Porter Binks/Getty Images. Pictured: Miles McBride.
#3 West Virginia vs. #14 Morehead St. Odds
| Projected Spread | West Virginia -10.8 | |
| Projected Total | 134.62 | |
| Projected ML | West Virginia -494 | |
| Time | TBA | |
| TV | TBA | |
| Projected odds based on our initial PRO Projections. Odds will be added once they’re released. | ||
How West Virginia & Morehead St. Match Up
| West Virginia | vs. | Morehead St. |
| 114 | Tempo | 312 |
| 229 | eFG% | 86 |
| 72 | TO% | 332 |
| 13 | OR% | 72 |
| 17 | FTR | 48 |
| 180 | DeFG% | 43 |
| 74 | DTO% | 232 |
| 286 | DR% | 66 |
| 100 | DFTR | 13 |
| All stats via KenPom. | ||
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What To Know About West Virginia
This isn’t your older brother’s West Virginia team known for its stifling defense and struggles on the offensive end. It’s actually quite the opposite as the West Virginia offense has shined since big man Oscar Tshiebwe decided to transfer mid-season.
This might actually be West Virginia’s best offense since Huggins took the Mountaineers to the Final Four back in the 2010 season. For the season, the ‘Eeers rank 12th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency but 66th on defense, per KenPom.
Taz Sherman, Miles McBride and Sean McNeil are tough shot makers. And like most Huggy Bear teams, they excel on the offensive glass thanks in large part to Derek Culver.
I’m personally just not sold on the defense (which has been super fortunate in regards to opponent shooting despite allowing the nation’s hird-highest percentage of open jumpers (min. 10 games). The only teams worse are MVSU and Oakland’s awful zone. That’s not a promising signal and I’m also not sure the offense can maintain the level of success it has enjoyed.
You know WVU will fight, but I don’t think this is a Final Four-caliber team. But I’ve been wrong many times before. — Stuckey
What To Know About Morehead St.
Morehead State earns its paychecks on the defensive end of the floor and on the backboard. The star of the show is 6-foot-10 freshman sensation Johni Broome, who is a force inside on both ends.
The defense is extremely devastating in the half-court, ranking in the 94th percentile nationally, per Synergy. Their athleticism can really disrupt offenses that rely on pick-and-roll/screening.
As a 14 seed, I think they wouldn’t mind seeing the current version of VIllanova in what would be a grind-it-out-affair. Morehead can switch everything to hang with Nova’s screening action, while also eating inside against the Wildcats soft interior.
I think they’d want to avoid a team like Houston, which would take away everything in the paint and exploit Morehead’s turnover issues.