West Virginia got a much needed Big East win Saturday afternoon, whipping the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 72-58 at the WVU Coliseum. Truck Bryant broke out of a shooting slump which has lasted since late last year, scoring 24 and hitting 4 of 7 threes. Joe Mazzulla also had one of his best games this season, scoring 16 points on repeated drives to the basket. Mazzulla's steady hand kept the Mountaineer offense purring in the second half. West Virginia played hard all game on defense, and disrupted the Irish's three point shooting, holding Notre Dame to 29% from long distance.
Kevin Jones had a double double, going for 14 points and 10 boards, while John Flowers also hauled in 10 boards in limited action due to first half foul trouble.
West Virginia fans breathed a big sigh of relief this afternoon, as the Mountaineers put together their most complete performance since a January 16th victory against Purdue. While many considered the Mountaineers a NCAA tournament lock already, this win should erase any doubt from minds that differed. The Mountaineers next game will be Thursday night when they travel to Pittsburgh to face the #4 Pitt Panthers.
Check back all week long to SBNation Pittsburgh for more analysis of Today's victory, and for previews of Thursday's Backyard Brawl.