How Morehead State and West Virginia match up — with a game prediction
How the men’s NCAA Tournament Midwest Region No. 14 seed Morehead State Eagles (23-7) and No. 3 seed West Virginia Mountaineers (18-9) match up at each position — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Morehead State’s Skyelar Potter (11.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 37.7% three-point shooting) produced a monster game in MSU’s 86-71 win over top-seed Belmont in the OVC Tournament finals. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound product of Warren Central High School went for 22 points and 13 rebounds vs. the Bruins, making seven of 11 shots and four of five treys. A transfer from Wright State, Potter is the best rebounder among the three guards in the MSU starting lineup.
▪ West Virginia’s Jalen Bridges (5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 40.7 percent treys) came on late in the season to earn a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. A 6-7, 220-pound redshirt freshman from Fairmont, W.Va., Bridges dropped 22 points and 12 rebounds on TCU in a 76-67 Mountaineers victory March 4. Bridges did not have much impact (two points, one rebound in 18 minutes) in WVU’s 72-69 loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
Advantage: Morehead State.
Power forward
▪ Even at 6-6, Morehead State’s James Baker (7.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) is a sneaky-good shot blocker (25 blocks). The star of Meade County High School’s unlikely run to the 2017 Kentucky Sweet Sixteen, Baker made his main impact in the OVC tourney on the glass. In Morehead’s three league tournament wins, Baker averaged 4.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.
▪ West Virginia’s Emmitt Matthews (7.7 ppg, 4 rpg) has started 65 of WVU’s last 69 games. A 6-7, 215-pound junior from Tacoma, Wash., Matthews has raised both his scoring and rebounding averages from a season ago (6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg). Matthews had eight points and seven rebounds in the Big 12 tourney loss to Oklahoma State.
Advantage: West Virginia.
Center
▪ Morehead State freshman Johni Broome (13.9 ppg, 9 rpg, 57.7% FGs) has been one of the breakout stars in college basketball in 2020-21. A lightly recruited player out of Tampa Catholic High School in Florida, the 6-10, 235-pound Broome blossomed into the OVC Freshman of the Year after returning big man Tyzhaun Claude (9.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg in 2019-20) was injured and lost for the year. Broome came up huge in the OVC tourney with double-doubles in all three MSU wins. He dominated Belmont in the finals, going for 27 points and 12 rebounds en route to being named Tournament MVP.
▪ West Virginia junior Derek Culver (14.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 49% FGs) is a First Team All-Big 12 selection. A 6-10, 255-pound product of Youngstown, Ohio, Culver is the 51st all-time leading scorer in WVU history with 1,017 points. In the regular season, Culver had 29 points and 14 rebounds vs. Oklahoma and scored 22 with 19 boards vs. Oklahoma State. Of concern to Broome and Morehead State, Culver draws 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes played.
Advantage: West Virginia.
Shooting guard
▪ Morehead State’s DeVon Cooper (12.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 35.1% treys) was one of the Eagles’ heroes in the OVC Tournament. The Waggener High School product went for 25 points, six boards and four assists in MSU’s tense, three-point win over archrival Eastern Kentucky in the semifinals. Overall in the tourney, the 6-4, 201-pound redshirt junior from Louisville averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
▪ West Virginia’s Sean McNeil (11.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg) is a product of Cooper High School in northern Kentucky. A 6-3, 210-pound junior, McNeil raised his shooting percentages over last year both overall (from 36.9 to 40.2) and on three-point tries (from 33 to 37.9). For those who put stock in the plus-minus stat, McNeil is the third-ranked player on the WVU roster at plus-133.
Advantage: Even.
Point guard
▪ Morehead State’s KJ Hunt (6.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.2 assists, 41.4% FGs) is a steadying influence in the Eagles’ backcourt. In the OVC Tournament, the 6-3, 170-pound redshirt junior from Little Rock, Ark., made two of seven shots and had as many turnovers as assists (8). A transfer, Hunt averaged 6.3 ppg and 2.8 assists for McNeese State in 2018-19.
▪ West Virginia’s Miles “Deuce” McBride (15.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 127 assists vs. only 49 turnovers) is a former football standout at Cincinnati’s Moeller High School turned burgeoning college hoops star. A 6-4, 200-pound sophomore, McBride had 19 points and six assists in the Big 12 Tournament loss to Oklahoma State. The Cincinnati product leads WVU on the plus-minus chart at plus-172.
Advantage: West Virginia.
Bench
▪ Morehead State’s Ta’lon Cooper (8.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, team-high 107 assists) averaged 11 ppg in the OVC tourney. The 6-4, 190-pound sophomore from Spartanburg, S.C., had 10 assists vs. only four turnovers in the three games. ... A burly 6-9, 235-pound junior, LJ Bryan (2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg) hit all five shots he attempted in the OVC Tournament. ... Former Christian County standout Jaylen Sebree (2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg), a transfer from Florida Atlantic, had five points in the OVC tourney finals.
▪ West Virginia’s Taz Sherman (13.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 36.6% treys) essentially gives the Mountaineers a sixth starter. A 6-4, 190-pound senior from Missouri City, Texas, Sherman hit five of 10 three-pointers and had 19 points in the Big 12 tourney loss to Oklahoma State. ... Gabe Osabuohien (1.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is an “energy guy” off the bench. A 6-7, 235-pound freshman, the Dakar, Senegal, product leads WVU in deflections (156).
Advantage: West Virginia.
Intangibles and history
▪ Morehead State Coach Preston Spradlin will be coaching in the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
▪ West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins is 33-24 in the NCAA Tournament, having led three schools — Akron (one trip), Cincinnati (14) and WVU (10) to the Dance. Huggins has directed two teams, Cincinnati in 1992, West Virginia in 2010, to the Final Four.
▪ Morehead State is 0-3 all-time vs. West Virginia and 2-10 all-time against teams coached by Bob Huggins. Both of the Eagles’ victories over Huggins came when the coach was at Akron.
Advantage: West Virginia.
Prediction
West Virginia 69, Morehead State 62.
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 10:10 AM.
