Xavier, Sean Miller welcome Bob Huggins, West Virginia in Big East-Big 12 Battle

Adam Baum, Cincinnati Enquirer
·4 min read
5
West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins, who spent many years as head coach at the University of Cincinnati, returns on Saturday night to face an old foe in Xavier as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle.
West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins, who spent many years as head coach at the University of Cincinnati, returns on Saturday night to face an old foe in Xavier as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle.
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A former formidable foe makes his much-anticipated return to the Cintas Center on Saturday night.

Longtime University of Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins, now at West Virginia, will return to Xavier to take on the Musketeers in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, and there will be a standing-room-only sold-out crowd in attendance to see it.

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This will be the third meeting between Huggins and Xavier head coach Sean Miller. The two last met in a 2008 NCAA Tournament regional semifinal in which Xavier defeated the Mountaineers 79-75 in overtime.

Huggins beat Miller in his final season with the Bearcats, then Miller bested Huggins when Huggins took over at Kansas State before settling at West Virginia.

"Anytime you coach against his team, two things ‒ you're playing against a team that is just incredibly hard playing. They usually are that team that plays with unreal effort for 40 minutes," Miller said.

"Anytime you coach against his (Bob Huggins) team, two things ‒ you're playing against a team that is just incredibly hard playing," Sean Miller said..
"Anytime you coach against his (Bob Huggins) team, two things ‒ you're playing against a team that is just incredibly hard playing," Sean Miller said..

This game can be paired down pretty simply from Xavier's perspective. Three areas will go a long way in deciding the outcome on Saturday night ‒ effort, rebounding and turnovers.

Xavier has to match West Virginia's effort and toughness. The Musketeers have to be ready for an intense battle on the glass, and the Mountaineers are a team that brings all-out pressure the entire game. West Virginia wants to speed Xavier up, turn the Musketeers over, and turn those takeaways into points.

Xavier has to handle that pressure and because of West Virginia's style, the Mountaineers are prone to fouls, which means the Musketeers need to make free throws.

The good news for Xavier is the Musketeers should be at full strength with the return of Adam Kunkel, who missed the last two games with a concussion, so long as Kunkel doesn't experience a setback during Friday's practice. Kunkel's one of Xavier's best offensive weapons and he's an experienced guard who will help the Musketeers handle West Virginia's pressure.

The Game

  • Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Cintas Center

  • TV/Radio: FS1 with play-by-play from Matt Schumackerand analysis from Dickey Simpkins. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WLW-AM (700).

  • Series info: The series is tied 1-1.

Scouting report

Xavier Musketeers (5-3)

Coach: Sean Miller, 18th season (427-159 overall)

Offense: 84.0 ppg

Defense: 73.5 ppg

Projected lineup

Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)

Adam Kunkel (G, 6'4", 11.5 ppg)

Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 13.6 ppg)

Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 15.7 ppg)

Souley Boum (G, 6'3", 15.8 ppg)

Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 15.0 ppg)

West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1)

Coach: Bob Huggins, 41st season (922-399 overall)

Offense: 80.7 ppg

Defense: 62.1 ppgProjected lineup

Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)

Erik Stevenson (G, 6'4", 14.1 ppg)

Tre Mitchell (F, 6'9", 12.6 ppg)

Emmitt Matthews Jr. (F, 6'7", 10.1 ppg)

Kedrian Johnson (G, 6'3", 7.9 ppg)

Jimmy Bell Jr. (F, 6'10", 5.3 rpg)

Players to watch

Erik Stevenson

Stevenson's a 48% 3-point shooter. He's not the only weapon at West Virginia's disposal, but he's the one that Xavier has to do a great job of keeping in check. Stevenson's a bit of a journeyman ‒ West Virginia is his fourth different school ‒ but he's very experienced.

Zach Freemantle

The Musketeers need Freemantle to be energetic, tough, and disciplined, particularly on defense and in the rebounding race. West Virginia plays with a toughness and nastiness that Xavier has to match. Freemantle has to be ready for that challenge.

Key to the game

Handling pressure

In Morgantown, it's known as "Press Virginia," a pun with a lot of truth behind it in regard to how West Virginia plays. The Mountaineers love pressure. West Virginia's No. 12 in the country, according to KenPom, at forcing turnovers. If Xavier can't handle it and turns the ball over, it's going to be a long night. This game will be decided by how well Xavier takes care of the basketball.

Rankings

KenPom: Xavier (31), West Virginia (25)

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier welcomes Bob Huggins, West Virginia in Big East-Big 12 Battle