#10 Mountaineers (19-13) vs #7 Bulldogs (25-6)
If you read the piece about the East Region that is posted you will know that I am very bullish on Gonzaga right now.
Thursday March 15
East Region – Pittsburgh, PA
7:20PM
Moneyline: No money line currently listed
Spread: Gonzaga -1
O/U: 133
Gonzaga
They are a very good team and I like the way the bracket sets up for them, especially with it now revealed that Syracuse will be missing their defensive cog center Fab Melo.
Really, I think this Gonzaga team is underrated in terms of quality and depth and this this side of the bracket is lighter than the others.
The Zags are a high scoring team with great balance. Four players average double figures in points and their best scorer might just be backup big man Sam Dower, who scores 8.5 points per game in just 18 minutes. If they fail it will be because frosh point guard Kevin Pangos really struggles.
He is the team’s leading scorer and in four of their seven losses he has scored less than 10 points. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
West Virginia
For me the West Virginia Mountaineers were the most surprising selection for the field of 68 this year. They were only 8th in the Big East this year with just a .500 league record. Sure they had a tough schedule and played lots of teams close but their record against ranked teams was 1-7.
I would have much rather seen a team like Washington, who also had trouble closing out team in the field. WVU just isn’t very exciting.
The Mountaineers do have one of the better players in the country that nobody talks about in forward Kevin Jones. Jones was the only player in the country to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He and guard Truck Bryant are the lion’s share of the WVU offense so when either of them struggles it is a problem.
The production speaks for itself but neither is a superlative talent. They are just hardworking and make the most of their opportunities.
Spread Pick: Gonzaga -1
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Gonzaga 69 – West Virginia 60
