A look at the Kentucky-West Virginia Sweet 16 game
NO. 1 KENTUCKY VS. NO. 5 WEST VIRGINIA
■ SITE: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
■ TV: 6:45 p.m., CBS (8)
■ LINE: Kentucky -13½; total 136½
■ STORYLINE: Kentucky is four wins away from a perfect season and is about to take on its toughest defensive test so far against West Virginia. The Mountaineers beat up Maryland in the third round to advance and will put the Wildcats’ depth to the test with their full-court pressure.
The Wildcats faced a similarly tough defensive front against Cincinnati in the third round and got off to a slow start before easing to a 64-51 win. “I always like it when my team shoots 37, 36, 35 percent and wins in double digits,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “It shows them they don’t have to make shots to win. … You can miss most of them, and you can still win games if you defend, you rebound and you play that way, make your free throws; and they did.” West Virginia specializes in forcing turnovers, leading the nation in steals (10.9) during the regular season.
■ ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (25-9): The Mountaineers forced 23 turnovers during their 69-59 win over Maryland after hassling Buffalo into 17 during the round of 64. The tight defense takes some of the pressure off the offense, allowing leading scorer Juwan Staten to ease his way back after missing the final three games of the regular season and the Big 12 Conference tournament with a knee injury. Staten has been one of the keys to the pressure defense. “I’m pretty sure nobody in the world thinks we’re going to get past Kentucky besides the 1.2 million that’s in West Virginia,” Staten said. “So we’re going to keep doing what we do. And keep playing.”
■ ABOUT KENTUCKY (36-0): With multiple ballhandlers and length at every position, the Wildcats are well suited for the pressure West Virginia will throw at them. Kentucky allows an average of 53.9 points and held Cincinnati to 31.7 percent from the field while forcing 14 turnovers and blocking six shots. “No one’s going to surrender,” Calipari said. “They’re not going to surrender. So if you have to fight, you got to fight. I mean, I’m not going to lose going down not swinging. That means the games get physical.”
■ TIP-INS:
1. Kentucky is trying to reach the regional final for the fifth time in the last six years.
2. Mountaineers forward Devin Williams is averaging 18.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last four games.
3. Wildcats forward Karl-Anthony Towns is 10 of 16 from the field in the NCAA Tournament.
■ PREDICTION: Kentucky 71, West Virginia 59
