BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ LOUISVILLE

January 31, 2009


Louisville looks for their ninth consecutive win on Saturday afternoon when they host the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Bob Huggins’ club is 4-3 in conference play and 15-5 overall heading into the noon showdown at Freedom Hall.

After a slow start to the season, the Cards have been rolling since conference play began and are tied with Marquette atop the Big East at 7-0 in conference play. UL has to resist the urge to look ahead as they have a date with UConn looming on Monday night.

Here are some pregame stories and previews:

WVU at Home on the Road (Courier-Journal)
WVU Looking to Snap Louisville’s Streak (Register-Herald)
Louisville Shows Impressive Size, Depth (Charleston Gazette)
Cards Can Defend With Man or Zone (Daily Mail)
Freedom Riders (Charleston Gazette)
Looking for Big Win (Times West Virginian)

Louisville has been impressive since the beginning of conference play, impressing the pollsters as they have climbed to No. 7 in the latest rankings. They have also left an impression on WVU head coach Bob Huggins, and he is impressed.

“They’re good,” Huggins told media members this week during the coach’s conference call when addressing Louisville. “I think they’re the deepest team in the league…I think Rick [Pitino] does as good a job as anybody in our game of defining rolls and making sure everybody knows what they have to do. And then they just have incredible size. They stretch from one end of the floor in that 2-3 zone to the other.”

While the veteran WVU coach is saying all the right things publicly how impressed he is with Louisville, he is feeding his players motivation to try and steal a road win on Saturday. The Mountaineers certainly have an impressive stable of athletes that are also long and will get after it defensively, which is important in trying to win on the road.

This is likely a game where WVU misses a veteran guard handling the ball. Freshman Darryl ‘Truck’ Bryant is going to be under constant pressure, much like he was against Marquette. WVU will hope he took the game against the Golden Eagles as a learning experience to be applied in this one, because he will need to be smart with the ball and not get WVU out of their offense.

The other area of concern for WVU is in the middle where they do not have the size or bulk to slow down Samardo Samuels if Louisville dedicates themselves to going inside. The Mountaineers match-up elsewhere pretty well, but unless Alex Ruoff and Da’Sean Butler are both in the 20’s, the Terrence Williams, Earl Clark and Samuels front line should be able to pull this one out. The Cards are 6 1/2 –point favorites.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisiville 67
West Virginia 61

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2010 PROSPECT PROFILE: KYLE BAUBLITZ

By Matt Whitfield


While Western Pennsylvania gets the most attention for football, the state still produces some great teams and players outside that area. This would include schools like Bishop McDevitt and Liberty, and players like Marvin Harrison, Joe Klecko and Chuck Bednarik to name a few.

Pennsylvania’s next biggest high school player though could come out of fairly uncharted territory. Kyle Baublitz, is a 6’5, 255 pound junior tight end out of Central York High School.

Despite only being a junior, Baublitz, according to his coach Brad Livingston, already holds offers from WVU, Boston College, Pitt, Clemson, UCONN, Illinois, Temple, Virginia and Stanford.

A year ago, it was Wayne Tribue putting Central York on the map when he committed to Temple. A year from now Kyle can perhaps mark Central York as a known entity when he makes his college choice on national signing day.

Baublitz is a rare entity and as Coach Livingston puts it, “Kyle has size and athleticism. He has a great frame and the versatility to play a variety of positions. “

It also is no surprise either that Kyle has started since his freshman season at Central York, and currently is very strong for his age as he can bench 185 pounds 14 times, and squat 225 pounds 16 times.

In his college recruitment, “Kyle has indicated to me that he is looking for strong academic programs, a ‘feels like home’ environment and the chance to play for a great football program,” said Coach Livingston.

Baublitz in the next month will be in the process of coordinating junior day visits where he has received invitations, and later on this summer he’ll visit more schools. As Coach Livingston put it, “he is focused on making an informed decision.”

For all his accolades, Baublitz is still just a junior in high school. Central York was a 10-2 team this past year in which Baublitz was a great tight end and stout anchor on the middle of the defense. This year Central York has a good nucleus of players coming back; however, the offensive line has to be rebuilt and so Baublitz should see playing time in different areas.

As Coach Livingston sees it though, “Kyle will make us a strong football team.”

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MOUNTAINEERS RIP ST. JOHN'S

January 29, 2009



West Virginia bounced back from their weekend loss to Pittsburgh as the Mountaineers Take Care of St. John's (Daily Mail), 75-52 in Morgantown. Da'Sean Butler scored a game-high 21 and Alex Ruoff added 17 as the Butler-Ruoff Duo is Doing it All for WVU (Times West Virginian).

