BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Rutgers

January 31, 2007


West Virginia will continue their quest for their first conference road game this week with a two-game trek through the state of New Jersey. The road begins tonight with a date at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a thrilling double OT win over their in-state rivals Seton Hall over the weekend and will look to try and make it two in a row when the Mountaineers come to the RAC.

Here are the internet pregame stories and previews found this morning:

Rutgers-WVU Scouting Report (Courier News)
Win over Pirates a Shot in the Arm for Rutgers (Edison Sentinel)
WVU Begins Critical NJ Jaunt (Charleston Gazette)
Mountaineers Hope to Get Road Win Tonight at Rutgers (Register-Herlad)




Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

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West Virginia's ability to reload this season after losing JD Collins, Patrick Beilein, Mike Gansey, Joe Herber and Kevin Pittsnogle to graduation has kept the Mountaineers in contention in the Big East and alive for a bid to the NCAA Tournament come March. Many, including myself, believed that the only bubble the Mountaineers would be on would be that for the Big East Tournament, let alone the NCAA!

The next two weeks are going to be critical for the Mountaineers and their NCAA hopes. First, they must show they can win on the road. While the Big East schedule makers were not a big believer in the Mountaineers, they were dealt a very favorable schedule, but they have yet (0-3) to win on the road in the conference. Tonight they have a golden opportunity to end that streak when they travel to New Jersey to meet Rutgers. This weekend West Virginia will also meet Seton Hall at the Meadowlands before returning home next week for Pittsburgh and UCLA, where their SOS will finally get a bump up.

For Rutgers, it did not look very promising after the were dumped by South Florida by 22 points. However, they rebounded from that embarrasment to make a late rally and force overtime against Seton Hall and eventually prevailed in 2 OT. The Scarlet Knights are extremely offensively challeneged as shooting from the perimeter is a chore and they really lack any for of inside offensive as well. A definite combination to be in the conference cellar.

West Virginia will most certainly frustrate Rutgers with their patience on offense and their ability to trap in their 1-3-1 zone. Rutgers is going to have to make all the right decisions and the shots that present themselves for them from the perimeter. WVU will rely on the 3-ball and make their share, leaving Rutgers scrambling to keep up.

West Virginia is a 9-pt favorite and a 15-pt projected winner by Pomeroy. I see them winning this game, but it might be a little more of a contest than many think as WVU looks for their first win on the road since a November date with Duquesne.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 65 Rutgers 57

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Cincinnati

January 20, 2007


After suffering demoralizing losses to Ohio, Memphis, Rutgers and South Florida, it looked like the Cincinnati Bearcats were going to pull off the upset at Syracuse when everyone was counting them down and out for the season. Coming all the way back from a 19-point 1st half defecit, the Bearcats had a three point lead with under 35 seconds to go, but four free throws by Eric Devendorf and a missed front end of a one and one and a miss at the buzzer left Mick Cronin and the Cincinnati Bearcats still in search of their first Big East win.

West Virginia on the other hand returned home this past week and despite a dry spell from the 3-pt range, they had built up a big enough lead against South Florida to cruise to an 11-point win. The Mountaineers snapped their two-game losing streak, but they have yet to win away from Morgantown in the conference.

Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

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West Virginia is definitely in the NCAA Tournament mix and a big item missing from their resume is the appearance of quality road wins. While beating a down Cincinnati squad would still not register as a quality win on the road, it would serve as good experience for the young Mountaineers to gain some confidence away from their cozy confines of the Coliseum. When you talk about WVU, you have to talk about their 1-3-1 zone and their ability to make three-pointers. The 1-3-1 zone remains a constant, but the 3-pt shot has been on and off much of the season. In their home win over USF, they missed their last 12 shots from beyond the arc.

Cincinnati will no doubt have some issues with the 1-3-1 zone. The Bearcats are not the best ballhandling team in the conference, but they should be athletic enough to chase the WVU shooters on the perimeter. Their big man, Marcus Sikes, pulled a 'Pittsnogle' on Wednesday night, nearly leading the Bearcats to a win over Syracuse, hitting eight of 12 shots from 3-pt range to account for all 24 of his points in their 1-pt loss. They key will be how PG Jamual Warren and guard Deonta Vaughn handle the 1-3-1 zone and if they can attack the soft spots and make the right decisions. I think John Williamson is a player that can find some scoring space if the right decisions are made.

