WVU SEASON COMES TO AN END IN ROUND ONE

March 20, 2009


Dayton, from the Atlantic 10, handed the Big East their lone lose in the opening round as the 11th seeded Flyers knocked out West Virginia, 68-60, on Friday afternoon.

Sophomore forward Chris Wright dominated WVU to the tune of 27 points and 10 rebounds while senior forward Charles Little added 18, both more than double their season averages.

“We didn't we didn't have an answer for penetration from Wright or Little,” said WVU head coach Bob Huggins. “And Little made some really hard shots at the end of the game. He made hard shots over the top of people.”

While Little made several back-breaking buckets late, the Mountaineers jut never got that big basket themselves. After Dayton stretched a 33-28 halftime lead to 48-40 with 13:27 to go, WVU quickly cut the lead to one at 48-47 with 11:02 remaining as Darryl Bryant capped a 7-0 run with a three-pointer. Over the course of the next 7:14 the spread between the two teams would never be more than four points, but the Mountaineers could never tie or take the lead, despite golden opportunities.

Down 54-52 with 6:56 remaining, Alex Ruoff, a senior and 80% free-thrown shooter, missed two from the foul line that could have tied the game. A few moments later, Da’Sean Butler had a good look for a three-pointer that would have put WVU ahead, but he could not connect.

“You got an 80 some percent free throw shooter (Ruoff) shooting two free throws and he misses both of them,” says Huggins as he recounted some of the missed opportunities. “And Da'Sean (Butler) is maybe our best 3-point shooter and he has a wide open look down by one. And you know, that one had a chance.”

While WVU could not connect on their chances, Dayton finally was able to put some separation between themselves and the Mountaineers on back-to-back buckets by Luttle, giving the Flyers a 65-58 lead in the last minute of play.

Freshmen led the way for WVU as Darryl Bryant had a team-high 21 points and Devin Ebanks scored 14 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Ruoff, the all-time leader in made three’s for WVU, finished with 9 points in his final collegiate contest before fouling out.

Junior Da’Sean Butler finished with 12 points, but was just 5-13 from the floor, missing all six of his three-point attempts and turned it over five times.

“We had a lot of chances to take the lead in the game,” said Butler following the game. “I had a bunch of opportunities to help the team go over the hump and be up by one or two, you know, but we just didn't do it and we lost.”

West Virginia finishes 23-12 in Bob Huggins’ second season at his alma mater.

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WVU TAKES ON DAYTON IN ROUND ONE

March 20, 2009


West Virginia enters the NCAA Tournament as a six-seed and will take on Dayton in first round action. Despite some difficulty traveling, the Mountaineers have made it to Minneapolis and will be ready to take on 26-7 Dayton Friday afternoon.

The Flyers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on the strength of their full season of work, which included a November win over Marquette in Chicago.

The Flyers are quite a unique team as they will play hard every second of the full forty minutes, rotating 12 players in and out of the game.

"I think the one thing that really stands out is how hard they work," WVU coach bob Huggins said of the Flyers. "They are a terrific offensive rebounding team because they work so hard at it, and... they don't run in transition, they sprint. If you watch them, they just get out and they get in lanes and sprint. And they really put a lot of pressure on your defense to make sure that you get back and find people."

"And that's, you know I think (Dayton head coach) Brian (Gregory) has done a great job of getting them all to buy in, and he's playing a lot of people. And I think they've responded very well for him."

Chris Wright and Marcus Johnson are the Flyers' leading scorers. Both players were recruiting by schools in the Big East and other top conferences, but opted to play for the Atlantic 10 program with hopes of some day being in the position they are in today, with a chance to knock off a high-major in the NCAA Tournament, but they are taking it one game at a time, no matter who the opponent is.

"You stay up watching films because it is the NCAA tournament and you have to play your best game in March, but it is just motivation to be able to play in the NCAA tournament and playing against a team like, you know, West Virginia is a good test for us, our defense," said Wright, the athletic 6'8 sophomore forward that will remind many of several WVU players.

