Zags need to take care of the ball against WVU

The Mountaineers shot just 26.7 percent from the field on Thursday, but grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, drew 26 fouls against the Bulldogs, and forced 16 turnovers. West Virginia went 15-of-20 from the line, Gonzaga 11-of-17.

That set the stage for the second, huge defensive top, with West Virginia in possession of the ball with 37 seconds left, down three.

Chances are, with what the 13th-ranked Mountaineers have returning, Carter will likely be in this position once again next year.

“That was a mistake on my part”, Carter admitted afterward. “I don’t know if I’ve even ever told him this, but I think I might want to get to a Final Four more for him and for our fans and our alums more than I just do personally”. Xavier led by eight with less than four minutes to go but played rock solid defense and denied both Allonzo Trier and Lauri Markkenen the opportunities they needed to power this Arizona team to a win.

Aside from pure survival, there was nothing pleasing about the experience for Gonzaga, which got drawn into a choppy, foul-filled game that should have played right into West Virginia’s hands.

Williams-Goss, whom Carter had gotten the best of for most of the night, locked in as Carter brought the ball toward the three-point line, refusing to give him any space for a clean, pull-up three.

Soon-to-be senior Daxter Miles Jr.is another experienced backcourt performer.

After a sleepless night of two distinct sequences of play waking me up randomly, I’m still not ready to really talk about what happened.

Gonzaga (35-1) didn’t shoot well either, making 18 of 44, but the Bulldogs were able to spread out their scoring just enough to overcome the Mountaineers.

The game was stopped frequently by blowing whistles with both teams combining for 51 fouls.

They clawed and scrapped and pushed and shoved in a brutal game – the exact game West Virginia loves to play.

Give them benefits, Huggins says, take care of them – but make them accountable to raise the standard to its highest level.

Few, of course, was asked the primate question for about the 11 millionth time – namely, what would it feel like to finally get that monkey off his back?

“We’ve played against size”, he said. “But you can’t shoot 16 of 60”. A group of players who know how to win and did it incredibly well this season.

Huggins has campaigned recently to have them paid better, be taken in full time by this league or that league so that one day they aren’t in Utah, the next in San Antonio and two days later in Chicago. Another Karnowski hook shot tied the game at 24 with 3:19 remaining. Collins has proved his presence, leaving some to believe he makes the team just as good, if not better, when Karnowski leaves the floor, according to SB Nation. West Virginia faces Gonzaga on Thursday. “When you’re driving at the goal and you run into a 7-foot-1, 300-and-whatever-he-is, it’s hard to score”.

Nor could the Bulldogs simply turn the keys over to Williams-Goss, who played 38 minutes in the grueling game and occasionally struggled to maintain control, turning the ball over five times.

Throw in Gonzaga’s plus-7.9 average rebound differential per game that ranks eighth nationally, and the Zags’ gritty presence looks comparable – and then some – to West Virginia’s.

When the final buzzer sounds in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday afternoon, and the NCAA Division II national basketball championship game has concluded, it will officially close the book on college basketball season in West Virginia. The game was intense and closely called, leading to an uneven and sometimes ugly flow to the game.

“But for me, I can’t let this game hurt me too much”, Carter added.