West Virginia will rely on Frank Young from the perimeter and a flawless game from Darris Nichols running the point. If Alex Ruoff can strike from the perimeter and Joe Alexander can cause problems for the smaller UC guards with his traps in the 1-3-1 zone, WVU will definitely win this game. However, the scrappy Bearcats might have a little shot in the arm with their tough loss at the Dome and will bring a big effort. Too much skill on the WVU side and that wins a close game.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 64 Cincinnati 60

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: South Florida @ West Virginia

January 17, 2007


Thanks to the Cincinnati Bearcats, it only took South Florida three games before finding their first Big East conference win this season, they will look to make it two in a row when they travel to Morgantown to face the Mountaineers. West Virginia is not likely to allow that to happen, although the Mountianeers are on a two game losing streak, they return to the Coliseum where they are 9-0 on the season, including 3-0 in the Big East.

Here are the pregame stories and previews form around the internet:

Struggling Ruoff Needs to Have Fun (Daily Mail)
Is USF the Cure for WVU? (Charleston Gazette)
WVU Looks to Regain Winning Touch (Register-Herald)
Bulls Latest Road Trip Presents Unique Challenges (Tampa Trib)




Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


West Virginia returns home to the friendly confines of the Coliseum on their Morgantown campus to host the South Florida Bulls. After running out to a 3-0 conference start, all at home, the young Mountaineers found things a little tougher on the road losing to Notre Dame and Marquette. Meanwhile, the South Florida Bulls are coming off just their second conference victory in their short Big East history, but they have yet to win one on the road.

They got a big lift at the point guard spot with Chris Howard finally being healthy and his 10-assist, 1-turnover performance against Cincinnati finally gave the Bulls quality PG play. They will need that type of performance against a very tough 1-3-1 zone by WVU with their long and athletic players to trap and force turnovers. Having Howard does make the Bulls MUCH better at handling the ball and can allow Jesus Verdejo and Melvin Buckley to look for the gaps and score the basketball. With McHugh Mattis and Kentrell Gransberry inside, the Bulls actually have the size and athletic ability to match-up well with the Mountaineers, if they can stay out of foul trouble.

West Virginia always relies on the great equalizer, the three-point shot, and when it is not falling, they could really struggles, like they did on the road in their last two games. Since they do not score much inside in a traditional offense and they are not much for rebounding, the other aspect of their game is turnover differential. The Bulls are very prone to turning it over and the WVU 1-3-1 should thrive against their inexpereinced ball-handlers. They will try and trap Howard and Solomon Bozeman and force them into bad decisions and rushed shots. West Virginia is not as great in taking care of the ball as last year's team, so they still need to improve as well.

The Mountaineers are projected as 19-pt winners by Pomeroy and enter as 15-pt favorites. I expect them to win and probably comfortably, but the Bulls might hang around a little more.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 76 South Florida 64

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Marquette

January 13, 2006


The surprising West Virginia Mountaineers take their 1-3-1 zone on the road again as they visit the Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East conference game this afternoon. West Virginia suffered their first conference loss earlier this week at Notre Dame. Marquette dropped their first two conference games but rebounded with a win over Connecticut this week.

Marquette has been susceptible to zone defenses and they will see one constantly today from the Mountaineers. However, it is not your ordinary zone, it is the 1-3-1 that gives opponents fits because it is so unique to prepare for. West Virginia will hope to continue to force Marquette into turnovers and that they will settle for outside jumpers against the zone. When the Golden Eagles are in the open floor and getting to the rim, they are very tough to stop. If you can force them to settle for the long-range shot, they can struggle offensively. Ousmane Barro will have plenty of chances near the hoop, can he duplicate his strong outing against Connecticut?