This game is likely to be an absolute battle. Both teams are tough and really get after it on the glass. Dayton seemed to slump a bit towards the end of the season, losing in the A-10 semifinals to Duquesne, while also losing to Rhode Island, St. Louis and Xavier among their final five regular season games.

West Virginia, on the other hand, has been steadily picking up their level of play, especially with Devin Ebanks emerging as a freshman star down the stretch. Ebanks' play seems to be potentially the kind of versatile production that can carry the Mountaineers, similar to how Joe Alexander led them last season into the Sweet 16.

"In the Big East, he started blossoming and doing the things he does in practice," junior Da'Sean Butler said of Ebanks' improved play down the stretch. "It is a surprise to everybody else, but these are things we have seen him do and his abilities."

Ebanks certainly can be the x-factor. In the Big East Tournament win over Notre Dame, Ebanks grabbed 18 rebounds. The next night in an upset of Pittsburgh, Ebanks went for a career-high 20 points, only to better the mark in the loss to Syracuse the next night with 22.

With Ebanks emerging as the star he always had the potential to be, there is less pressure on Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler to carry the load. They also have less attention on them from opposing defenses.

Look for the Mountaineers to be a very, very dangerous team in this tournament. Bob Huggins knows the kind of player and team he likes and he has continued to mold this squad to have the make-up he prefers. The Flyers are tough, but WVU is 'Big East-tough'.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 73
Dayton 62

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WEST VIRGINIA LOOKS TO END ORANGE RUN IN NYC

March 13, 2009



WOW!




WOW!!


That pretty much sums up Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. First, Pittsburgh fell to West Virginia, spoiling everyone's hope for a third match-up, and second in less than a week, between Pitt and Connecticut. Now, that game seems to have happened days ago because it was upstaged as the story in NYC this week by the incredible game that followed between Syracuse and Connecticut.

The Orange let a seven-point lead slip away in the final three minutes and change and then saw a potential buzzer-beating three-pointer from Eric Devendorf that would have won the game come a fraction of a second too late and were forced to go to overtime against the more-rested Huskies. Afterall, SU played a pretty emotionally charged game the night before against Seton Hall. Through FIVE, yes, count them FIVE, overtimes, the Orange seemed to battle uphill, never leading for a single second in any of the overtimes. Yet, they made their foul shots, got timely buckets from the three-point line from Andy Rautins and, kept knotting the score to force another extra session. Finally, in the sixth overtime, a Andy Rautins three and Paul Harris (finally) converted a couple shots in close and SU took an eight-point lead and this one would stand as SU upset UConn 127-117 in a six overtime CLASSIC.

Wow!


Will the Orange have ANYTHING left tonight?


Here are some pregame previews and stories on tonight's match-up:

Six Overtimes (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Special Freshman Give Huggins' Game Plan a Boost (Times West Virginian)
WVU Upsets Rival Pitt, Advances to BE Quarterfinals (Daily Mail)
WVU's 1-3-1 Zone Stymies Panthers (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

By the time 9:30 tonight rolls around, Syracuse and West Virginia both would need to put Thursday night behind them. Each team probably has accomplished what they set out to do in NYC this week, win their opener and knock off their top rival, now they both have a real shot at staying in Madison Square Garden for the duration of the 2009 Big East Tournament.

Of course, the question on everyone's mind, will Syracuse have anything left?

This is not a real deep team, usually playing a seven-man rotation with a cameo appearance here and there from an 8th player. In two nights, they have played 110 minutes of basketball, completing a 3-hour, 40-minute plus epic showdown after 1 AM on Friday morning against the Huskies. Now, they need to pick back up and go after the Mountaineers, a team they cruised past in the regular season, 74-61, at the Carrier Dome.

Bob Huggins' team got through their first two days with toughness and tenacity. Despite shooting just 36% in their opening win over Notre Dame, WVU dominated the boards and their athletic ability and speed buried the Irish early. The ultimate test of toughness came Thursday night when WWVU out-toughed the big, bad Panthers and shocked their rival 74-60.

