MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – So, just how good are these 14th-ranked, undefeated West Virginia Mountaineers?
WVU has rolled through the early portion of its non-conference schedule winning its first seven games by an average of 31 points per game. The Mountaineers have only trailed for 13:42 out of a possible 280 minutes so far this season, are ranked first in the country in steals, first in the country in 3-point defense and first in nationally forced turnovers.
“Press Virginia” is forcing opponents to turn the ball over on 30.3 percent of its possessions and the Mountaineers are averaging 31.1 points per game off of those turnovers.
James Madison, now 7-3, had great difficulty running offense against West Virginia in Charleston; Richmond, 5-3 with non-conference victories over Wake Forest and Cal, shot just 39.1 percent, including 13.3 percent from 3, against the Mountaineers in an eight-point loss out in Las Vegas.
San Diego State found West Virginia’s full-court pressure quite stifling in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational, the Aztecs turning the ball over 21 times in West Virginia’s 22-point victory.
And most recently, WVU had little trouble disposing of Kennesaw State, 87-54, at the WVU Coliseum last Saturday afternoon.
Now, West Virginia is taking its frenetic, free-wheeling style to the Big Apple to face 10th-ranked Virginia Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.
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http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?story=29227