The was No Fooling Around (Charleston Gazette) in this one for WVU as they dominated from the get-go, taking a 36-20 lead by halftime. St. John's, 2-6 in the Big East, got 16 points from Paris Horne and 14 from DJ Kennedy. SJU, still playing without injured point guard Malik Boothe, managed just seven team assists against 18 turnovers in the game.

Ruoff scored 17 for WVU, but was still just 3-10 from the arc and Ruoff is Trying to Rediscover Shooting Touch (Daily Mail) and as this tough stretch continues, WVU will need him being on from the arc.

WVU has three of their next four on the road (at Louisville, at Syracuse, vs Providence at West Virginia), so they will be tested often in the near future.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WVU WELCOMES IN ST. JOHN'S

January 28, 2009


West Virginia will look to shake off the sting of their rivalry game loss to Pittsburgh from the weekend. The Mountaineers are in the midst of a brutal stretch of games and they can not afford to take a breath against the Redstorm and let up in any way.

St. John’s got a win over the weekend against Rutgers and are now 2-5 in Big East play. They have yet to win on the road in the Big East and Morgantown is not a friendly venue for a visiting team.

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

WVU Seels Ninth in a Row vs. St. John’s (Times West Virginian)
Redstorm Descends on Mounties (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
Mountaineers Host Redstorm (Register-Herald)
Mountaineers Board Work Rebounds Under Huggins (Daily Mail)
Mountaineers Out to Regroup (Martinsburg Journal)

Even though the lost on Sunday to Pittsburgh, I am starting to like this West Virginia team more and more. They play hard on both ends of the floor for coach Huggins, they play unselfish and they will attack the boards. Their inexperience at key positions and the lack of a player ready to carry them offensively is still holding them back, but Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff are definitely very capable scorers. If Devin Ebanks starts to flash more on the offensive end, this is a team that should continue to improve. They might be the team to watch and with Notre Dame and Georgetown showing signs of heading in the other direction of WVU, they could find themselves setting in among the top third of the Big East.

It is still a tough go for St. John’s and Norm Roberts. They are another team that will play hard for their coach, but they do not have enough bullets available to win consistently, especially on the road in the Big East. With injuries claiming Malik Boothe, Anthony Mason Jr and Rob Thomas, the Redstorm line-up is limited in scoring punch and ball-handlers, an area that WVU will certainly exploit.

While a 16 ½-point line seems quite high, considering that WVU is prone to some poor offensive showings and that SJU will defend, they still should earn a comfortable win right in that neighborhood of a difference.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 77
St. John’s 60

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WVU HOSTS HOOPS BACKYARD BRAWL

January 25, 2009

It is the Backyard basketBrawl as Pittsburgh and West Virginia square off at 4 PM in Morgantown in a Big East conference match-up. The two bitter rivals will lock horns on the hardwood twice this season, Sunday is the first of those meetings.

West Virginia earned an impressive 75-58 road victory on Thursday night against Georgetown. Just when you were expecting the Mountaineers to possibly fade away in the Big East race, they showed us all they can not be counted out.

Pittsburgh is off to a 5-1 conference start and rebounded from their first loss of the season last Saturday at Louisville by pummeling Syracuse, 78-60, Monday night.

Brawl in Morgantown (WVmetroNews.com)
Pitt’s Blair Continues to Make Steady Progress (Tribune-Review)
No Rest for WVU (Register-Herald)
Panthers on Top of their Game (Register-Herald)
Everhart Thinks Pitt, WVU Will Duke it Out (Charleston Gazette)
WVU Expects to See Pitt at its Best (Martinsburg Journal)
Pitt’s Big Man a Fan of WVU Coach (Tribune-Review)
Tall Order for WVU (Charleston Gazette)
Pitt, West Virginia Clash in Morgantown (Tribune-Review)
WVU’s Butler Starting to heat Up (Post-Gazette)

Two teams that will get after it very hard on the defensive end of the floor will meet in Morgantown on Sunday. With this game being such a big rivalry, expect the atmosphere to be extra charged, especially with the lofty ranking attached to the Panthers.

Pitt has the experience and, although they are not much bigger than the Mountaineers, they certainly play bigger. That will likely hold true as long as star sophomore center DeJuan Blair stays out of foul trouble.

Limited to just 20 minutes at Louisville last Saturday, Blair still managed 9 points and 10 rebounds. When he was on the floor, Pitt seemed in control, but when he left the game with his fourth foul, Pitt’s undefeated season unraveled and they tasted defeat.

West Virginia will likely try to force Pitt to use their hedge defensive philosophy to see if they can pick up fouls on Blair away from the basket, if they are successful, it changes the whole dynamic of the game for Pitt.

On the WVU side, the play of freshman point guard Darryl Bryant will be tested. In a game with emotions likely charged, Bryant will need to be a calming influence beyond his years in the Mountaineer backcourt. You know Pitt’s Levance Fields will likely have a near flawless floor game, Bryant will need to keep his excitement under wraps and orchestrate the attack.