In their first meeting, the SU zone caused the young Mountaineers a lot of trouble. Freshman Darryl 'Truck' Bryant will be in the spotlight once again as he will need to do a much better job of attacking the zone to hit the seams and spot shooter Alex Ruoff open for a wing jumper. Also, look for WVU to get the ball in the high-post area, likely with Devin Ebanks, and use their versatility to attack SU from inside. Ebanks and Da'Sean Butler are very capable scorers.

For Syracuse, they have size in Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson and they will need to use it and try to get easy baskets near the hoop. They will also need to attack the boards with some intensity because WVU will go after rebounds from every angle and position.

Both SU and WVU also need to avoid falling into a trap that might have hirt both Pitt and UConn, they need to focus on there here and now...not what happened last night. Whichever team is able to do that, I think will be the winner. In this case, since they did not have to grind through 70 minutes of basketball into the wee hours of the morning, look for the Mountaineers to have a bit more in the tank and follow the lead of the exploding Devin Ebanks and get another impressive win.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 74
Syracuse 68

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WEST VIRGINIA OUT FOR REVENGE AGAINST HATED RIVAL

March 12, 2009


Round three of the 'Backyeard Brawl', Hoops Style, is set for tonight and the location does not get any better as Madison Square Garden in New York City plays host to the intense rivalry.

Normally it is Pittsburgh bringing the local flavoer back home to NYC, but the Mountaineers have also dipped into the 'Big Apple' market with their freshmen trio of Devin Ebanks, Darryl 'Truck' Bryant and Kevin Jones. WVU opened their 2009 Big East Tournament play with a 74-62 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night. As the tournament's #2 seed, Pitt had a double-bye for rounds one and two and they are now hitting the court at MSG for the first time this season in the quarterfinals.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game:

Ruoff Bounces Back in Big Way (Times West Virginian)
Vesatile Ebanks Big on the Boards for WVU (Five Boro Sports)
Solid Defense Carries WVU To Win over Notre Dame (Charleston Gazette)
Panthers Feel at Home in MSG (Beaver County Times)
WVU's Win Sets Up Third Meeting with Pitt (Post-Gazette)
Pitt's Dixon Closing in on Mark (Tribune-Review)
Pitt finds Comfort in Big East Routine (Tribune-Review)


West Virginia overcame some cold shooting, just 36% from the field, by dominating the boards and hitting their three's in the ROund 2 win over the Fighting Irish. NYC native Devin Ebanks had 18 rebounds and 'Truck' Bryant, another NYC-bred performer had 17 points and 4 assists. While their performances were key, it was the WVU stars that shined the brightest last night on Broadway as Alex Ruoff scored 25 points and Da'Sean Butler added 20.

The WVU stars will have to bring their game again tonight if they are going to match the talent of Pittsburgh. The Panthers took both games of the season series this season, handily, winning 79-67 in Morgantown and 70-59 in Pittsburgh. Sam Young averaged 21 points in the two prior meetings.

The one area that WVU has continued to struggle with inconsistency is their shooting, but in many games, they have been able to make up for it on the boards. However, that will not be easy against Pitt, one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. Motivated by playing their rivals, the effort on the boards by WVU should be very high.

One question surrounding this game is the health of Levance Fields, the fantastic Pittsburgh point guard. Fields was a gametime decision against UConn last Saturday with a severely bruised tailbone he suffered in a win over Marquette the week before. Fields played an excellent floor game against UConn, but has not practiced since. With a #1 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament virtually assured, resting Fields could be a possibility if he is not yet at 100%. However, missing his last chance to play in front of his friends and family from NYC might not sit well with the tough NYC point guard.

The other factor that could lead to a quarterfinal upset is the psyche of the Panthers. They have once again become the popular 'it' team among the media and they have said all season long their focus is past the Big East Tournament. Coming off the emotional high of Senior Day and a two-game sweep of Connecticut, will the Panthers be 'up' for this one right from the start? You know WVU will be as they have been beaten by their rivals twice already this season, and Bob Huggins will not let his team strike out against the big, bad Panthers without a fight.

