So I said I'd give a breakdown of both games, and here I am... 7:46 left in the Butler Michigan State game. After that 7:46, assuming there is no overtime period(s), we will be watching Duke taking on West Virginia.
I keep hearing the soundbite from the Duke Baylor game, where the announcer says "In a tournament where nothing went according to plan, Duke did!" This surprised me. Given the caliber of the other three one seeds that fell, I personally felt Duke would have been the first of them. I was wrong, and here they are in Indianapolis ready to take on Bob Huggins' Big East Champions, the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Let's take a look at how these two teams got to this point. One word: defense. Both coaches, over their careers have been known for their gameplanning, which emphasizes, for the most part, defense. Both teams throughout this tournament have played outstanding defense, especially around the perimeter. Take their last two games they held high volume offenses in Kentucky and Baylor to low shooting percentages.
The game looks to be a defensive battle in the making. Both teams are going to have to hope for good showings from their roleplayers like Mazzulla and Zoubek respectively. At the same time they're going to need to have their starters continue to step up. The Blue Devils can't afford another poor shooting performance from Kyle Singler. The Mountaineers also can't afford to rely on three point baskets for a whole half, especially relying on mediocre three point shooters like Mazzulla and Butler to shoot a high percentage from the perimeter.
I don't see a real coaching edge for either team. Both are great motivators and will make sure their players stick to their roles.
Like I said look for a defensive struggle. I feel it's going to be a drag out, knock out type of game.
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