The rest of the line-ups are filled with athletes. The small forward match-up also could decide the game with either Sam Young or Da’Sean Butler tipping the game in their team’s favor.

West Virginia has had trouble scoring and some three’s from Alex Ruoff will be a huge lift to their team. Something tells me he will shake off some of his recent struggles in a big spot here for the senior.

WVU is a slight 1 ½-point favorite. This should be quite a game…but, the home team should be primed for the upset…in a thriller!


NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 67
Pittsburgh 66

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DA ('SEAN) BUTLER DOES IT FOR WVU

January 23, 2009


West Virginia is not going to go quietly from the Big East picture.

Looking like possibly the odd team out of the race to finish in the top eight of the conference, the Mountaineers embarked on a tough stretch of games last night in DC with a match-up against 14th-ranked Georgetown at the Verizon Center.

Da'Sean Butler pured in a game-high 27 points as WVU Knocks Off the Hoyas, 75-58 (Times West Virginian) in front of 12,875 fans and a national TV audience watching on ESPN.

With the Mountaineers struggled out of the gate, Butler got their offense rolling by hitting a variety of shots. Butler hit 11 of 19 shots from the floor, including four of nine from three-point range and added a team high 8 rebounds.

The final rebounding margin showed a 39-31 edge for the undersized Mountaineers, but the dominance on the boards certainly seemed to be much more one-sided. After a slow start, trailing 9-2 early as they began the game 1-9 from the field, it was all WVU from that point on as Frustration, Errant Shots Doom Hoyas (Washington Times) against intense effort from Bob Huggins' squad.

With the Hoyas still hanging around and observers waiting for a Georgetown run to make things interesting, an Alex Ruoff Dunk Keys Mountaineer Upset (Daily Mail) run to close the game. With 5:32 left, Ruoff drove the lane as the Hoya defense parted like the Red Sea and he flushed home a one-hand jam that started a game-ending 17-7 run for the Mountaineers.

WVU, which also got 13 points from Darryl Bryant and 10 each from Ruoff and Wellington Smith, moved to 3-2 in the Big East. WVU next hosts rival Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Hoyas, Humbled at Home (Washington Post), for the second time already in conference play, fell to 3-3 in league action.

Chris Wright led G'town with 13 points, but the sophomore point guard did not register an assist in his 31 minutes on the floor.

Notes:

-WVU forced the Hoyas to turn the ball over 19 times and held them to 39% shooting.

-Alex Ruoff struggled from the field (3-10), but was credited with 9 assists to just one turnover

-West Virginia shot 55% (29-53) after starting the game 1-9. For the game they shot 48%.

-Jonathan Flowers, who attended nearby St. Mary's-Ryken High School, added 8 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: HOYAS HOST WVU AT VERIZON CENTER

January 22, 2009

A key Big East match-up takes place tonight in the Nation’s capital when West Virginia travels to take on the Georgetown Hoyas. Game time is 7 PM at the Verizon center.

The Mountaineers evened their conference mark at 2-2 with a 62-59 win over South Florida in Morgantown last Saturday. WVU has an overall record of 13-4 and tonight begins a run of nine games with seven against ranked conference opponents in what could define their season.

Georgetown is 3-2 in the Big East and 12-4 overall on the season. All four losses have come against ranked foes (Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Duke), but the Hoyas have also shown the ability to beat ranked teams with a win at Connecticut as well as a home victory over Syracuse and a non-league win over Memphis.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet today:

Huggins, Thompson cut from Same Cloth (Times West Virginian)
Monroe a Big Plus for Georgetown (Washington Times)
Backcourt Depth Helps Keep Hoyas Afloat (Washington Post)
No Looking Ahead for WVU (Charleston Gazette)
Tall Task Awaits Mountaineers (Register Herald)
WVU’s Flowers Beginning to Bloom (Daily Mail)
Hoya Freshman Making Big Mark in the Middle (Charleston Gazette)
Georgetown Looms Again for WVU’s Butler (Daily Mail)

West Virginia has struggled scoring point of late, averaging just 56.7 points in their last three Big East contests, losing two. There will be a lot of pressure on Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff to finding scoring opportunities and be efficient with those opportunities against a stingy Hoya attack. Neither Butler nor Ruoff have a favorable match-up to indicate they will be able to exploit Georgetown for points.

The Hoyas got a big bench boost from Jason Clark and others recently, which was an area of much concern as Big East play began. Just keeping their starting five, which is among the best on the conference, fresh will go a long way in helping the Hoyas improve.

That starting five of Georgetown is full of all-league potential, but they are still working their way into the roles of the Princeton-style attack. While they definitely have more potential to run than the previous editions, their youthful decision-making can sometimes lead to inconsistency.