It should be a good one in MSG tonight. Once the lights come on, I expect Pitt to focus on the game in front of them, but they will certainly have a fight...with a potential date with UConn ahead of them for Friday night in a game EVERYONE seems to want to see, maybe that is the opening that WVU needs to get the Panthers off focus.

The oddsmakers have Pitt listed as a 4 1/2-point favorite. For a team with a pair of double-digit wins over this very team, maybe it should be higher. So, we will do the obvious...look for the upset!

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 69
Pittsburgh 63

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March 11, 2009



Notre Dame got past Rutgers on the opening night of the 2009 Big East Tournament, 61-50, and sets up Wednesday night's meeting with West Virginia.

Despite a 3-17 shooting performance from Luke Harangody, the Irish were able to keep the Scarlet Knights at bay and put an end to the RU season. Tory Jackson had a team-high 12 points for ND with Staten Ilsand native Myle McAlarney adding 11.

Notre Dame improved to 18-13 overall on the season. The finished 8-10 in the Big East, good for the 10th-seed in the conference tournament. However, a season of disappointment for the Irish can only be salvaged with an unprecendented run of five wins in five nights through the Big East Tournament to earn the automatice bid for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

On the other side of the ledger this evening is Bob Huggins' West Virginia Mountaineers. With a 10-8 Big East record and overall mark of 21-10, WVU has a ticket punched to the 'Dance' and will use this week in NYC to hopefully improve their seeding.

WVU defeated the Irish, 79-68, in Morgantown in their lone meeting this season. Alex Ruoff broke out of a shooting slump in that contest, scoring 24 points and junior Da'Sean Butler scored 19. Both players will look to shake off their poor night's in the season finale, a loss to Louisville, and lead WVU tonight.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game:

New Season Starts Today (Times West Virginian)
WVU Chances Hinge Largely on Rebounding, Shooting (Times West Virginian)
Mountaineers Need Shots from Ruoff, Butler (Daily Mail)
To Bye or Not to Bye (Charleston Gazette)
Jackson Points Way for ND (South Bend Tribune)
Irish Home Free in Opener (Journal Gazette)


There is something about Notre Dame that you still beleive they can put something together here in New York. Last night, an off night from Luke Harangody allowed Rutgers to put the clamps on Kyle McAlarney on the perimeter, limiting his open looks and pulling the usually high-scoring Irish into a rock fight. Although it is not their preferred style, they lucked out that their opponent lacks firepower and ND pulled out a 61-50 win.

Tonight they will face another team that will be tougher on the boards and getting after it on defense, traits of a Bob Huggins team. And, if that was not enough, a win over WVU brings up Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals. So, one can see what the Irish are up against if they are to pull off the improbable run through the conference tournament. They will have to get down and dirty on both ends of the floor.

In their first game against the Mountaineers, the Irish grabbed an early double-digit lead, only to see WVU storm back and take a lead at the half and pretty much cruise through the second half. WVU will look to hit the boards hard once again and take care of the basketball. The Irish defense is not one that forces too many turnovers, so the effort on the boards by WVU should lead to extra chances to score, which will make the difference in tonight's game.

The current NCAA Basketball betting odds have WVU as a 5 1/2-point favorite. Their grit and toughness should put them in control as the game comes down the stretch.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 72
Notre Dame 66

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ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE

Special Night or Not, Mountaineers Loss Is a Tough One


By Matt Whitfield

This past Saturday’s match-up between Louisville and West Virginia was the most anticipated college basketball game in Morgantown in ten years.

Besides being the hottest ticket and largest sellout crowd since 1999, ESPN College Gameday was on hand, as well as the class of 1959 basketball team that were led to the NCAA finals that season by legendary alum Jerry West.

Despite all the anticipation, Alex Rouff had a night to forget (0 points, 4 fouls & 6 turnovers) on Senior Night and Da’Sean Butler’s shot was cold all game long as the Mountaineers valiantly fought but just did not have enough to hang with the bigger and more experienced Cardinals.

