West Virginia freshman Daxter Miles guarantees win over Kentucky

West Viriginia freshman Daxter Miles has apparently heard everything about Kentucky.

How the Wildcats are undefeated, stocked with NBA talent and seemingly destined for a national title.

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But while Miles knows there are plenty of reasons top-seeded Kentucky will beat West Virginia in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, he wasn't afraid to also give the Wildcats some blackboard material.

Or, looked at another way, Miles wasn't afraid to guarantee a victory for the fifth-seeded Mountaineers, even if they're 13.5 point underdogs against 36-0 Kentucky.

Here's what he said to reporters in Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon:

Those are bold words for any player, let alone a freshman, and one wonders what went through coach Bob Huggins' head once he heard them filter back from the locker room.

Miles averages about 21 minutes per game and is coming off a decent debut to his first postseason. He scored 12 points and had two assists in the round-of-32 game against Maryland and had 10 points in the opener against Buffalo with no turnovers committed in either game.

He's not the only West Virginia player feeling confident, either. When asked if the team's press would work against top-ranked Kentucky, senior guard Juwan Staten had only one reply: "Why wouldn't it?"

We'll see if Miles and Staten can back up their confidence on Thursday night. If the first rule of pulling off a monumental upset is playing like you have nothing to lose, then West Virginia has made a good first step — even if it does seem just a bit insane.

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Kevin Kaduk is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kevinkaduk@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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