And though Bryants loss depletes West Virginias depth at the
position, the team has a capable backup in Joe Mazzulla. The junior
already was playing an expanded role, averaging 5.5 points and 3.75
assists and nearly 25 minutes in his past four games.
All that will be tested against the Huskies, on an impressive roll of
their own since discovering their up-tempo identity. En route to
claiming only their second Pac-10 tournament title, the Huskies have
won 14 of 16, including nine in a row. They opened the NCAA tournament
with an 80-78 win over sixth-seeded Marquette and followed with a
82-64 rout of No. 3 New Mexico.
Throughout this run, I think we have gained a lot of confidence
because were starting to see us playing right, senior forward Quincy
Pondexter said. It just gets you anxious to play the next game and
continue for it to go on.
In registering their fourth 25-win season in eight years under coach
Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies have rebounded from a terrible start, in
which they lost their first seven away from home and then got off to a
3-5 start in conference play.
Well, I think for one, weve matured, Romar said of Washingtons
turnaround. The question for me was how long was this going to take?
Because we were running out of time.
One question is how the Huskies will handle playing in the east. They
spent the first two rounds of the tournament at San Jose and have
played only one game a 99-92 overtime loss at Texas Teach on Dec.
3outside the Pacific time zone this season.
Washington features an opportunistic, high-tempo attack averaging 79.9
points, 11th in the nation. It is led by the one-two of Pondexter,
averaging 19.7 points, and sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas (17.1).
The Huskies have struggled defensively, giving up an average 70
points, which ranks 215th in the country.
Washington is attempting to advance to the round of eight for the
first time since reaching the Final Four in 1953. The Mountaineers are
seeking to reach the regional finals for the second time since 2005,
when they squandered a 13-point halftime lead in a 93-85 overtime loss
to Louisville.
The game will be a test of styles. The Mountaineers use a patient
half-court approach to slow the tempo, while the Huskies like to run
the floor.
That doesnt concern West Virginia, which effectively neutered
Missouris frenetic style in Buffalo last weekend.
Theres not a whole lot that people can throw at us that we havent
seen before, Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins said. We guard
everything from the Princeton offense to people trying to score 100
points a game. So I dont see that as being an issue.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-ncaa-washington-westvirginia&prov=ap&type=lgns
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DISCUSS THIS TOPIC AT...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WVU-Sports