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Read More on the ESPN College Gameday Experience at WVU...Click 'Read More' Below for the rest of the story and a photo diary of the day in Morgantown!!

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Mountaineer morale was high going into the locker-room at halftime. After trailing by as much as 10 points, the Mountaineers went into the locker room being down only by three, 32-29.

In the second half the rabid crowd really spurred the home team on. The Mountaineers took a one point lead with a Da’Sean Butler free throw at the 7:44 mark in the game. This really got the crowd rocking, but as was the case all game, Louisville quelled any West Virginia momentum as freshman Samardo Samuels took the ball right back down the court for an easy layup. West Virginia fought hard down the stretch and even had a slight lead with less than five minutes left, but with leading scorers Ruoff and Butler unable to supply their normal offensive output, WVU was hurt when it counted the most.

Louisville and coach Rick Pitino always seemed to have a play to counter the Mountaineers. However, WVU still had a chance. After Terrence Williams missed a pair of free throws with under 5 seconds left, Butler took the ball down the court and got a good look from 22-feet, but the ball hit the back of the rim and the Cards escaped Morgantown with a 62-59 win and the #1 seed in this week's 2009 Big East Tournament.

Despite the loss, Mountaineer faithful caught a glimpse of the future Saturday night as freshman Kevin Jones connected on nine of 11 shots from the floor to score a career-high 19 points. Jones also added 8 rebounds in 33 minutes. Classmate Devin Ebanks showed the special versatility that makes him potentially a star very soon. Ebanks scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 6 assists (with just one turnover) in the pressure-packed game.

Da’Sean Butler was also impressed with Jones' performance, "When we got the ball to Kevin in the middle of the floor, we scored every time," Butler said. "He had a great game. If we would have just kept going to him, we probably would have won."

Unfortunately, outside of Ebanks and Jones, the rest of the Mountaineers were just 9-35 from the field, with Butler and Ruoff combining on a 4-21 night.

Terrance Williams of Louisville led all scorers on the night with 20 points, most of which came off his five three-point shots. As a team UL connected on nine of 17 from beyond the arc.

"The reality of the situation is that they had three seniors on the floor, along with a junior who is going pro at the end of this year," WVU head coach Bob Huggins said following the game. "That's four guys who won't be there next year. We have three freshmen among our top six players, and our only senior didn't score tonight."


Here is a photo diary of the long day in Morgantown...




Photos:
1) ESPN COllege Gameday Bus (row 1)
2) Jerry West Statue outside of WVU Coliseum (row 2)
3) WVU Coliseum an hour before ESPN Gameday goes on air at 11 AM (row 3)
4) Jerry west prepares to be honored with 1959 WVU squad (row 4)
5) Dick Vitale waiting to broadcast from WVU (row 5-left)
6) ESPN's Erin Andrews chats with Alex Ruoff prior to tip-ff (row 5-right)
7) Packed Coliseum moments into UL/WVU contest (row 6)

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: WEST VIRGINIA

March 9, 2009


Commitment Alert: Casey Mitchell, 6'5 G/F from Chipola (FL) CC


Projected 2009-2010 Roster

Seniors: Joe Mazzula (PG), Wellington Smith (F), Da'sean Butler (WF), Dee Proby (BF/C)
Juniors: John Flowers (F), Will Thomas (G), Cam Thoroughman (F), Jonnie West (G), Casey Mitchell (G/F)
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),Bryon Allen (G)

With starting two-guard and leading three-point shooter Alex Ruoff graduating after the 2008-2009 season, West Virginia had a hole to fill on the perimter. It looks like head coach Bob Huggins took action in filling the need of perimeter offense as WVU Lands Sought-After JC Recruit (Charleston Gazette) Casey Mitchell of Chipola CC.

