On one end of the floor today will be the team that hastens the pace of the game, that toys with teams by taking control of the tempo.

And on the other end will be West Virginia.

The Mountaineers are frenetic, and they like to trap and torment their opponents into a frenzy. Bucknell isn’t used to that. The Bison admit they won’t be ready for that and will require time to adjust. But when it happens and once they settle in, they insist they’ll be quite comfortable.

Tempo, pace and speed are synonyms, and they can mean different things when applied to different areas. Yet if WVU aims to make Bucknell operate quickly, the Patriot League champs won’t mind.

“We’re a team that really tries to run on people,” Bucknell guard Nate Jones said. “People assume mid-majors aren’t able to run with these bigger teams, but that’s the style of play we focus on every day in practice. We’re not afraid of the moment. I think we’ll be able to get up and down once we start the game.”

It’s an odd matchup, to be sure. WVU is renowned throughout the bracket for its pressing ways, and the goal is to hassle opponents and make them play faster than what they’re used to. It is then when the turnovers begin, the runs commence and the fatigue first appears, and before long WVU has a lead, a swagger and a deeper bench that’s eager to keep it going.

All the pace and all the turnovers allow the Mountaineers to average 77.4 possessions per game, and they dearly need the extra possessions and extra shots to compensate for shooting.

Bucknell doesn’t press and will sometimes play a matchup zone that can freeze an opponent, but it still averages 74.7 possessions per game. Imagine how quickly the Bison play on offense to make up for what they don’t manufacture with their defense.

Their bodies will have to catch up with WVU’s rapidity, and then their minds will have to catch up with and stay ahead of their bodies, but if moving fast is the game, the Bison believe they’re equipped to handle the pressure and whatever problems and opportunities it creates.

“I think a lot of people get caught up in thinking speed means you have to score fast and take a shot as soon as you can get it, but there’s a difference between playing fast and what we call playing fast and smart,” point guard Stephen Brown said.

“If we play fast and smart and move the ball fast and guys are cutting and moving fast, then we can get the shot we want, even if West Virginia wants to pressure us and get us out of our comfort zone.”

What Bucknell does know about the Mountaineers and their press is that there have been times this season when they’ve decided not to press because it wasn’t effective or because opponents were breaking it and scoring with ease.

The Bison have seen WVU turn dribblers loose for drives and scores. They’ve seen WVU scatter to recover, which leaves shooters open for 3-pointers. They’ve seen WVU chase the ball more than the defense has trapped it. Whatever the outcome has been for the Mountaineers, the cause has been the opponent’s ability to stay out of trouble.

“It’s been the teams that find the open guy and play together and make the simple pass,” Brown said. “If a guy’s open in the middle, pass it to him. Then he passes it to the next guy, and you get the ball up the floor rather than trying to dribble through the press.

“I think the teams that have not been very successful have taken on the trap and waited for two guys to come down and run at them instead of making the pass and making the instinctive play.”