The young Mountaineers feel pretty upbeat after falling short against Notre Dame. They were able to settle in on the road and make it a very close game and had a chance to tie at the end of their 3-pt loss. Today they will have to protect th eball against a ball-hawking guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews and that will put PG Darris Nichols under the microscope. Besides Nichols, the Mountaineers are not exceptionally strong in handling the ball. This is a big key. WVU will also rely heavily on the 3-pt shot and Marqutte has very good perimeter defenders all around.

I expect this to be a close game, but the home team should get enough looks at the 1-3-1 to come out on top in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 73 West Virginia 66

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Notre Dame

January 9, 2007


We are only 15 games into the Big East conference season and 13 teams have already been dealt at least one loss. Tonight, West Virginia puts their 3-0 start on the line when they travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame for their first conference road game. With the way things are going in this conference so far, you might as well flip a coin when making a prediction...

Here are the game previews and stories from around the internet:

To Score, Irish Will Have to Zone In (Chicago Tribune)
WVU Facing Big Task Tonight at Notre Dame (Bluefield Daily Telegram)
Irish Look to Regroup Against Mountaineers (Journal Gazette)
WVU Visits Notre Dame Tonight in Big East Tilt (Register-Herlad)
No Ordinary Joe (The Journal)
WVU Hits Jackpot with 'D' (Daily Mail)
Irish Search for What Went Wrong (South Bend Tribune)
Irish Aim to Forget Last Season (Charleston Gazette)
'Neers Can't Be Knocked off Peak (South Bend Tribune)



Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW



The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were riding high on a 12-game winning streak, but that can screeching to a halt Saturday when the Irish were throttled, 66-48, at Georgetown. The Hoyas were second in the league in scoring defense entering the game and held Notre Dame to nearly 40 points below their season average. Tonight, the Irish return home and face the only team in the Big East with a stingier defense, the West Virginia Mountaineers.

We are only beginning the 2nd week of conference play and there are only three Big East teams without a conference loss: Pittsburgh, Providence and West Virginia. The Mountaineers have raced out of the game winning three conference games, all at home, and now their young squad takes to the road for the first time in a month to face the Irish. The Mountaineers have been firing on all cylinders, out-scoring Big East opponents 74-58 and getting 19.7 PPG from senior Frank Young in conference play. Their 1-3-1 zone continues to confuse opponents as Connecticut, Villanova and St. John's combined to turn the ball over 50 times in the three league games against just 28 assists while the fluid WVU offense has been credited with 52 assists. The Mountaineers are turning the ball over a little more this year than their teams of the previous two years, but they remain as dangerous as ever behind the arc.

Notre Dame has also been a surprise team in the conference this season. They rolled through their out of conference schedule cranking up the offense, averaging 92 PPG in their last nine OOC games, never scoring less than 81. However, the Irish are forced to go with a freshman point guard in Tory Jackson with the indefinite suspension of sophomore Kyle McAlarney for his arrest the early morning hours before their game with Stony Brook for possession of a controlled substance. That inexperienced floor leader was exploited against the Georgetown scheme and it will again be the main target of West Virginia's attack when they trap the smaller Jackson on the perimeter with the size of Joe Alexander and quick hands of Darris Nichols.

The Irish will have to make the WVU zone pay by finding Colin Falls in open areas to score and use the passing ability inside of Rob Kurz and the hands and touch of Luke Harangody to finish in close. The athletic Russell Carter will have to pick his spots and finish near the rim against WVU.

The Mountaineers will have to bury their open looks. It will be tougher playing out of their comfort zone on the road, for the first time in a meaningful setting, so we will see if their shooting touch remains hot. I really like what this WVU team is brining to the table, but in their first league road game, I think this ends up being a great learning experience and will make them better.

The Irish enter the game as 4-pt favorites and the Pomeroy Ratings project the Mountaineers as 1-pt winners. That is a pretty healthy gap, but the pomeroy computer does not take into account the lack of road experience of the Mountaineers, which I think is just enough of an edge for the home team for them to sneak one out. I expect this game to be much easier to watch than the Big Monday showcase the Big East put on last night, and be another close game in the conference.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Notre Dame 72 West Virginia 69

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: St. John's @ West Virginia

January 6, 2007


The Mountaineers wrap up their six game homestand in a match-up of conference unbeatens when they host St. John's Saturday afternoon. The redstorm are coming off a surprising 9-point home win over DePaul, while the Mountaineers are the talk of the conference by opening conference play by beaing Connecticut and Villanova.

