West Virginia vs UAB/Clemson: Preview & Prediction
East Region - Tampa
March 17 - 12:15 CBS
Play in this grouping begins on Tuesday with UAB and Clemson meeting in Dayton as part of the "First Four". The Blazers have been raked over the coals when it comes to their inclusion in the field, but it's pretty obvious that the selection committee gave them credit for rising above the ruckus to win the regular season title in Conference USA. Senior point guard Aaron Johnson is among the national leaders in assists per game. Clemson's "finishing kick", which included wins over both Boston College and Virginia Tech, likely got them in. Their opponent will be West Virginia, who finished in the top half of the wildly competitive Big East. The Mountaineers have dealt with their share of issues, from Dan Jennings leaving the team to Casey Mitchell being suspended. But they've found a way to win games with the tough trio of Truck Bryant, Kevin Jones and Joe Mazzulla leading the way.
CHN Team Capsules (w/ stats, records, and rankings):
Stars to Watch:
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
G Aaron Johnson (UAB)
F Jerai Grant (Clemson)
Vegas Odds:
Clemson -5 (vs UAB. No line for subsequent game vs West Virginia)
Predictions:
RealTimeRPI: Clemson 67-UAB 65
KenPom: Clemson 61-UAB 58
CollegeHoops.net Betting Pick: UAB
Faces Winner Of: Kentucky vs Princeton
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About Raphielle Johnson
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Assistant Editor
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raphiellej@aol.com
Background
College sports has always been a source of excitement for Raphielle Johnson, be it through watching, writing, or taking a shot in the dark and walking onto a college football team just to live the life (Arizona Football, 2001). Raphielle is the assistant editor, providing his own work in addition to helping out with the site operations. When not writing for CHN, you can usually find him in front of a television set watching one of many pay-per-view sports packages that he owns. He can be followed at twitter.com/raphiellej.
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