West Virginia will defend and hit the boards, albeit with an undersized group, which is needed on the road. However, their offensive struggles are something that they will really have a tough time overcoming against a Georgetown team that will force the opponent to be very efficient. With oddsmakers listing the Hoyas as 5 ½-point favoroites, it seems that early success of WVU is still having some believe they might be a little better than they really are.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 68
West Virginia 61

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TOUGH STRETCH COMING FOR MOUNTAINEERS

When Bob Huggins got the head coaching job at his alma mater, West Virginia, when John Beilein made a 'bee-line' for Michigan, you had to wonder what would happen to many of the players that were a fit for the old system under Beilein as Huggins would institute his own. Afterall, the styles are nearly night and day and there was possibly just a handful of players on the roster Huggins would have likely recruited himself. However, the players and the new coach seem to have found a balance and players like senior Alex Ruoff has Come a Long Way the Last Two Seasons (Register-Herald) and made the transition a very successful one.

WVU will need Ruoff and other veterans to come even more as the young and undersized Mountaineers enter a tough stretch in their schedule with WVU in Need of Some Answers (Charleston Gazette). How tough is their stretch? Beginning with a Thursday night date at Georgetown, seven of West Virginia's next nine games are against ranked teams with the No. 12 Hoyas, No. 4 Pitt (Sunday in Morgantown), at No. 9 Louisville (Jan. 31), at No. 8 Syracuse (Feb. 4), at No. 4 Pitt (Feb. 9) and home games with No. 20 Villanova (Feb. 13) and No. 19 Notre Dame (Feb. 18).

Good luck!

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ WEST VIRGINIA

January 17, 2009


West Virginia will look to get their offense in order in conference play on Saturday afternoon when the South Florida Bulls come to Morgantown. WVU is 1-2 in Big East play, suffering a pair of losses last week to UConn and Marquette where they struggled mightily in putting the ball in the basket. On Wednesday, WVU had their annual Capital Classic showdown with in-state rival Marshall and scored an 87-76 victory.

The Bulls have stayed up north following Wednesday’s contest at Pittsburgh and finish a three-game Big East road swing Saturday with their meeting against the Mountaineers. USF started the three-game run off with a surprisingly easy win at DePaul, 80-58. The Bulls also looked pretty good in stretches at Pitt on Wednesday, despite travel problems within the city of Pittsburgh which delayed the start of the game 25 minutes.

Mountaineers Turn their Attention to South Florida (Daily Mail)
Striving for Consistency (Charleston Gazette)
WVU Resumes Big East Slate (Register-Herald)

Bob Huggins’ squad is long on athleticism but short on size and shooting ability. The Mountaineers have a plethora of 6’7 combo forwards that can get up and down the court and crash the boards. They have overwhelmed many lesser teams on their schedule but are still trying to find the right formula for the top teams of the Big East. The Mountaineers have had a tough time scoring against the size and comparable athleticism of Big East teams.

South Florida is a match-up the Mountaineers should find a little more to their liking. The Bulls are not overly athletic in the backcourt and will not likely be able to take advantage of a freshman point guard (Darryl Bryant) used by WVU like a Marquette squad did. The Bulls have some height in the paint, but they are not a very strong team on the boards.

All in all, this is a game that WVU should win and win handily. The Bulls are bound to be weary with their third road game in a week and having spent the last several days away from home. The line for this game has been set with WVU a 16 1/2-pt favorite by the oddsmakers, and it is one in which WVU should roll.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 74
South Florida 57

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WVU TOO MUCH FOR IN STATE RIVAL

By Matt Whitfield

After being held scoreless against Marquette, Daryl ‘Tuck’ Bryant led the Mountaineers Wednesday with a season high 22 points en route to an 87-76 victory. This game was all Mountaineers as they coasted to an 11 point halftime advantage and never looked back.
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In the loss Shaquille Johnson would lead the way for Marshall with 15 points. This was the third straight Mountaineer victory over Marshall, in their annual Capital Classic meeting.

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CLASS OF 2010 PROSPECT PROFILE: BRIAN LAITI

When people talk about Northern Virginia’s premier public high school football programs, Robinson High School is undoubtedly a team mentioned. The Robinson Rams have appeared in the Class AAA Division 6 State Championship four times, and have won state titles twice, with both titles coming in the past twelve years. According to Robinson head coach Mark Bendorf, the Rams produce about five or six college players a year, including some recent players like Chip Vaughn (former Safety at Wake Forest, and projected 2009 NFL Draft Pick), Mike Imoh (former Virginia Tech RB), and Chase Anastasio (former Notre Dame WR). Rams players participate in year round power lifting, and play in a stadium that often packs in 7,500 fans so it’s no surprise that some their players take their game to the next level. It also shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the next biggest blue chip on the Robinson Rams comes from a family of former Robinson football players.

