Notre Dame, West Virginia renew former Big East rivalry
ASSOCIATED PRESS
West Virginia teammates celebrate during the second half of a first-round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament against Bucknell, Thursday, March 16, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y.
BUFFALO, N.Y. >> No. 4 seed West Virginia will face No. 5 seed Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The former Big East rivals meet for first time in the NCAA Tournament and in first meeting since Fighting Irish beat Mountaineers on Feb. 22, 2012. Notre Dame leads all-time series 27-12, though they’re only 4-4 since Bob Huggins took over as West Virginia coach.
Notre Dame avoided first-round upset scare by hanging on to 60-58 first-round win over Princeton on Thursday, when Tigers guard Devin Cannady missed 3-pointer in the final seconds. West Virginia squandered double-digit leads in each half before pulling out an 86-80 win over Bucknell.
The Mountaineers’ stifling press defense led nation this year in forcing 20.4 turnovers and 10.4 steals. By contrast, Fighting Irish haven’t committed 10 or more turnovers in nine straight games and 12 of past 13.
