‘Very tough, very rugged.’ Morehead expects physical battle in NCAA tourney opener.
For the first time in a decade, the Morehead State men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament.
The Eagles were made the No. 14 seed in the Midwest Region when the brackets were revealed Sunday night. They’ll open their tournament run against No. 3 seed West Virginia and legendary coach Bob Huggins in Indiana on Friday. The Mountaineers (18-9) were ranked No. 13 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll and lost to Oklahoma State 72-69 in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
“We just found out we’re playing the West Virginia Mountaineers, so we’re excited about the opportunity,” Morehead State Coach Preston Spradlin said on a Facebook Live broadcast after the Eagles’ seed was revealed. “Really looking forward to getting into the bubble here in the next little bit with our guys and getting acclimated to Indianapolis, getting onto the practice court and getting ready. Buckle up, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
On a video teleconference, Huggins said he was “pleased” with West Virginia’s seed and draw.
“(I’m) getting ready to go home and watch four or five Morehead games,” Huggins said.
All nine of West Virginia’s losses were to teams that made the NCAA Tournament field.
“I think we’ve played as good a schedule as virtually anybody has,” Huggins said. “I think we played a very competitive schedule, a very well-rounded schedule ... I feel good about where we are.”
During a Monday teleconference, Spradlin said he expects a bruising battle between the Eagles and Mountaineers.
“Typical Bob Huggins West Virginia team. They’re gonna be very physical, very tough, very rugged,” Spradlin said. “And, this year, a very good offensive team to go along with it ... It’s gonna be a great matchup because in our league we kind of have the same identity. We pride ourselves on being a very physical, tough, defensive-minded team that dominates the glass and dominates the paint. And so, it’s gonna be a battle of two comparable teams in terms of our style of play.”
West Virginia finished second in the Big 12 in offense at 77.3 points per game, behind No. 1 seed Baylor. Morehead State was the OVC’s No. 1 defense in terms of scoring and field goal percentage, having allowed 63.4 points per game on 40-percent shooting.
Though the entire NCAA Tournament will be played in Indiana — with the majority of the 67 games taking place in Indianapolis — the brackets were still broken down into geographical regions.
Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois is the No. 1 seed in Morehead’s region. Houston is the No. 2 and Oklahoma State the No. 4.
In its fourth season under Spradlin, a protege of Kentucky Coach John Calipari, Morehead (23-7 overall) earned an automatic bid into the Big Dance by winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, routing regular-season champion Belmont 86-71 in the title game.
The Eagles’ last appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in the 2010-2011 season, when Kenneth Faried helped engineer a first-round upset of fourth-seeded Louisville.
The Eagles are led by breakout star Johni Broome, who was voted OVC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-OVC. Viewed as a bit of a project upon arriving as a three-star recruit from Plant City, Fla., the 6-foot-10 big man was thrust into a larger-than-expected role when returning starter Tyzhaun Claude suffered a season-ending injury.
Broome is Morehead’s top scorer (13.9 points per game) and rebounder (9.0) and averages 1.8 blocks to lead the OVC. Broome had 27 points on 12-for-19 shooting and 12 rebounds in the OVC championship game and was voted the tournament’s MVP.
Morehead enters the NCAA Tournament on a roll, having won seven straight and 19 of its last 20 games. The Eagles’ only loss this calendar year was a 15-point setback at Belmont on Feb. 13. In addition to their revenge win over Belmont in the OVC title game, the Eagles beat the Bruins in the regular-season finale.
Morehead State’s tournament opener
No. 14 seed Morehead State vs. No. 3 seed West Virginia
What: NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional
When: 9:50 pm. Friday
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
TV: TruTV
Records: Morehead State 23-7, West Virginia 18-9
Series: West Virginia leads 3-0.
About West Virginia
Location: Morgantown, W.Va.
Enrollment: 20,499
Nickname: Mountaineers
School colors: Old Gold and Blue
Head coach: Bob Huggins (309-170 in 14 seasons at West Virginia; 899-381 in 40 seasons overall)
Conference: Big 12
NCAA berth: At-large
Common opponents with Morehead State: West Virginia beat Richmond 87-71 (Morehead lost to Richmond 82-64).
Other notable games this season: West Virginia lost to West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament champion and NCAA Tournament No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga, 87-82, on a neutral court; beat Big 12 Tournament champion Oklahoma State, 87-84, on the road; beat No. 13 Texas, 84-82, on the road; lost to Big 12 regular-season champion and NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Baylor, 94-89 in overtime, at home.
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 6:43 PM.