Brian Laiti is a 6’4 200 pound Junior Linebacker who already boasts scholarship offers from ACC programs, including Maryland, Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Virginia; and Big East powerhouse West Virginia. Brian is the fourth member of the Laiti family to play football at Robinson, and according to coach Bendorf, “he’s got probably the most size and talent,” out of all his brothers. Brian led the Rams in tackles his sophomore and junior year and is “very instinctive and very quick in the box,” according to Bendorf. Right now Laiti runs about a 4.7 in the 40 yard dash, maxes out somewhere between 280-300 pounds on the bench press, and squats around 400 pounds, according to coach Bendorf.

For now though Laiti is just focused upon his preparations for his senior year as according Bendorf, “he’ll have to play a bigger role,” next season as the team is looking to rebound from a down year by Bendorf’s standards. In terms of his college recruitment Laiti is still, “very wide open right now and he’ll start to examine his options this summer,” according to coach Bendorf. Quickness, agility, ability to diagnose plays, and vision are what Bendorf sees as Laiti’s strengths and in about an year in a half from now Laiti will bring those attributes to one lucky school.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ MARQUETTE

January 10, 2009


Marquette looks to extend their best-even Big East start to 4-0 when they welcome former Conference USA rival Bob Huggins, who will bring his current team, West Virginia, to the Bradley center for a Big East showdown at noon on Saturday.

The Bradley Center is home to one of the best home court crowds in the league, hopefully the early start time (11 AM locally) does not negatively impact that home court edge the Golden Eagles usually enjoy. Marquette escaped Rutgers with an 81-76 win earlier this week. Buzz Williams’ crew say a 21-point lead sliced to two in the final minute, but hung on for the victory, improving their conference record to 3-0.

West Virginia dropped to 1-1 with a Tuesday night home loss to Connecticut. The Mountaineers shot the ball poorly (30%) and were dominated on the boards by the bigger Huskies. They will not have to worry about the size of the Golden Eagles, but an aggressive perimeter defense might cause the shooting woes to linger.

Here are some game previews and stories from the web this morning:

Golden Eagles Preview: Marquette vs. West Virginia (Appleton Post Crescent)
Freshman Trio Powering Mountaineers (Times West Virginian)
Marquette Takes on west Virginia (Cracked Sidewalks)
Game 17: West Virginia (Journal Sentinel)
Mountaineers Look to Snap Marquette’s Win Streak (Register-Herald)
MU’s Middle Men Getting it Done on Defense (Journal Sentinel)
Marquette Coach Says WVU Will Compete (Daily Mail)

The three amigos, Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews, with a lot of help from junior Lazar Hayward, are off to a 3-0 start in the Big East and will look to continue that run this afternoon. As usual, the Golden Eagles will hope that their guard play dictates the flow of the game to mask their interior and rebounding deficiencies that bigger Big East teams will look to exploit.

West Virginia has not been shooting the ball very well, and that was key in their recent loss to UConn. Look for Marquette to be all over Alex Ruoff on the perimeter and for James to harass freshman Darryl Bryant when on the ball.

The Mountaineers are likely to respond with a variety of zone defenses to keep the Marquette guards out of the lane and shooting from the perimeter. In their last home game, the MU perimeter shooters were on fire, going 15-25 from beyond the arc. Marquette has great confidence right now and the college basketball odds have MU as a 3 ½ point home favorite as guards rule in college basketball.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 72
West Virginia 63

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MARQUETTE PREVIEW

By Matt Whitfield

Before this season began Bob Huggins knew playing in the Big East wouldn’t be easy. Even for the casual fan this becomes so ever evident Saturday when the Mountaineers visit Milwaukee to take on their second ranked opponent in less than five days. While Marquette isn’t a physically dominating, rebounding team, they are a team that certainly can score.

Dominic James quarterbacks a team that has three of the Big East top scorers in Lazar Hayward, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Matthews; as each averages over 16 points a game for the Golden Eagles. West Virginia will counter that Saturday with an offense lead at the point by Darryl ‘Tuck’ Bryant, De’Sean Butler at forward, and Alex Ruoff at guard. Ruoff and Butler also are two of the better scorers in the Big East as each averages around 16 points a game.

If West Virginia is to leave frigid Milwaukee victorious Saturday they will need their rugged top ranked defense to hold the Golden Eagles down. Marquette is a team that can shoot the lights out as they shoot 54.7 from the field, and have two of their leading scorers in McNeal and Matthews who average over forty-five percent from the three point line. West Virginia, if it plays like it has all season though, can counter this as they are league leaders in 3 point defense, turnover margin, and opponent scoring. Expect a close game tomorrow as despite the odds or cards stacked against him, Huggins always seems to do a better job than seemingly with what he has on the table.

