Offense, defense paves way for WVU to the Sweet 16

While most of the talk centered around the West Virginia defense prior to its matchup against Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament, the Mountaineers can play a little offense too.

And that was on full display against the Irish.

West Virginia hit 50-percent of its shots for the game, actually outpacing the normally hot-shooting Irish from the field and three-point range. Not a bet that many would have put money down prior to tipoff, but it happened.

The Mountaineers did what it excels at by making Notre Dame uncomfortable.

Early and often.

West Virginia raced out to a quick 10-0 lead smacking the Irish in the mouth before they had a chance to really know what had hit them with the bullying, relentless pressure on the defensive end. The Mountaineers hit shots.

“Our guys play so hard, I think it forces other people to play harder, but I think it also -- people aren't used to playing at the pace that we play,” head coach Bob Huggins said.

Notre Dame struggled to match the physicality of the Mountaineers, while the backcourt trio of junior Jevon Carter, senior Tarik Phillip and junior Daxter Miles combined for 54-points while controlling the game with clutch shot after clutch shot falling through the net. Carter scored 24 of those and continued to make difficult shots look easy.

Every time Notre Dame would make a run, one of the three would make a basket and keep the Irish from ever making a game that the Mountaineers led throughout truly interesting. And when this team makes shots, as Huggins often says, it’s tough to beat.

“All year we've been telling ourselves that we got the best group of guards in the country, and we truly believe that,” Carter said.

It’s the evolution for all three players that entered the program as known defensive commodities but have developed their offensive games during their time in the program. It’s a factor that makes the Mountaineers much more dangerous in March to add to its vaunted pressure defense.

“Coach, the coaching staff instilled a lot of confidence in us and helped us develop our offensive game and we became pretty good offensive players,” Phillip said.

On the defensive end, West Virginia stopped penetration and attempted to wear down Notre Dame. The Mountaineers prevented the Irish from getting loose and dared them to make threes. It worked holding them to 10-28 from deep while making them play at a faster pace than it wanted.

The frustration was obvious as the nation’s best team at not turning the ball over had 14 miscues, and hurried shots even when the opportunity for a good look presented itself.

It wasn’t a perfect game for West Virginia, as the Mountaineers were carless with the basketball in the second half turning it over nine times while almost going seven minutes without a field goal. But when Notre Dame closed the gap, one of the guards stepped up.

Rinse and repeat.

And now the Mountaineers will head to San Jose by punching a ticket to the Sweet 16. The defense is and always will be the engine, but making shots makes things much easier.

“We try to make people play the way we want them to play. It’s hard,” Huggins said.