St. John's is an interesting case study. In their win over DePaul, 10 players scored, but nobody had more than nine points. Aaron Spears returned from a suspension for violating team rules to score some key baskets and senior Daryll Hill hit some key baskets down the stretch. The Redstorm is athletic and physical and will look to disrupt the flow of the fluid WVU offense.

The Mountaineers have been riding the hot-shooting of Frank Young, the only returning starter for WVU scored 47 pts in the first two league contests and hit eight of 13 3-pt shots in their win over Villanova earlier this week. In that game, the Mountaineers attempted 44 shots in the game, 37 of them were behind the arc.

This Mountaineer team still does not hit the boards much and is a little more prone to turning it over than before. They still utilize the 3-pt shot often and have a bunch of shooters and their 1-3-1 still causes all kinds of confusion. St. John's will scrap with you,but they are prone to poor shooting efforts and turnovers, playing right into the hands of WVU and coach John Beilein.

I think this will be a tight game, as it was last year when they met at Madison Square Garden, but the Coliseum is a tough place to play and WVU heads to the road with another shot of confidence.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 63 St. John's 58

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Villanova @ West Virginia

January 3, 2006


West Virginia looks to continue their winning ways at home when they host the Villanova Wildcats tonight in a Big East conference match-up. The Mountaineers are coming off an 81-71 win over Connecticut and look to go 2-0 already in the Big East. This will be the first Big East game of the year for Villanova and marks the return to Big East action for 5th-year senior Curtis Sumpter. Here are the preview articles from around the internet:

Big East Season Starts for Villanova (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Nova Takes Show on the Road (DelCo Times)
Sumpter Back and Strong for 'Nova (Charleston Gazette)
Cats out of the Bag: Big East's Forgotten Team (Covers Canada)
WVU Seeks 7th Win in a Row Tonight (Register-Herald)

On Saturday, a charged-up crowd led to an intimidating atmosphere are West Virginia rode the wave of energy to defeat Connecticut 81-71. The experience was very new to the young UConn team, that is something that should not impact tonight's guest in Morgantown: Villanova. The Wildcats have three senior starters with Mike Nardi (15 PPG and 4.5 assists/game), Will Sheridan (7 PPG, 5 rebounds) and 5th-yr senior Curtis Sumpter (19.7 PPG and 6.7 rebounds) leading a much more experienced group to Morgantown. Villanova also shoots over 78% from the foul line as a team and 38% from 3-pt range. They do not turn the ball over very much and are a solid rebounding team.

The young Mountaineers are going to have to deal with getting ready to play at a high level again after the emotional high of their win against Connecticut. They will not be catching the Wildcats by surprise tonight as the word is out that WVU is quite good. Villanova (according to the RPI) has played a pre-conference schedule that is rated the 21st toughest in the country, compared to WVU's that is rated 313th. WVU is led by senior Frank Young, who is averaging 14 PPG and is coming off a season-high 22-pt performance against Connecticut. Sophomore Joe Alexander, who will have the tough match-up of going against Curtis Sumpter, averages 12.6 PPG and 5 rebounds and uses his length and athleticism to create match-up problems in his own right. The Mountaineers will still look to launch close to 30 shots from beyond the arc and will rely on turnovers and poor shots from their opponent to make up for their lack of rebounding. The problem is, I do not see this Villanova team engaging WVU with many ill-advised shots and poor ball-handling with thier expereinced point guard, compared to UConn on Saturday.

The vegas line currently is sitting at -2 in favor of West Virginia and the Pomeroy ratings show WVU to be a 6-pt winner. I think we have an upset here as WVU comes out a little flat and it is Villanova looking to make their statement that they are the forgotten team in the mix.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 75 West Virginia 70


What do you think?

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