2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament: West Virginia vs Missouri

Second-seeded West Virginia got 28 points from Da’Sean Butler and kept tenth-seeded Missouri at arms’ length for most of the game, defeating the Tigers, 68-59.

Butler also grabbed eight rebounds for the Mountaineers, who now have won eight straight games. They advance to the Sweet 16 in Syracuse and will play 11th-seeded Washington.

West Virginia led by five at halftime and maintained a lead right around that margin for most of the second half. The Mountaineers shot well at the free throw line, sinking 25 of 33 shots (76 %). The Tigers, for their part, shot just 33 % from the field. Their vaunted “Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball” defense gave them opportunities to draw closer, but Missouri’s shot selection left a lot to be desired. The Tigers made just 60 % of their free throws. Frequently the Tigers penetrated and drew a foul against the No. 2 seed, but were unable to take advantage in what was a closely-contested game.

Missouri had four players score in double figures led by Michael Dixon, who came off of the bench to score 15. J.T. Tiller posted 15 points for Mizzou, while Zaire Taylor and Kim English scored 10 each.

The Tigers scored the first four points of the second half to pull to within one at 30-29, but they came up empty on three straight trips while West Virginia expanded the lead to 36-29. Missouri would never get within fewer than four points the rest of the way. Twice in the last two minutes, Missouri gave up offensive rebounds off missed free throws and it cost the No. 10 seed. WVU's Joe Mazzulla missed the second of two foul shots, but the Mountaineers tracked down a long rebound and Mazzulla got a basket to make it 62-55 with 1:50 to go. Then Butler followed his own miss with a stick- back and that made the score 64-57, a three-possession lead which effectively clinched the victory for West Virginia.

Earlier in the proceedings, the Mountaineers had taken a five-point lead in the closing minutes of the first half. WVU jumped out to a 8-0 lead before things got settled in and Missouri slowly climbed back into contention. The shot clock was not needed much in the early going as the two teams ran up and down the court. Missouri led the nation in turnovers with an average of 19.7 a game, and while the Tigers defense was as fierce as advertised, the Mountaineers took good care of the basketball. They turned the ball over just three times in the first half.

At times the Missouri offense resembled a Toyota with a suck accelerator, moving very fast but out of control. The Tigers shot just 38 % in the first half.

After Missouri pulled within a point on Michael Dixon’s three-point basket, West Virginia tore off a 5-0 mini-run to take a 23-17 lead midway through the half.

The Tigers got back into the thick of the fray with their defense. They held West Virginia to 32 % shooting from the field for the half. They forced the Mountaineers to go deep in the shot clock and take poor shots on consecutive possessions, and the Tigers tied the game at 25 with 3:01 left on a three-pointer by English. On three straight possessions after that, however, Missouri jacked up long three-point attempts with plenty of time on the shot clock and came up empty. Meanwhile, Butler hit five of six free throws in the last 1:19 to put West Virginia up 30-25 at intermission.

WHAT'S NEXT

Next up for West Virginia is a trip to the East Regional at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., as the Mountaineers will take on No. 11 Washington at 7:27 p.m. Eastern time.

NCAA Tournament Second Round Recap - West Virginia vs Missouri

WHAT'S NEXT