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Hickman: Kentucky's Strength is Shuttin Down Opposition

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WVBlue

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By Dave Hickman
3/25
WVGazette

MORGANTOWN - When West Virginia beat Kentucky in Syracuse for a spot in the 2010 Final Four, the Mountaineers had trouble getting the ball to the basket.

Trouble? For a while it was impossible.

"We led by one at halftime and did not have a 2-point field goal,'' said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, whose memory was correct except that WVU led at the break by two. "I think every time we took it inside we got our shots blocked.''

Indeed, that 2010 team had eight field goals in the first half against the top-seeded Wildcats and all eight were 3s. Kentucky didn't block all the 2-pointers, but did swat away four in the first half and changed a lot more.

The history lesson is relevant now because when fifth-seeded West Virginia (25-9) meets top-seeded, top-ranked and unbeaten Kentucky (36-0) in the Midwest Regional semifinals Thursday night in Cleveland, a similar issue could dominate. Only one team in the country blocks more shots than the Wildcats.

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Hertzel: Scoring will be Challenge for Mountaineers.....


by Bob Hertzel
For The Exponent Telegram theet.com









MORGANTOWN - When you are facing a team with the best start in the history of college basketball, one that is 36-0, No. 1 in the country, has reached the Sweet 16 and is trying to become an undefeated national champion, there are many concerns.


Bob Huggins, whose West Virginia team is next to try on Thursday in Cleveland to derail the Kentucky Wildcats, has one major concern, and that is how to get some offense going.


"I think the hardest thing is going to be to figure out ways to score," Huggins said.

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Pittsburgh Tribe: Huggins Has Seen Calipari's Act Before




By John Harris Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 10:42 p.m.







West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins knows well what his Mountaineers are about to face.


Five years ago, West Virginia and Kentucky met in an East Region final won by the Mountaineers, 73-66.

Guided then and now by Moon native John Calipari, Kentucky was the No. 1 seed in 2010 and featured a lineup with NBA lottery picks John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.


This year, the Wildcats, 36-0 and featuring nine McDonald's All-Americans, are chasing history as the No. 1 overall seed entering Thursday's Midwest Region semifinal against the fifth-seeded Mountaineers (25-9) in Cleveland.

No Division I men's team has gone undefeated since Indiana (32-0) in 1976
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Allan Taylor: UK's Size will have Mountaineers Looking Up


by Allan Taylor
Metro News



CLEVELAND, Ohio - If you've watched even one half of one Kentucky game this season, then no doubt you've heard that the Wildcats' starting five is taller than any in the NBA.


With Trey Lyles (6-10), Karl-Anthony Towns (6-11) and Willie Cauley-Stein (7-foot) forming an often-impregnable front line, and the backcourt twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison standing 6-6, it's no wonder opponents are shooting a national-worst 35.1 percent.


Let's breakdown three matchups where size could matter when West Virginia (25-9) takes its best shot against Kentucky (36-0) on Thursday night:

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Rivals WVSports: Preparing for Undefeated

By Keenan Cummings


West Virginia will head to Cleveland Tuesday to prepare for its Sweet 16 showdown with No. 1 overall seed and undefeated Kentucky and head coach Bob Huggins knows he will have his work cut out for him when it comes to doing what 36 other teams haven't done this season.

This isn't the first time that West Virginia has squared off against a Kentucky team perceivably destined for the national championship as the No. 2 seed Mountaineers knocked off the No. 1 seed Wildcats in the Regional Finals in 2010. And while there are some similarities, Huggins understands that these are two different teams.

"I think John (Calipari) is playing more guys this year than when we played them. That team was more of a half-court team that ran half-court offense very well. This team is more full court, more defense and trying to score in transition," Huggins said.

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