Bob Huggins knows how monumental the task facing his West Virginia team will be Thursday night, when the fifth-seeded Mountaineers will take on undꦉefeated Kentucky in Cleveland for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.
But he insists the M𓃲ountaineers won’t be intimidated by the prospect of facing the top team i꧟n the land.
“I mean, I wish I could sit here and tell you we’re definitely going to win,” Huggi🍬ns said after knocking off No. 4 seed Maryland 69-59 Sunday night in Columbus, Ohio, to advance to the Sweet 16. “I can’t do that. But I can tell you that we’re not going to be scared.”
Given how the Mountaineers play, it’s hard to believe they would be scared of facing anyone. Wit♊h a roster deep in athletic talent, Huggins decided to𝄹 convert to a full-court press defense this season, utilizing his depth by using 11 or 12 players to have five fresh players on the court.
Playing that way also has allowed the Mount🌳aineers to avoid individual foul trouble despite leading the nation in fouls committed, thanks to a defensive system that seems to have been borrowed from Pete Carroll’s playbook with the Seahawks: hug, mug and grab your opponent until you force the referees to make a call.
In theory, that combination should let West Virginia make things interesting in a one-and-done scenario against the 🧜undisputed top team in the co𓃲untry.
But then there are the immense advantage♌s Kentucky has over virtually e💮very team it plays, specifically with its size. The Wildcats utilized four players listed at 6-foot-10 or taller in their win over No. 8 seed Cincinnati Saturday, while the Mountaineers played none against Maryland. Trying to find a way to become the first team to beat John Calipari’s squad isn’t going to be easy.
“I just want our guys to make sure꧙ they know Cal’s going to have them ready to go,” Huggins said. “John and I go back 30, 40 years. We know each other really, really well, and we’ve played against each other a bunch of times.
“I wish I could play 🧔against Cal … we’d have a better chance. But he’ll have them ready. He always does. He does a great job.”
Making things even more difficult for West Virginia is the lag in preparation time. Kentucky wrapped up its𝔍 play by the middle of the afternoon Saturday. West Virginia’s win over Maryland didn’t end until close to midnight Sunday, leaving the Mountaineers with essentially one day of practice – Tuesday – to prepare for the No. 1 team in the country.
“I mean, [the Big 12] plays Wednesdays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, so we’re a little bit used to it,” Huggins said. “The hard thing is we really can’t 𝓀do much [Monday]. We’ll practice Tuesday, and you really don’t want to kill them on Wednesday because you need a bunch of energy on Th๊ursday … so it does hurt your preparation.”
Ready or not, 9:45 p.m. Thursday is coming. And after Kentucky has mow🅠ed through one opponent after another over the last five months, West Virginiaꦫ knows it won’t be easy to break the streak.
“Well, 36 people haven’t been,” Hugg𒊎ins said. “I don’t know. We’re going to hav♊e fun trying.”