Second Round Recap: West Virginia/Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Bonzie Colson
6-5, PF, Sophomore
27 points, 8 rebounds, 10-15 FG, 4-5 3FG

Colson was even more impressive in this game than he was in round one. The ankle seemed fine when he was guarding guys, even getting up and doing a decent job protecting shots at the rim with his 7-0 wingspan.  The three ball was falling as well, and if he can do that consistently, he is a legit pro prospect.


Colson's toughness at his size is what will make him some money.  Even though he's extremely undersized, he competes and has the length to help make up for his height deficiency.  He is a super versatile offensive player who can shoot, pass, score in the post, and set screens.  He even showed off a floater in this game, an essential weapon for a guy his size at the next level. I'm pretty high on Colson's pro potential. He ultra productive despite his believed deficiencies at 6-5.

VJ Beachem
6-8, SF, Senior
9 points, 2-14 FG, 1-9 3FG

Beachem's struggled carried over into this game. He shot it almost every time he touched it, seemingly rushed by the West Virginia pressure. He doesn't have much feel and is a beneficiary of Notre Dame's spread pick and roll system.  Defensively, he couldn't keep the West Virginia guys off the glass, only grabbing two rebounds himself.  He has the length and tools to be a decent wing defender, which is hard to see with him playing PF mostly for Notre Dame. He's just an average athlete, which also doesn't bode well for his pro prospects.  I'm not to high on Beachem as a pro, though I could see the allure of a potential 3-and-D wing.

Matt Farrell
6-1, PG, Junior
8 points, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 2-4 3FG

Farrell wasn't nearly as poised and polished in this game as he was in the opening game. Having to deal with Jevon Carter the whole game is no enviable task, and Farrell had his struggles with the pressure.  He wasn't as involved scoring wise as he was in the first round against Princeton, which might be a product of Carter's elite on ball defense.  West Virginia's press makes everybody's guards turn into a puddle.

Farrell still knocked down his open threes and ended up with 6 assists despite the 4 turnovers.  He did show much more poise than the rest of Notre Dame's guards against the pressure. He still plays with fearlessness on both ends. His ticket to being a pro is going to be that toughness and grit.

West Virginia

Jevon Carter
6-2, PG, Junior
24 points, 8-15 FG, 4-5 3FG

Carter really stood out for WVU in this game. Carter exploded for 24 points on 8-15 shooting and 4-5 from three.  His hang dribble pull up three is unstoppable and smooth.  He isn't just a speedy guard north to south. He has some shake to his game side to side that can help him create his own shot and get to spots. Combine that with his quickness and he's a tough cover.

Carter is going to make his money defensively, where he is an absolute terror. He spooked every single West Virginia ball handler and forced them into so many turnovers. He averaged 2.6 steals per game this season en route to being Big 12 defensive player of the year, and he forces so many more turnovers from his ball pressure alone.  He isn't some push over, tiny guard either.  He's a stocky 200 pounds at 6-2.  You can't blow by him because of his quickness and you can't bully him because of his frame and competitiveness.  There's a lot to like athletically with this kid.

Carter can create his own shot, but he still has a long way to go at reading the floor.  West Virginia doesn't run a lot of ball screening action so we didn't get a chance to see him read the floor in pick and rolls.  Carter also has a tendency to go right a lot, even when he shakes his defender he is still coming back right.  He also missed to contested shots at the rim with his left hand.  He isn't an elite athlete vertically, making those shots at the rim tough for him. At the next level, he has a lot of potential to be a Patrick Beverley type with his elite on ball defense and his shooting capability. Asking him to do much more would be a stretch.

Esa Ahmad
6-8, PF, Sophomore
11 points, 9 rebounds, 3-7 FG

Ahmad didn't shoot the ball very well, but his body and physical tools stand out. At 6-8, 225 and plus athleticism, Ahmad was able to guard pretty much every position on the floor.  He moves his feet well laterally and does a great job walling up guys on their drives.  He attacks the glass and has a fearlessness about him that you like.

He is a 37.8% three point shooter, showing that he might be able to stretch it out eventually. It's hard to tell what type of skills he might be able to project at the next level offensively because the stroke doesn't look confident and he doesn't create anything for himself or others.  Going to be interesting to see what type of development and steps he can take next year to further his game.

Daxter Miles
6-3, SG, Junior
18 points, 3 steals, 5-8 FG, 7-8 FT

Miles was on fire in this game. He's a microwave scorer, and this game he got to the line a bunch on top of that. He is a typical West Virginia guard who pressures the ball well and can get hot in a hurry.  He isn't bad at creating his own shot either.  The only thing that will keep him from being a legit prospect is his size at 6-3 and average wingspan. Seems to be a product of West Virginia's system causing a lot of turnovers and getting easy buckets in transition.