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ATTENTION ALL WVU FANS: VOTE JOE INTO SLAM DUNK CONTEST

January 9, 2009


That is right West Virginia fans, 'VOTE JOE' in 2009!


With time running out, these young players are doing whatever it takes to get fan votes in the new videos below.

Rudy Fernandez Shares a Bilingual Dunk Ballad

Russell Westbrook Shares His Get-Out-And-Vote Song

Joe Alexander Tells You Why He's the Flying Buck

Check out the complete NBA Sprite Slam Dunk playlist for more videos of the rookies HERE!!

Voting ends 1/14/2009!


The highest vote getter will take on the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk champion Dwight Howard, along with high-flying Rudy Gay and Nate Robinson as the 4th dunker in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star 2009 in Phoenix!

You could win a grand prize trip to 2009 NBA All-Star in Phoenix!

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UCONN OUTLASTS WVU 61-55

By Matt Whitfield

Coming into Tuesday’s night’s game West Virginia knew that if they could outrebound the Huskies they had a great chance of walking out of the Coliseum winners. That didn’t happen, and though the game was close down the stretch when Mountaineer fans and players look back at the loss they’ll point to one statistic, rebounds. West Virginia only accounted for 33 rebounds all game, only five more than Haseem Thabeet and Stanley Robinson had combined. West Virginia also got out rebounded as a team by a margin of 52 to 33.

West Virginia did have it’s bright moments in the game though, and there were twelve lead changes. But in the end it came down to rebounding. Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff again lead the way with 13 a piece.

On Saturday West Virginia travels to Milwaukee to take on Marquette. The Golden Eagles lead by Dominic James are on of the hottest teams in the Big East as they have won six straight; including wins over Cincinnati, North Carolina State, and ranked Villanova.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: WEST VIRGINIA

January 7, 2009


Commitment Alert: Bryon Allen, 6'2 G from Oak Hill (VA) Academy


Projected 2009-2010 Roster

Seniors: Joe Mazzula (PG), Wellington Smith (F), Desean Butler (WF), Dee Proby (BF/C)
Juniors: John Flowers (F), Will Thomas (G), Cam Thoroughman (F), Jonnie West (G)
Sophomores: Darryl Bryant (PG), Kevin Jones (F), Devin Ebanks (F)
Freshmen: Dalton Pepper (G/F), Dan Jennings (BF/C), Deniz Kilicli (PF)
2010 Commits: Noah Cottrill (G), Storm Stanley (C), Bryon Allen (G)

Bob Huggins continues to impress along the recruiting trail since his return to his alma mater as he hadds his third verbal commitment for the class of 2010 as he dips into the powerful Oak Hill Academy program to land junior guard Bryon Allen. Based on Comfort, Allen Picks WVU (i95ballerz.com) as his future college destination.

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Read More on WVU's recruiting...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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The early recruiting prowess of WVU coach Bob Huggins is evident in the fact that 6'1 junior Noah Cottrill from Poca High School (WV) has made an early pledge to WVU. Cottrill is one of the top rated prospects in the class of 2010 and is now joined by his Ohio Basketball Club teamate Storm Stanley and Oak Hill junior Bryon Allen.

Allen started his prep career off at famed DeMatha High school in the DC-area and played AAU ball in the powerful DC Assault program. After his freshman season at DeMatha, Allen made a change and joined the elite high school boarding school program at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia where he plays for Steve Smith.

i95ballerz.com reports than Allen chose the Mountaineers over Virginia Tech and Florida, who Allen indicated had offered, as well as Miami, Clemson, Maryland, Georgetown, and Florida State.

In the Huggins mold, Allen is a tough guard that likes to get into the lane. Not a great shooter out to the arc, the 6-foot-2 guard can stick the jumper from intermediate range. Also filling a Huggins' prerequisite, Allen can plan solid defense already and is likely only to improve in that aspect under Huggins' guidance.

Stanley is a 6'10 center who is from Toledo (OH) and attends St. Francis DeSales High school where he played for coach Nick Lowe. For more on Stanley, see our recent story for an Introduction to Storm Stanley where coach Lowe gives our readers the lowdown on the Mountaineer's newest verbal commitment.

Deniz Kilicli had been a hot prospect in the fall recruiting period as word had spread quickly on the Turkish import that only recently landed in the United States. Kilicli is a skilled, 6-foot-9 power forward than is attending Mountain State Academy in Beckley (WV). He will play for coach Rob Fulford with the Falcons this season. After an impressive showing late this summer at the Adidas Nations Event, schools lined up to see him workout at Mountain State this fall once word spread he had landed in West Virginia.


