2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament: West Virginia vs Washington

In an East Regional semifinal game played with a high level of energy and a low level of efficiency, second-seeded West Virginia topped 11th-seeded Washington, 69-56.

The shot clock rarely came into play for either team at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., as the two teams made a habit of either throwing up a quick shot or giving the ball back to the other side. The Huskies (22 turnovers) and Mountaineers (23) gave the ball away at a rate of more than once a minute.

West Virginia trailed by two at halftime but forward Da’Sean Butler made a two-point jumper and then bombed a three on the Mountaineers’ first two possessions of the second half, and the Big East tournament champions took a 32-29 lead. Washington regained the lead at 37-36 a few minutes later on a jumper by foul-plagued forward Quincy Pondexter, but that lead didn't last very long.

The key sequence of the game was a 13-3 West Virginia run midway through the second half. Kevin Jones started and ended the run with three-point baskets and when it was over, the Mountaineers were in control with a 52-41 lead. Washington did not seriously challenge after that.

Jones led a balanced West Virginia scoring attack with 18 points. Turkish freshman Deniz Kilicli came off the bench to score 10 points, including six late in the first half when the Huskies were threatening to build a substantial halftime cushion. Kilicli scored seven points more than his season average and made a major contribution on a night when WVU was shorthanded without starting point guard Truck Bryant.

Justin Holiday was the Huskies’ top scorer with 14 points, followed by Isaiah Thomas with 13. Pondexter, Washington’s leading scorer on the season with an average of just under 20 points per game, got into early foul trouble and never could get into an offensive rhythm. He scored just seven points.

Neither team shot particularly well from the field with the Huskies shooting 39 % (22 of 56) and West Virginia hitting 41 % of its shots (24 of 64). However, West Virginia enjoyed a 40-25 advantage in rebounds including an 18-9 edge on the offensive boards. This figured to be the Mountaineers' main advantage, and it certainly turned out that way in the end.

Washington held a 29-27 lead at the half. Things got off to a slow start in terms of scoring but not in terms of action. It appeared that both teams had some nervous energy to burn off and the teams combined for six turnovers and 11 missed shots in the first four minutes of play, with the Huskies leading, 4-2. It wasn’t until just over nine minutes had elapsed that a team hit double digits. That moment came when the Huskies’ Venoy Overton scored on a layup to put his team up 10-6.

For a while it looked like Washington might seize control of the game after Holiday nailed a three-pointer to put the Huskies up by six at 20-14, but West Virginia was playing some very sticky defense and the 'Eers drew an inordinate number of (legitimate) charging fouls. That kept Washington from getting into any sort of an offensive flow and let the Mountaineers climb back into contention. Kilicli hit a hook shot in the lane to give West Virginia its first lead at 25-24, but Holiday drained another three to give the advantage right back to the Huskies.

Each team had an unlucky 13 turnovers at intermission. The Huskies’ giveaways were due in large part to the above-mentioned offensive fouls they committed. West Virginia’s miscues were mostly a result of sloppy ballhandling.

What's Next:

(2) West Virginia plays (1) Kentucky in Saturday's East Regional final. The tip-off time is 7 p.m. Eastern, making the game the featured (late) game on Saturday. It should be. This is the only regional final between a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed. Some people are already saying that it's the true national title game. That might be a reach, but it's an understandable statement, especially since West Virginia already beat Midwest Region favorite Ohio State earlier in the season.

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Recap - West Virginia vs Washington

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