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

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The excitement around Bob Huggins and the West Virginia basketball program continued into Monday morning as the news broke that Chipola JC shooting guard Casey Mitchell made a verbal commitment to join the Mountaineers for the 2009-2010 season. Playing on the nation's #1-ranked JUCO squad, Mitchell was averaging 21 points a game and had schools such as Memphis, Kansas, Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky, among others, after his services.

Mitchell has taken a bit of a detoured route to the Division 1-A level. After being the Greater Savannah (GA) player of the year two times, Mitchell left Savannah High School in the spring of 2006 without a diploma. His bright future on the basketball court was in doubt. After plans to attend Hargrave Military Academy fell through, Mitchell spent time at Mt. Zion Christian Academy before earning his diploma at Laurinburg Institute. Still, before heading off to 1-A hoops, two years at the JUCO level was required and Mitchell has put those two years to good use at perennial power Chipola.

The relationship with Bob Huggins is also not an overnight sensation either. When Mitchell was at Savannah HS, coach Huggins was recruiting him while at Cincinnati before parting ways with the school. The former UC coach had promised he would recruit Mitchell again...promise kept.

Mitchell made news earlier this season by setting a NJCAA record by making 25 consecutive free-throws in a single game. In an overtime win over Tallahassee back in February, Mitchell eclipsed the old mark of 24 straight.

Mitchell joins an incoming class of freshmen Dalton Pepper, Dan Jennings and Deniz Kilicli. The roster currently stands at 15, on paper, for 2009-2010, so there will be some roster movement in the offseason.

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 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 Oak Hill Academy 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.

Other targets in 2010 include Storm Stanley, 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 story from over the summer, an Introduction to Storm Stanley, where coach Lowe gives our readers the lowdown on the Mountaineer target, a AAU teammate of Cotrill. Over the summer, Stanley gave a verbal commitment to WVU, but reports are that his recruitment is open at this moment.

Also in the class of 2010, the recently completed 2009 Primetime Shootout had Bob Huggins front and center for the weekend in Trenton watching several prospects very closely. In addition to committed players like Cottrill, Kilicli and Allen, top targets included Doron Lamb, a shooting guard for Oak Hill Academy and NYC native and Mountain State Academy small forward Shaquille Thomas, a New Jersey native. Others high on the early wish list for the class fo 2010 include Dayton (OH) power forward Adreian Payne and Long Island Lutheran forward Tobias Harris.


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: LOUISVILLE @ WEST VIRGINIA

March 7 2009


By Zach Smart

No longer regarded as a team front-loaded with sharpshooters, analysts have enjoyed watching the development of the youth movement at West Virginia.

Though WVU coach Bobby Huggins typically dreads playing freshman immediately and does his best to get them acclimated to his sophisticated defense, he took a different route this year.

The triumvirate of Kevin Jones, Devin Ebanks, and Darryl "Truck" Bryant have grown by leaps and bounds in one season in Morgantown. They've helped complement the 1-2 punch of Da'Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff. Butler, who erupted for a wowing 43-point showing during a significant victory over Villanova, is averaging a team-high 17 ppg, Ruoff 16.

Ruoff, recruited by John Beilein as strictly a three-point sniper, has also undergone a great deal of player development. He barrels his way to the basket with ease now, as opposed to hanging out on the perimeter. He takes people off the dribble and bursts out a nice, step-back jumper. He's even gotten his elbows dirty and developed a nose for the ball, delivering put-backs and scoring on second chance opportunities. While this aspect of his game has panned out as of late, he's no Mike Gansey. Speaking of the 6-foot-4 freak with pogo stick hops, anyone know the white wonder of the world's whereabouts?

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Read More on today's game...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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But this is Louisville, folks, a team with enough talent and depth and experience to pencil in as a potential final four team.

The Cardinals rolled away with a 69-63 victory last time the two teams met, albeit WVU fought valiantly. The Cardinals nearly surrendered a bulky 20-point edge but were able to group together and gut out the victory.

The Cardinals shot nearly 56 percent from the floor and got a major boost from their role players, who made up for pin-drop quiet nights from Terrence Williams and Earl Clark.

