West Virginia Favored Big Over Morgan State
March 17th, 2010- By Bryan Cross
If you ask West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers would be a No.1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Basketball tournament following their Big East Conference tournament victory. Or at minimum have at least been considered for a top seed. However, the NCAA selection committee saw fit to slate the Mountaineers into a No.2 seed, where they will match up against Morgan State in their opening round game.
“Statistically, I thought we were a one seed,” Huggins remarked. “The disappointing thing is when they say ‘we look at the full body of work.’ If you look at the full body of work, we were probably a one-seed.”
“I didn’t think we’d be a one-seed, I thought we’d be a two. But to be the third two seed, I don’t understand that.”
The players echo the sentiments of their coach, and come to their first-round game in Buffalo with a chip on their shoulder, eager to prove themselves.
“It’s a respect type of issue. You feel you’re kind of getting snubbed a little bit because you’ve done everything you were suppose to,” remarked Mountaineer forward Wellington Smith. “But then again, we’ve been in this position before and we’ve performed admirably. So we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re the only ones that can stop us.”
West Virginia(27-6) is led by forward Da’Sean Butler, who is on the watch-list for the Most Outstanding Player award in the tournament this year. Butler shined for the Mountaineers, tabbing 17.4 points per game in the difficult Big East conference
The Mountaineers are riding a six-game win-streak, that includes a victory over Georgetown in the Big East conference final 60-58.
They have the advantage in both size and speed on the floor, and should not have a problem taking care of Morgan State if they execute their game plan properly.
On the other side of the court, Morgan State received an automatic berth into the big dance by virtue of their MEAC 
conference championship, in which they defeated South Carolina State 68-61.
The Bears are led by their outstanding guard Reggie Holmes, who averages 21.8 points per game. He is very quick and a great ball handler, and can potentially give the West Virginia defense problems.
The Bears lack size however, and frequently play with three guards on the floor. They may find difficulty in the rebounding department against the Mountaineers. They cannot afford to give West Virginia second-chance opportunities if they have hopes of springing a shocking upset.
West Virginia is an asserted favorite to move forward in the tournament, as Online Sportsbooks have set the Mountaineers as a 17 1/2-point favorite to win.
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