GAME NOTES: Bob Huggins begins his quest for his next milestone victory tonight as he and the West Virginia Mountaineers clash with sixth-ranked Baylor in the final round of the Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena in Sin City.
On Thursday night, coach Huggins registered the 700th win of his career as the Mountaineers won their second overtime game of the season with a 70-68 triumph over Missouri State. The victory was the fifth in a row for the program and the eighth in the last nine outings overall.
As for the Bears, they are one of a handful of Division I programs still undefeated this late in the season, thanks to a 72-59 triumph over the Gaels of Saint Mary's-CA in Las Vegas. Except for an 86-83 decision over BYU last weekend, Baylor has defeated every opponent by double figures and is now averaging 21.9 ppg for its margin of victory through 11 contests.
With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, this is the first-ever meeting.
Except for A.J. Walton who finished with a mere four points in only 19 minutes of action, every starter for the Bears hit for double figures in the victory against SMC, beginning with Quincy Miller who dropped in 15 points. Perry Jones III came up a rebound shy of a double-double as he tallied 14 points and logged four blocked shots, but Quincy Acy was able to achieve the feat with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds even as he shot just 2-of-4 from the floor. Brady Heslip tacked on 11 points as the team shot an even 50.0 percent from the field. Defensively, Baylor held the Gaels to just 5-of-20 shooting behind the three-point line. Balanced scoring has been a keystone to the success of the Bears in the first 11 games of the season as five players score in double figures, paced by Jones III with his 15.8 ppg as he has appeared in just six outings. Acy (12.7 ppg) is one of three players averaging better than five rebounds per contest, his 7.4 rpg leading the way in that department, while a guy like Pierre Jackson has come off the bench exclusively to tally 11.0 points and 4.5 assists per game.
Kevin Jones registered a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds as the West Virginia Mountaineers slipped by the Missouri State Bears in overtime, 70-68, in third-round action of the Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena last night. Also scoring in double figures for the Mountaineers were Darryl Bryant with 15 points, Aaron Brown 14 and Gary Browne 13 points to go along with seven boards off the bench. Trailing by double figures in the second half, the Mountaineers slowly chipped away at the deficit and managed to tie the score at 63-63 in the waning moments on a three-pointer by Browne. Even though he finds it necessary to try his hand at three-point shooting where he is a meager 19.5 percent successful, Jones is still the most important player on the WVU team as he averages a double-double with 20.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Bryant is responsible for another 16.4 ppg and is more than willing to handle the shooting out on the perimeter where he has made good on a team- best 24 attempts.
If the Mountaineers can keep the scoring to a minimum they might have a chance to pull off the upset, but that also depends on whether or not WVU gets Jones some help in the paint against the many players that Baylor sends to the glass.
Fact Stats
Predicted Outcome
