BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ NOTRE DAME

January 3, 2008

Notre Dame enters Big East competition on an 8-game winning streak and that streak will be put to the test against Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers. Here are some of the media articles previewing tonight's game:

It's the Real Deal for Irish, Mountaineers (South Bend Tribune)
Huggins Young Mountaineers Provide Challenge for Irish (Chicago Tribune)
WVU Looks to End Losing Ways Against Irish (Parkersburg News)
City Friendly Place for Huggins (Journal Gazette)


A very interesting conference game for both West Virginia and Notre Dame to open Big East play with. Playing at home, the Irish have been picked as the 2-pt favorite by the oddsmaker. The match-ups between the two teams are very tough to seperate and find a team that is clearly better.

For the Irish tonight, it is all going to start inside. The one area they should have a decided advantage is in post offense with sophomore Luke Harangody in the post. The 6'8 bull is averaging nearly 18 points and 9 rebounds a game. He plays very well on both ends of the court and has a fellow forward in senior Rob Kurz that compliments him well. While Harangody has been nicknamed 'Bam-Bam' by Irish fans for his physical style in the paint, Kurz utilizes more skill with a deft shooting touch out to the 3-pt line (48% on 3's this year) and is an excellent passer and ball-handler for his size. Adding 14 PPG and over 7 rebounds, whiler leading the Irish in blocked shots, shows he is not afraid to mix it up either.

On the perimeter the most important keys tonight could be the shooting of juniors Ryan Ayers and Kyle McAlarney. We all know WVU will rely heavily on 3's, but so does ND and Ayers (26-51) and McAlarney (37-86) have already combined for 63 made three-pointers at a 46% clip. With lightning-quick point guard Tory Jackson penetrating the defense, having a pair of sharp-shooting wings setting up for the longball keeps the offense flowing effeciently for Mike Brey's squad.

On the West Virginia side the Mountaineers have four players who consistently score night in and night out: Alex Ruoff (16.1 PPG), Joe Alexander (15.9 PPG and a team high 6.8 rebounds), DaSean Butler (13 PPG) and Darris Nichols (11.3 PPG). The Mountaineers are still a team that does not turn the ball over often and they do provide more of an effort on the boards than recent editions under John Beilein. Coach Bob Huggins is running a similar offensive philosophy that the players grew into under Beilein, but he is instilling his toughness on the boards and on defense, but it is still an area that could possibly be exposed in the Big East.

Notre Dame, along with Georgetown, has played the easiest schedule to date in the Big East. The only major conference schools they have faced have been Kansas State, Baylor and Georgia Tech, none of which have an RPI among the Top 50 in the nation. The Irish also dropped two of the three games, beating Kansas State at Madison Square Garden.

West Virginia has beaten Duquesne and Winthrop among top 50 RPI squads, but have lost their only two contests against major conference foes (Tennessee and Oklahoma) in very tight contests. Tonight will represent a different atmosphere for both teams and a change in intensity as both teams need to start off on the right foot, otherwise the questions will begin to arise about their gaudy OOC records.

With the extra pressure of conference play, I am going to lean the way of the team that will be playing more in their comfort zone, making the 3's fall easier, having the crowd behind them and, also, the Irish have a decided advantage in the paint which will allow them to buckle down and get some baskets the easy way when they need them.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Notre Dame 74 West Virginia 68