Andy Katz's ESPN.com preview of Thursday's game

[Mr. Neutral]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourn ... id=3308721


WEST REGIONAL (Phoenix)

• No. 7 WEST VIRGINIA vs. No. 3 XAVIER, Thursday, 7:10 ET
Was this expected? Don't think so, not with West Virginia's being a bubble team for the at-large pool in the final few weeks of the season. But when the bracket was announced, the Mountaineers had oodles of potential against an Arizona team staring at them in Round 1. Once the Wildcats were dispatched, all that awaited West Virginia was a wounded but seemingly determined Duke squad after the Blue Devils narrowly escaped with a one-point win over Belmont. Still, West Virginia reached the Sweet 16. That's impressive.


How did they get here? The Mountaineers became an offensive machine with balance as Alex Ruoff, Da'Sean Butler, Darris Nichols and Joe Alexander all made major contributions. Alexander was a big-time, NBA-draft talent in the win over Duke. But the stud of the game was backup point guard Joe Mazzulla, who came off the bench to score 13 points, grab 11 boards and dish out eight assists. The Blue Devils struggled on 3s against West Virginia, making just 5 of 22, and got hammered on the boards in a 45-19 advantage, including giving up 18 offensive rebounds.



What does this mean for the program? It's absolutely huge. There's no way to downplay the significance. John Beilein took the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 with a special group led by Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle. Having alumnus Bob Huggins take West Virginia to the Sweet 16 in his first season will do wonders for recruiting and Huggins' stature in the state. The run probably eases a little bit of the sting from the Rich Rodriguez departure to Michigan, too.



Drama factor so far? The Mountaineers didn't have to beat Arizona or Duke in the final possessions. But both games had a high-level feel to them, and clearly the Mountaineers are playing intense ball from the opening tip.



Was this expected? Quite frankly, yes. Xavier had been the class of the Atlantic 10 all season long. The No. 3 seed was justified. The Musketeers were one of the top 16 teams in the country all season long. So, Xavier should have earned a berth to the second weekend.



How did they get here? Well, that part wasn't so easy. Xavier drew America's team in Georgia, fresh off a stunning SEC tournament title. Playing Georgia as a No. 14 seed wouldn't be the norm for a No. 3 seed. No. 14 seeds usually don't beat four top-50 programs to earn an automatic berth. The Musketeers withstood a furious punch early and often from the Bulldogs but were able to prevail as Derrick Brown scored 19 points, grabbed 10 boards and picked up three steals. The game with Purdue in the second round was just as intense. Xavier was more efficient offensively as Drew Lavender, C.J. Anderson and Josh Duncan were more assertive than their Boilermakers counterparts. Shooting 54 percent was an indicator of how fluid the offense was for the Musketeers.



What does this mean for the program? It's hard to say that a Sweet 16 can be the difference between a good and a great season for Xavier. But the Musketeers probably would have been pretty disappointed to go home early after having such a dominant run in the A-10. The conference was desperate to have Xavier make it to the second weekend after Saint Joe's and Temple were bounced in Round 1.



Drama factor so far? The Musketeers didn't win either game on the last possession, but the games were entertaining throughout.