2010 NCAA Tournament Final Four: The West Virginia Mountaineers

The West Virginia University Mountaineers are in the 2010 Final Four and will play the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday for a chance to go for the NCAA Championship. WVU "last appeared in the Final Four in 1959" according to MSNsports.net.com. The Mountaineers are a second seed and are facing the only number one seed left in the tournament

How Did the Mountaineers Get to the Final Four

West Virginia qualified for the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big East Tournament. The Mountaineers are 31-6 and are for real. WVU has won 10 straight games to win and have won the Big East and advanced to the Final Four along the ride. The Mountaineers longest win streak of the season was 11 games. West Virginia breezed past Morgan State in the opening round 77-50. The Mountaineers followed up with a 68-59 win over Missouri and a 69-56 win over Washington. Then West Virginia beat the number one team in their region Kentucky 73-66 to reach the Final Four.

WVU Players to Watch

Da'Sean Butler leads the Mountaineers in scoring averaging 17.4 points a game. Da'Sean is a 6'7" 230lb senior forward out of Newark, N.J. Butler is third on the team in rebounds averaging 6.3 per game and second on the team in steals averaging one per game.

Kevin Jones is second on the team in scoring averaging 13.7 points per game. Kevin Jones is a 6'8" 250lb sophomore out of Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Jones is second on the team in rebounds averaging 7.2 per game. Devin Ebanks is third on the team in scoring averaging 12.0 points per game. Ebanks is a 6'9 215lb forward out of Long Island, New York. Ebanks lead the team in rebounds with 8.2 per game and steals with 1.1 per game.

Eyes will be on West Virginia Point Guard Joe Mazzulla who is filling in for the Mountaineers injured starter Truck Bryant. However, "Joe Mazzulla stepped in and played solidly against Washington and then was the star of the Mountaineers' victory over Kentucky, scoring 17 points," according to Fox Sports.

Strengths

1) West Virginia is well coached by Bob Huggins.

2) West Virginia plays in a basketball power conference in the Big East.

3) Not only did West Virginia clash with their powerful Big East foes, the Mountaineers scheduled some tough non-conference opponents like Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Mississippi.

4) West Virginia has built confidence by winning the Big East Tournament and knocking off powerful Kentucky.

Weaknesses

1) The Mountaineers will be playing without their starting point guard Tuck Bryant.

2) The Mountaineers don't have a player over 6'9" on their roster.

3) The Mountaineers will be facing a second straight number one seed in Duke in the Final Four.

Can the Mountaineers Contend for The National Championship?

West Virginia has proved they are a basketball power house this season. The Mountaineers have overcome injuries in the tournament, and they prevailed against the Kentucky Wildcats when most people had written off West Virginia. The Mountaineers have been tested this season, and their 31-6 record is something WVU can be proud to have achieved. The Mountaineers can beat Duke and are capable of beating Butler or Michigan State.

Sources:

MSNsports.net.com.

Foxsports for stats, records, schedules, player information