West Virginia and Kentucky are set to meet in a second-round NCAA Tournament game. Both teams are known for their defensive styles, but approach the game in different ways.
Mountaineers’ Pressure Defence
West Virginia is known for its persistent ball pressure. The Mountaineers rank third in the Big 12, surrendering an average of 58 points. That figure is at 60.8 against Big 12 competition.
WVU has a plus-6.62 turnover margin for the season, ranking in the top 20 nationally in that statistic. West Virginia starts three guards and tries to make the most of its quickness.
Mountaineer point guard Jordan Harrison was recently named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Her quickness and tenacity are critical components to what makes the pressure successful.
Wildcats’ Size and Shot-Blocking
Kentucky is third among 16 Southeastern Conference squads in scoring defence at 60.1 points. That number rises an additional seven points across 16 league games.
The Wildcats are likely to start three players taller than any player on West Virginia. These players are 6-foot-5 Clara Strack, 6-5 Teonni Key and 6-4 Amelia Hasset.
The Wildcats lead the nation with 6.6 blocks per game. They displayed their shot-blocking prowess by rejecting James Madison eight times in a 71-56 opening-round win.
Keys to the Game
West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg noted Kentucky’s effective use of their length. He stated there are not a lot of holes when you look at the numbers and analytics and watch them on film.
Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks acknowledged West Virginia’s consistent pressure. He says they are very consistent with what they’re going to do throughout the whole basketball game.
Brooks also pondered how West Virginia’s guards maintain their energy. He noted their tenacity is unbelievable, and they just keep going.
Turnovers Could Be Decisive
Kentucky is 11th in the SEC with a plus-0.77 turnover margin. Forcing turnovers that can help create offense figures to be especially important for West Virginia when factoring in the difficulty that comes with scoring against Kentucky in half court sets.
- Kentucky turned it over 18 times against Marshall.
- Kentucky had 21 turnovers in a two-point loss to Tennessee.
Brooks stated they have to be on guard the whole game and they can’t let one turnover turn into two turnovers that turns into three turnovers that turns into a bad shot, and then they get on a run.
West Virginia nor Kentucky expects much in the way of surprises when the teams square off. The game tips off at 5 p.m. Monday inside Hope Coliseum.