How to beat: West Virginia
Keeping the Mountaineers away from the hoop, with and without the ball, is essential
West Virginia, Duke, Butler and Michigan State have proved tourney-tested and Final Four worthy. So how do you stop them? We asked our experts to scout each team and craft a game plan to take it down. Each expert took his own approach to the problem, but the results are all the same. These are the blueprints to besting these Final Four teams. We start with Jay Bilas on how to beat the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Final Four Scouting Report: West Virginia
The Duke coaching staff will put together a detailed scouting report of West Virginia, including personnel, team and player tendencies, strengths and weaknesses, out-of-bounds plays and special situations, and specific offensive and defensive actions the Blue Devils will need to counter in the national semifinal on Saturday. However, while the coaching staff will be aware of everything, it will give only certain tendencies to the Duke players so they will not be overburdened, and can concentrate primarily on themselves. Some coaching staffs offer more detailed information to the players, but Mike Krzyzewski wants his players focusing more on their own team rather than the opponent. The players will get a two-page personnel report with specific keys and player tendencies to concentrate on, and it will look something like this.
To see the keys to beating Bob Huggins' team and player-by-player breakdowns of strengths and exploitable weaknesses, you must be an ESPN Insider.
-
ESPN The Magazine subscribers
-
Need more information?
SPONSORED HEADLINES
MORE MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL HEADLINES
- Krzyzewski to return as coach of Team USA
- Florida F Yeguete has surgery on right knee
- SF Pinson commits to play for in-state Heels
- Vanderbilt blocks Jeter from transferring to Pitt
MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM
NCAA TOURNAMENT: FINAL FOUR

NCAA Tournament home page
STORIES
- Forde: An epic game was nearly best ever
- Katz: Duke finds a way in the end
- O'Neil: Stunned Bulldogs proved they belong
- Schlabach: Coach K cements place
- Brennan: How Duke won the title
- Schlabach: Emotions high and low at Hinkle
- Experts' roundtable: Title game debate
- Forde: Can Butler make history?
- Schlabach: Nored holds his head high
- Katz: Mack finds a home with Butler
- Forde: The ultimate David vs. Goliath
- O'Neil: Butler does it the Bulldog way
- Katz: Blue Devils look to create own legacy
- Writer roundtable: Final Four predictions
- O'Neil: No superstars, no problem
- Schlabach: Hometowns all in for Butler
- Forde: WVU's win over Duke not forgotten
- Brennan: Four underrated storylines
- Powers: Scheyer living his dream
- Katz: A coaching view of the Final Four
- Forde: Green gives Sparty boost off bench
- O'Neil: Duke duo pursues artistic side
- Forde: Butler part Hollywood, part Heartland
- Schlabach: The quick rise of Brad Stevens
- Hill: Izzo is king of the state
- Forde: Final Four Likability Index
- Katz: Love story for Huggs, WVU
- Katz: Final Four primer
- Brennan: 10 Things To Know
- College Basketball Nation blog
VIDEOS
- Forde/Katz: An epic final game
- Forde/Katz: Coach K legacy
- Katz interviews Stevens after loss
- Katz talks to Coach K after win
- Coach K previews title game
- Bilas and Vitale on semifinals
- Bilas and Vitale on Butler-MSU
- Bilas and Vitale on Duke-WVU
- Gottlieb's Final Four picks
- Katz and Brennan on Saturday's semis
- Mayne Event: Butler right at home?
- Mazzulla's bumpy road to Indy
- Hill on Izzo's place among the greats
- Advice from a real-life "Hoosier"
- Katz's Final Four preview
- Duke's Smith follow's dad's Final Four legacy
- Brad Stevens on Butler hysteria
- Vitale: Final Four players to watch
INSIDER
- Instant Intel: Butler vs. Duke
- Bilas: Who has the edge in title game?
- Experts: Eight burning questions
- Gottlieb: How to beat ... Duke
- Fraschilla: How to beat ... Michigan State
- Lunardi: How to beat ... Butler
- Bilas: How to beat ... West Virginia
- Instant Intel: West Virginia vs. Duke
- Instant Intel: Butler vs. Michigan State
- Bilas: Thoughts heading into the Final Four
TOURNEY TOOLS
- Tournament Challenge
- Lunardi's team-by-team breakdowns
- By the numbers: NCAA tournament 1-65
- Brackets: HTML | GIF | PDF
ESPN COLLEGE BASKETBALL ENCYCLOPEDIA
- Insider: Indiana rebuilding or reloading?
- Insider: Can Michigan win the Big Ten?
- Telep: Latest on No. 13 junior Theo Pinson
- Ford: Winners from the NBA draft combine
- Biancardi: Who is the nation's top point guard?

