March Madness Preview: West Virginia vs. Morgan State

College Basketball Betting is at its peak during March Madness. This week, as the NCAA tournament gets underway, you can expect betting analysts to be picking apart each and every game. The first round of the NCAA tournament is packed with exciting games. One game of note is between Big East champion West Virginia and MEAC champion Morgan State. Both teams are rolling into the tournament on hot streaks and neither can be underestimated in this game. Here is a preview for the opening round matchup between West Virginia and Morgan State.

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Morgan State Bears

Friday March 19, 12:15PM (ET)

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West Virginia enters this game as the number 2 seed in the East Region after finishing the season 13-5 in conference play and 27-6 overall. West Virginia surprised some in the basketball world by winning the strong Big East title over contenders including Syracuse, Villanova, and Georgetown. The Morgan State Bears are a low 15 seed in the NCAA tournament, but should not be counted out. They will play hard in this game after completing an impressive season that included a MEAC championship, a 15-1 conference record, and a 27-9 record overall.

What the West Virginia Mountaineers need to do to win

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Stay out of foul trouble: Emotions will be high entering the first game of the NCAA tournament. For West Virginia, they need to focus on the ultimate prize and stick to their game. The feisty team from Morgan State will likely enter this game aggressively battling for every loose ball. West Virginia needs to avoid foul problems and let their big players dominate the game.

Give the ball to Da’Sean Butler: The Morgan State Bears don’t have anyone on their roster capable of shutting down Da’Sean Butler. The West Virginia Mountaineers need to keep the ball in the hands of their big scorer and let him dictate the play. Averaging more than 17 points per game this season and after putting in a dominating performance in the Big East tournament, Butler is poised for a huge NCAA tournament. If the Morgan State Bears do decide to double team Butler, Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks should still be able to carry the Mountaineers into round two.

What the Morgan State Bears need to do to win

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Play tight defence and keep their emotions in check: Morgan State enters this game as an extreme underdog to advance to round two. One issue in Morgan State’s game all season has been their lapses in defence. The Bears have allowed, on average, more than 70 points per game this season. This compares to the Mountaineers 63 points against. Morgan State must focus on maintaining possession whenever possible which will start with Kevin Thompson and his 12 rebounds per game.

Morgan State must also keep their emotions in check after they decided to dedicate the game to their ill teammate Anthony Anderson who is battling leukemia. The Bears need to keep their emotions in check and will rely heavily on top scorer Reggie Holmes. The Bears face an extreme uphill battle in this game, but anything can happen in March Madness basketball.

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