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Miles McBride and Derek Culver of West Virginia Basketball up against Syracuse zone

By Benjamin Zacher

Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; The West Virginia Mountaineers celebrates after beating the Morehead State Eagles in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; The West Virginia Mountaineers celebrates after beating the Morehead State Eagles in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Johni Broome Morehead State Eagles Derek Culver West Virginia Basketball (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/2021 Getty Images)
Johni Broome Morehead State Eagles Derek Culver West Virginia Basketball (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/2021 Getty Images) /

3. If shots are not falling outside, then the Mountaineers will need their inside game

If there was one area of success for San Diego State, it was that the Aztecs thrived inside against Syracuse, outscoring the Orange in points in the paint (26-14) and second-chance points (10-4).

Their play inside was crucial to making the final score, at the very least, respectable – but it also proved that that option could be available for other teams to utilize.  West Virginia is no different, and it could ultimately come down to that if the Mountaineers’ outside shots are not falling over Syracuse’s zone.

West Virginia’s play inside is directly tied to Derek Culver, who has looked out of sorts as of late.  After scoring just nine points in WVU’s overtime loss to Baylor, Culver rebounded with a 17-point performance against TCU – but has struggled in being as involved recently.

His lackluster 11-point performance against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament could be attributed to a non-COVID illness that was reported to be plaguing Culver, and it was not until the big man retrieved an IV shortly after the start of the second half that he came alive – but again, against Morehead State, the junior struggled to provide much, scoring just 12 points on 5-13 shooting, with multiple of those shots being blocked by the Eagles’ Johni Broome.

There is no doubt that Culver may be the best big man in the Big 12, and one of the best in this field – but he must be effective for the Mountaineers if they hope to have a shot in the NCAA Tournament, particularly if his back-up, Gabe Osabuohien, faces foul trouble.

Next. Buy or Sell #3 seeds. dark

This is certainly a dangerous game for the Mountaineers, especially when considering Syracuse’s history as a double-digit seed – including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen the last time the Orange were an 11-seed in 2018.  Shots will need to fall and Buddy Boeheim must be contained – or this could spell doom for the Mountaineers’ postseason aspirations.

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