Notre Dame, West Virginia renew former Big East rivalry
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) No. 4 seed West Virginia (27-8) vs. No. 5 seed Notre Dame (26-9)
Second round, West region; Buffalo, New York, 12:10 p.m. EDT.
BOTTOM LINE: Former Big East rivals meet for first time in the NCAA Tournament and in first meeting since Fighting Irish beat Mountaineers 71-44 on Feb. 22, 2012. Notre Dame leads all-time series 27-12, though they're only 4-4 since Bob Huggins took over as West Virginia coach.
WHEW: Notre Dame avoided first-round upset scare by hanging on to 60-58 first-round win over Princeton on Thursday, when Tigers guard Devin Cannady missed 3-pointer in the final seconds. West Virginia squandered double-digit leads in each half before pulling out an 86-80 win over Bucknell.
CONTRAST IN STYLES: The Mountaineers' stifling press defense led nation this year in forcing 20.4 turnovers and 10.4 steals. By contrast, Fighting Irish haven't committed 10 or turnovers in nine straight games and 12 of past 13.
DID YOU KNOW: With 2,873 points, Mountaineers are 12 from breaking the school's single-season record set by the Jerry West-led team in 1958-59.
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