Jerry Smith scorched the nets to the tune of a season-high 20 points. He shot the rock at a 7-for-8 clip and the Mountaineers, once the team that bred shooters from the farm, had no answer.

They closed it to within four points with 2:16 remaining, but the Cardinals wouldn't falter.

Louisville has been on a tear, ripping off six consecutive victories after an embarrassing, 90-57 washout at Notre Dame. They've beaten opponents by a whopping 20.4 points during their recent win streak, showing no mercy. The streak is underscored by an 18-point victory over Georgetown and a tight, four-point victory that knocked Marquette out of the chase for conference supremacy.

Earl Clark, who will bolt for the NBA after this season, has been a big part of the team's success.

The 6-foot-9 New Jersey native who's received athletic gifts from God that GMs and agents brawl for had 27 points and 14 boards during the 95-78 win the Cardinals stamped on Seton Hall. Against Georgetown, Clark got to the charity stripe--where he was 9-for-13-- early and often.

Simply put, Clark is the reputable five-tool talent in basketball. He can shoot, distribute, handle the ball, bang, and play defense. Having Clark in uniform certainly helps Rick Pitino and Louisville's NCAA Odds.

Terrence Williams, who's sky-rocketed to stardom his senior year, has been just as efficient. He's averaging 12.6 points but like his teammate, he can provide balance in the stat sheet and his defense and strength could prove problematic.

West Virginia has had their fair share of eye-popping wins this year. A 30-point clubbing of Ohio State and the aforementioned victory over Villanova stand out for themselves.

Against a Louisville team that's starting to feel the mayhem that the month of March inevitably creates--and obviously, the Cardinals have ripped through the tail end of their conference schedule in shark-size bites--an upset seems unlikely.

Louisville Playing for Share of Big East Crown (SportingNews.com)
Alex Ruoff Ready to Enter WVU Record Books (Times West Virginian)
Can’t Turn it over vs. Cards (Charleston Gazette)
It’s All in the Cards (wvmetronews.com)
WVU Students Pumped for ESPN Gameday Visit (Charleston Gazette)
A Full Event of Memories Hits Morgantown in Finale (Wheeling Register)
Flowers Doing the Little Things (Wheeling Register)
Ready to Go (Times West Virginian)
A Lot on the Line for Cardinals (Louisville Courier-Journal)


NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 67
Louisville 65

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RUOFF SETS MARK, LEADS WVU OVER DEPAUL

March 5, 2009


DePaul moves one-step closer to completing their Big East 0-fer as they fall in Morgantown, 82-63, at the hands of West Virginia Wednesday night.

With the win, WVU Clinches a Bye in the first round of next week's Big East Tournament as they improve to 10-7 in the Big East and 21-9 overall on the season. With a date with Louisville for an ESPN Primetime affair Saturday night at 9 PM and the conference tournament ahead, Cultivating a Seed is WVU's New Aim (Charleston Gazette) as their sites are on the post-season.

On Wednesday, senior Alex Ruoff Leads WVU Over DePaul (Times West Virginian) in his second-to-last home game with 20 points, connecting on six of nine from beyond the arc and, in doing so, he tied Kevin Pittsnogle's school record with 253 made three's in his career.

Junior Da'Sean Butler added 16 points and 10 rebounds and freshman Devin Ebanks also added a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds as the Mountaineers owend the boards with a 48-30 advantage over the Blue Demons in the rebounding department. Ebanks and his classmates, Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant, showed once again the very bright future that WVU has. jones added 13 poins and 9 rebounds in 25 minutes while Bryant contributed 12 points and 6 assists in the win.

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DEPAUL @ WEST VIRGINIA

March 4, 2009


West Virginia heads into the final week of the regular season before the 2009 Big East Tournament as winners of four of their last five games, dropping the emotional return of Bob Huggins to Cincinnati in that span. At 9-7 in the Big East and 20-9 overall, WVU looks to be safely 'in' the NCAA Tournament and will be playing for seeding in these last two weeks of play.

