NCAA Tournament Predictions: East Region 7. Gonzaga vs. 10. West Virginia

By: Kels Dayton

 7 Gonzaga (25-6, 13-3 West Coast)- The ‘Zags are back. And once again, they’ve got a chance to make a run. Freshman point guard Kevin Pangos is an excellent playmaker, averaging 13.8 points and 3.4 assists per game. 6-7 forward Elias Harris is the go-to guy for Gonzaga, averaging 13.1 points per game and ripping down 8.7 boards per contest.

Harris is flanked in the frontcourt by 7-0 senior center Robert Sacre, who seems as though he’s been at Gonzaga for 53 years. Sacre is an excellent low-post defender and can match up with West Virginia’s Deniz Kilicli and Kevin Jones down low. The Bulldogs are a good rebounding team and will have the size to match up with 2-seed Ohio State in this region.

KEY STATS

44th Points per game (74.0)

44th Rebounding (37.1)

30th Field Goal Percentage (.473)

Team stats courtesy of ESPN.com and www.bbstate.com.

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 10 West Virginia (19-13, 9-9 Big East)-West Virginia owns the Big East Player of the Year in senior forward Kevin Jones, who averaged a double-double for the season (20.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg). The Mountaineers will also be playing in their own backyard in Pittsburgh in each of the first two rounds, where they will face Gonzaga and likely Ohio State in Round 2.

Senior guard Darryl ‘Truck’ Bryant gives the Mountaineers scoring punch in the backcourt, averaging 17.2 points per gam, but Bryant shoots just 36 percent from the floor.

The Mountaineers have struggled down the stretch, going just 4-8 in their final 12 games.

KEY STATS

23rd Rebounding (38.4)

49th Assists (14.6)

141st Field Goal Percentage (.441)

Team stats courtesy of ESPN.com and www.bbstate.com.

 

PREDICTION: West Virginia