West Virginia Mountaineers
Big East (23-9, 11-5)
Just like the St. John’s women’s basketball team, West Virginia may have sealed an NCAA tournament bid by reaching the semifinals of the Big East Conference tournament. After all, it’s not the Mountaineers’ fault the looming presence of Notre Dame swept West Virginia out of the tournament. West Virginia’s overall record of 24-10 is on par with this year’s performance, which isn’t done yet; the Mountaineers improved on last year’s Big East record of 8-8, which is also a good sign things are better with the women’s team in Morgantown.
Big Wins: 2/04 Louisville (66-50), 2/12 at Notre Dame (65-63), 3/04 Georgetown (39-32)
Bad Losses: 12/17 at Duquesne (61-55), 1/14 at Providence (51-48)
Coach: Mike Carey (11 years at West Virginia)
Why They Can Surprise:
Five of the nine losses suffered by West Virginia have been against ranked teams, including losses against Connecticut and Notre Dame. Considering those are two of the heavyweight programs in the Big East, no one will blink twice at that. What may cause a few eyes to open are wins against Notre Dame, Louisville and Georgetown. The Notre Dame win was one of only two losses the Fighting Irish had all season. Three players are among the team’s scoring leaders, including top scorer Asya Bussie (12.2 points per game), Christal Caldwell (11.1) and Taylor Palmer (10.7). Three players average close to six or more rebounds a contest, including Ayana Dunning (8.4), Bussie (6.7) and Caldwell (5.8). That has helped West Virginia to a rebounding margin of plus 8.7. Crashing the boards has helped the Mountaineers to a better performance.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The team’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 0.8 (438 assists, 574 turnovers), below the 1.0 threshold that indicates strong teams that take care of the ball and don’t let it slip away. Although four players are close to or over 100 field goals shot, the team’s perimeter shooting (29.6 percent, 144-for-487) is not where it ideally should be. Take a look at the scores of individual games when you get a chance. Although West Virginia has won its share of close games against Notre Dame and Georgetown, among others, the Mountaineers only beat Syracuse by four points. The Orange finished 18-14, including a 6-10 mark in the Big East. Villanova, which finished 6-10 and 17-14, came within seven points of knocking off West Virginia. Some games have been a bit too close for comfort.
Probable Starters:
Linda Stepney, Freshman, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 2.7 apg
Christal Caldwell, Sophomore, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 1.0 apg, 5.8 rpg
Jessica Harlee, Sophomore, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.0 spg
Ayana Dunning, Junior, Center, 8.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg
Asya Bussie, Junior, Center, 12.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Akilah Bethel, Freshman, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 1.0 apg
Brooke Hampton, Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 4.4 apg
Taylor Palmer, Sophomore, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.5 (107th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 51.3 (7, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.9 (83, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 33.2 (5, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.7 (166, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.4 (150, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.7 (172, 10)
Rebound Margin: 9.4 (12, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (71, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.8 (201, 12)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
West Virginia 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Houston
West Virginia 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Baylor
West Virginia 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Lamar
West Virginia 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to San Diego State
West Virginia 2009 NIT First Round win over Coppin State
West Virginia 2009 NIT Second Round loss to St. Bonaventure
West Virginia 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over New Mexico
West Virginia 2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Vanderbilt
West Virginia 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Xavier
West Virginia 2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to LSU
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
