The one and only Big East team left in the Elite 8 pushed through to the Final Four Saturday as West Virginia crushed Kentucky 73-66.The game was pretty close the entire time but you always felt the Mountaineers were in control. The game was awfully sloppy and that's just how West Virginia likes it. Kentucky didn't get out and run as much as they would probably have liked and when they did it seemed like they were forcing it just because that's their reputation.
But really this game was simple: West Virginia shot the lights out from 3-point range and Kentucky did exactly the opposite. I'm not sure what sports cliche that would be. They left the lights on and left the house?
West Virginia didn't have a 2-point field goal in the first half but amazingly still led by two because of their amazing three-point shooting. They had eight threes in the first half and shot 10-23 for the game. While that end stat may not be eye-popping, it was certainly what won them the game.
On the other side of the coin, Kentucky started 0-20 from long range and ended the game 4-32. Absolutely terrible for a team that really filled it up all year long. They weren't a particularly great three-point shooting team all year but then why take 32? They were faster, more athletic and better in almost every way. But they played right into Bob Huggins hand hoisting all those threes over the 1-3-1 defense.
Another story of the game was backup point guard Joe Mazzulla who averaged under three points per game in the regular season and after being thrusted into the starting lineup after the injury to Truck Bryant, scored a career-high 17 points on 5-11 shooting. He looked unstoppable at times and just completely picked apart the defense, driving to the basket and getting easy layups. It's as if Kentucky didn't realize he was left-handed. (It's a well-known fast Mazzulla has trouble going to his off hand.)
John Calipari really coached a terrible game. He didn't gameplan well and it showed. His overconfidence was obvious and his players did not respond to anything he was saying. His team was faster, but they didn't pressure the ball. The Mountaineers had a backup point guard in who has trouble going right, but they didn't press him or force him right. They were missing threes BADLY and they continued to shoot despite being down only a handful.
I rooted against Kentucky because I don't like this trend Calipari is starting where you get the five best 18 year old kids every year for just one year and try to win. He violates all the recruiting rules and doesn't seem to care about his players more than just a means to an end. I like watching players grow under the tutelage of coach like Gary Williams or Tom Izzo who molds them into good people as well as good players. Calipari is a joke who's a jerk and a sleazy guy. Glad to see him out.
At any rate, West Virginia is probably the prohibitive favorite to win the title now. Butler and Michigan State are hot, but five seeds who are too blue-collar to be expected to win. As for Duke. They match up badly against the Mountaineers.
Again, the Big East has high expectations. It'll take until next week to see if they can live up to them.
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