West Virginia's Bryant Out For The Remainder of the NCAA Tournament- Who Takes Over?

        The East Region's No. 2 seed, West Virginia, will be without their starting point guard, "Truck" Bryant broke his foot in last week. It's only logical that backup point guard Joe Mazzulla will take over. Right? Not necessarily. Mazzulla is averaging 2 points and 2 assists in under 15 minutes per game, but he has been hot lately, totaling 15 assists and just three turnovers in the last three games (averaging 25 minutes per contest); he is also 2-for-13 from the field during this stretch.

        Without significant depth in their backcourt, Mazzulla will see even more minutes at the point, but we can also expect forwards Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks to handle the ball during some stretches. Scouts will be keeping a close eye on how Butler and Ebanks fair in their new role as a point-forward, but also who steps up their game in Bryant's absence. Bryant had the team's 2nd best 3-point and free-throw total. If Ebanks can step up his scoring, especially from the perimeter, he can move back into the middle of the 1st round. If Butler shows he can handle the ball, he could become a lock for the 2nd round and move up accordingly.



By Corey Ruff - President - 3-24-10