West Virginia’s pressure defense gave teams in the Big 12 Conference fits all season and it led the Mountaineers to victory Sunday over a Maryland team forced to play much of the second half without its best ball handler.
The Mountaineers forced more turnovers per game than any team in the nation and Maryland proved incapable of dealing with the relentless approach. West Virginia forced 23 miscues from Maryland in a 69-59 win that put the Mountaineers back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since it advanced to the Final Four in 2010.
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West Virginia’s reward is an opportunity to play giant killer against undefeated Kentucky, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
Terrapins’ point guard Melo Trimble was knocked to the ground at the 15-minute mark in the second half by a moving screen from West Virginia big man Nathan Adrian. None of the three officials on the court called a foul.
Trimble returned to the court after a brief stay on the bench, but six minutes later he fell to the floor after leaping high into the air to try to intercept a pass. Maryland forward Damonte Dodd inadvertently kicked Trimble in the head as he ran past and Trimble was held out of the rest of the game with a head injury.
Trimble was vital to the Terrapins in the first half, scoring 12 points with five assists. Maryland shot 55 percent in the first half and made six of nine 3-pointers. But the Terrapins went 2-for-10 from behind the arc after halftime and had frequent trouble just getting into their offense. Maryland senior Dez Wells accounted for eight turnovers and scored just nine points.
Heartbreaking images of Trimble sitting on the bench unable to help his team were countered by images of elation from the West Virginia side. Coach Bob Huggins had criticized the NCAA before the game for scheduling tip-off times too late, but his team seemed unaffected by the start time.
Four starters scored in double figures for West Virginia, which accumulated 15 steals. Sophomore forward Devin Williams had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Gary Browne had 14 points and five steals.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
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