Kilicli joins previous 2009 verbal commitments Dan Jennings, of New York City, and Dalton Pepper, of Pennsbury (PA) in the class for WVU.

Pepper has been a top target of Huggins and assistant coach Billy Hahn, who was previously the head coach of LaSalle, so his familiarity of the area was key in landing Pepper.

Over the summer, Papper shined at the Hoop Group's Elite Camp at the College of New Jersey and showed he can fill it up from the perimeter often in high school. Villanova was also considered a strong contender for Pepper's services.

Jennings is a strong and aggressive inside performer who will through his body and weight around in the paint. Making an adjustment to playing a little bit away from the basket will help him at the college level as his 6-foot-8 frame and average athleticism might make things a little tougher. However, Jennings will certainly add toughness to the middle and is not one to fool around trying to do things he can not do.

Jennings was on the recruiting radar of several Big East teams, including Pittsburgh, Rutgers and St. John's, who sees another local get away from them.


The one thing that stands out when looking over the Mountaineer roster, on paper, for 2009-2010 is the number of players: 14. So, something on the rister has to give as the NCAA scholarship limit is only 13. Obviously, entering the second season under Bob Huggins, there is still a transition of personell recruited for the system of former coach John Beilein, which is like night and day from the style of play that coach Huggins prefers. It will be interesting to see who fits and who does not over the course of the 2008-2009 Big East season to make room for the players Huggins has personally recruited since accepting the job at his alma mater.


The Mountaineers added a late addition to the class of 2008 as JUCO transfer Dee Proby, who was let out of his commitment with Oklahoma State when Travis Ford was hired, joined the WVU program. The 6-foot-10, 240 lb Proby signed a grant-in-aid and it is official and he will add some size to the WVU line-up for 2008-2009.

Proby averaged nearly 14 points and six rebounds a game as a sophomore at Angelina college. He will have two years of eligibility left at WVU. The skilled big man, who would rather face up from the perimeter than post up in the paint, is a native of Round Rock, TX and will now call Morgantown home to finish his college career.

Bob Huggins aggressively pursued options to close out the 2008 recruiting class and with Bob Huggins, adding talent is not a problem. Expect WVU to be one to watch as a favorite in the college basketball odds to compete for titles under Huggins and that recruiting prowess was on display as Huggins and staff got their man last spring as Devin Ebanks is accepted a scholarship offer. Ebanks, the nation's top uncommitted player remaining in the class of 2008, visited West Virginia and the Mountaineers definitely helped themselves. The 6'8, 185 lb Ebanks has the versatility and talent to step into Joe Alexander's vacated role and be productive. Ebanks visited Rutgers, Memphis and Texas after re-opening the process and found the Mountaineers to be the right fit for his talents.

Ebanks is a native of NYC and played the last couple seasons at St. Thomas More in Connecticut under Jere Quinn. This past seasn, Ebanks averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in just two seasons.

Ebanks is long and lean and a versatile scorer who could fill a role similar to that of Joe Alexander if the talented WVU junior keeps his name in the NBA draft. The chance to make an immediate inpact at the college level played a big role in Ebanks decision to choose WVU over Memphis and Rutgers, his other finalists.

Ebanks joins a class with Kevin Jones, a 6'7 combo forward, as well as NYC PG Darryl 'Truck' Bryant as part of one of the conference's top classes. Roscoe Davis was originally part of the class, but it is looking like the 6'10 forward will take an additional prep year to square up his academic standing, as of know, we will list him as a tentative 2009 commitment, but there is still hope that he arrives for the fall.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CONNECTICUT @ WEST VIRGINIA

January 6, 2009

by Matt Whitfield

West Virginia faces its toughest challenge of the season tonight when they host the #5 ranked Connecticut Huskies, led by big men Stanley Robinson, and Hasheem Thabet. If West Virginia is to the win tonight the Mountaineers must be the aggressors under the boards and play the way they did in the last two victories as Connecticut is not a team known for giving away easy rebounds.

Coming into tonight game the Mountaineers have history on their side. The last time the two teams meet in Morgantown Wellington Smith and Da’Sean Butler were freshman, and the Mountaineers knocked off Connecticut 81-71. Furthermore, the last time the two teams played the Mountaineers knocked off the Huskies in last years Big East Tournament by a score of 79-72. This is not the same Huskies team as previous years though. Players like Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien, who were unproven stars several years ago are now season veterans and have undoubtedly matured and improved their game. West Virginia while it has players like Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff who have stepped up their game, and freshman in Devin Ebanks, and Darryl ‘Tuck’ Bryant who could be superstars in the making is undoubtedly without their go-to guy superstar of the previous two years as Joe Alexander is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.

