NCAA Tournament Insider: Guaranteed Victory, Calipari's Next Move, Viewer's Guide
Kentucky’s quest to go undefeated continues tonight against West Virginia, which also knocked out the Wildcats five years ago, almost to the day. Bob Huggins remembers it well.
Still, with so many people certain that Kentucky will steamroll everyone in their way, there is a lot of focus on Coach John Calipari’s future in the NBA. One report even calls him “desperate” to try again at the professional level.
There’s always a lot of talk about a lot of things and here’s a little more smack from West Virginia freshman guard Daxter Miles, Jr.: “I give them their props, salute them for getting to 36-0. But tomorrow, they’re going to be 36-1.”
To do that, the Mountaineers will rely, as usual, on the press. That’s how the team earned the nickname “Press Virginia.”
“They’re creating havoc, they’re taking you out of your offense, they’re creating opportunities for tough shots or turnovers,” Calipari said. “They’re playing very physical, they’re coming in and letting you know it’s going to be body to body.”
As for the rest of tonight’s game, here’s a breakdown of each matchup. And, finally, here are a few handy-dandy links:
• Meaningless Bowls Eclipse Very Meaningful Basketball Games, at Least in Viewership
THURSDAY’S GAMES
(All times Eastern)
Midwest Region, Cleveland
7:15 p.m.: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State, CBS
9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 5 West Virginia, CBS
West Region, Los Angeles
7:47 p.m.: No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 North Carolina, TBS
10:17 p.m.: No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Xavier, TBS
FRIDAY’S GAMES
South Region, Houston
7:15 p.m.: No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA, CBS
9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah, CBS
East Region, Syracuse
7:37 p.m.: No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 NC State, TBS
10:17 p.m.: No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State, TBS