History on their side or not the Mountaineers must rebound well tonight. The team collectively ranks amongst Big East leaders in offensive boards; however no one player for the Mountaineers ranks in the top 15 statically of that category. The Huskies however aren’t too shabby either as they rank 6th in the Big East in rebounds per game, and have two players in Thabeet and Jeff Adrien who average about 10 rebounds a game. Defense is often the best offense though, and that should key one team to victory tonight.

Starters for the game tonight should look like this Da’Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks, Wellington Smith, Alex Ruoff, and Darryl Bryant going against Connecticut’s Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson, Hasheem Thabeet, Jerome Dyson, and AJ Price. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM tonight as the Coliseum should be loud and rocking tonight and the latest the latest NCAA basketball odds have WVU as a three and a half point favorite.

For the links to pregame stories and previews on the web, as well as the prediction from the NBE Blogger on tonight's game, you can also check out the Connecticut Team Blog Site for more on tonight's game.

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MOUNTAINEERS CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE PLAY, CRUSH SETON HALL 92-66

By Matt Whitfield

West Virginia continued in hot streak Saturday winning its fifth straight against Seton Hall before 8, 127 at the Prudential Center. West Virginia is now nationally ranked in the coaches and AP poll, being ranked 22nd and 25th in each respectively.

Like West Virginia’s last four games Saturday’s game was a relative breeze as Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff finished with 18 points a piece and the Mountaineers bench would outscored the Pirates bench by a margin of 33 to 10. If that wasn’t enough Bob Huggins’s team wasn’t missing free throws as they made twenty of twenty-five attempts from the line. The Pirates Jeremy Hazell, the Big East second leading scorer, did have 29 points on the day in the losing effort.

The Mountaineers are now 11-2, and 1-0 in Big East play. They will face 5th ranked Connecticut and Hasheem Thabeet at the Coliseum Tuesday night.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ SETON HALL

January 3, 2009


West Virginia opens their Big East schedule with a trip to Newark (NJ) and a meeting with the Seton Hall Pirates. SHU opened Big East play on Tuesday and with head coach Bobby Gonzalez serving a one-game suspension, they were left defenseless against Syracuse in a 100-76 loss.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web:

Butler Returns to Garden State (ZagsBlog.com)
Mountaineers Start Big East Play (wvmetronews.com)
WVU-SHU Preview (msnsportsnet.com)
West Virginia Begins Big East at SHU (Martinsburg Journal)
Butler, Others Excited to Be Home (Charleston Gazette)

Seton Hall was not only missing their head coach against the Orange, but their most productive big man as well as John Garcia was out with an injured left knee. The 6’8, 260 pound Garcia would bring a huge lift back to the Pirates in battling the athletic front line of the Mountaineers that love to gobble up second chance opportunities.

SHU has lost three of their last four, including a loss at James Madison and at home to IUPUI in addition to the SU debacle. Garcia has missed all four of the games. With Garcia out of the line-up, SHU is strictly a perimeter team with Jeremy Hazell, Robert Mitchell and co. teeing it up from distance often. Against SU, that was not working, but they kept trying, going two for 27 in three-point attempts. They will need many more of those shots to fall and Garcia’s presence to bring some balance to their attack.

West Virginia is coming off an impressive road win at Ohio State last weekend, 76-48, as they knocked the Buckeyes from the ranks of the unbeaten. Alex Ruoff and Da’Sean Butler have taken turns being ‘the man’ offensively as WVU looks to replace the scoring of Joe Alexander from last year’s Sweet 16 club. Freshman Darryl Bryant has been a pleasant surprise playing point guard for the injures Joe Mazzulla and Devin Ebanks continues to bring a new element to the club each time out. Add in several 6’7+ forwards like Wellington Smith, Kevin Jones, John Flowers and Dee Proby, and you see why the Mountaineers are a tough match-up, especially for a thin team like SHU.

The current NCAA basketball odds list WVU as an 8 1/2-point road favorite. While SHU will play hard from start to finish, Bob Huggins’ team will have just too many pieces in the end to lose this game.

Prediction:

West Virginia 80
Seton Hall 71

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WVU GETS IT’S FIRST BIG WIN OF THE SEASON

By Matt Whitfield

This past Saturday four West Virginia players scored in double digits and defensively the Mountaineers held Ohio State to 26 points in the paint, as they rolled to a 76-48 victory over then #15 ranked Ohio State.

Despite being thoroughly out-sized in this game West Virginia would take the lead early in the first half and never relinquish it. Every West Virginia starter would have at least 9 points as the much smaller Mountaineers would out score and outrebound Ohio State en route to their first victory over a ranked opponent this season.

After the game coach Huggins said, "It's a quality win…. It means we have two days off and then get ready to play in the Big East." Huggins and the Mountaineers begin Big East season play this Saturday when they visit New Jersey to take on Seton Hall at the Prudential Center. Gametime is set for 4:00 PM.

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