On the other end of the spectrum tonight is DePaul. The Blue Demons are 16 of 16 in Big East regular season games so far, unfortunatley, 16 of 16 in losses. The low point of their season, just as you thought it could not get any lower, occurred last Saturday when they were demolished at home, 84-63, by St. John's, making 0-18 in the Big East a near certainty with road games against WVU and Georgetown to close the Big East slate.

Hey, at least everyone is invited to NYC next week. Any DePaul fans going???

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's match-up:

Huggins: Sorting NCAA Field a Tall task (Times West Virginian)
DePaul’s Futility Historic in Nig East (Charleston Gazette)
Mountaineers Focused on DePaul (wvMetroNews.com)
Huggins Says DePaul a ‘Huge Game’ for Mountaineers (Register-Herald)
’Truck’ Gets in Gear (Charleston Gazette)
State of DePaul Hoops Just Pathetic (Daily Herald)
DePaul Athletic Director Sticking by Embattled Coach Wainwright (Chicago Tribune)
Huggins Cautious About DePaul Game (Martinsburg Journal)

There really is not a whole lot to go over in this game that has not already been said about DePaul. They do have a couple capable players in the Big East in sophomores Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal. Will Walker has turned into an adequate third scorer, but from there the talent takes a major nosedize in terms of Big East talent. Plus, their continued upheaval at point guard limits their ability to get the ball to Koshwal and they are usually left with Tucker and Walker launching a high amount of shots trying to keep up with the opposition.

West Virginia has performed quite well this season. They rely on three key freshmen in Darryl Bryant, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones and they have seen junior Da'Sean Butler blossom as one of the conference's top scores. Senior Alex Ruoff gives them an experienced leader and a Bob Huggins staple of athletic forwards, such as Wllington Smith and John Flowers, and the resident banger Cam Thoroughman, give this team a very solid make-up. They have had to overcome the loss of projected starting point guard Joe Mazzulla to a season-ending shoulder injury and they have grown up in a hurry in the process. While the future under Huggins at WVU looks really bright, the present is not too shabby and the Mountaineers are an interesting threat heading into the postseason.

Today's college basketball lines indicate little problem for the Mountaineers tonight as they have been pegged as a 21 1/2-point favorite. I do see two factors in this game that will likely keep the game closer than the line...

1) DePaul's dead-cat bounce. After their embarrasing home loss, te players come back and play for pride. As mentioned, there are a few capable players, more than enough to beat someone in the Big East. While that opportunity has sailed, an effort is expected in tonight's game, if not for pride alone...

2) WVU has Louisville coming in for a primetime showdown at 9 PM on Saturday to close the regular season. The chance to be looking right past the Blue Demons is very possible. If not at the beginning, when WVU reaches a big lead, it likely could set in then...

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 81
DePaul 66

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BRYON ALLEN: UNHERALDED PROSPECT WITH GREAT POTENTIAL

March 2, 2009

by Matt Whitfield


When Bryon Allen committed to West Virginia this past January, it left many people scrambling to find out more on this relatively unknown prospect. Overshadowed at the Oak Hill Academy basketball factory by mega-recruits such as Doron Lamb, Keith 'Tiny' Gallon and Lamont 'MoMo' Jones, many familiar with the prep scene didn’t know Allen very well. For West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins, this is a good thing as Huggins has had a long line of successful stories of taking the unheralded prospect and making him a star.

A self-described combo guard that goes to the basket pretty strong, rebounds and boxes out, Allen has started to turn heads. In the recently completed 2009 Primetime Shootout, the event’s marquee match-up featured Oak Hill and St. Patrick’s. Down the stretch, when things were tense and the game was on the line, Allen willed his team to victory. Up three with two minutes left, Allen took it upon himself to take the ball down court, drive it into the lane where St. Patrick’s defense had been stingy all night and Allen went for the momentum changer as he dunked on 6’8 Michael Ghilchrst, the player that had kept the Irish in the game all night long. Oak Hill got the ball back after a failed St. Patrick’s possession and Allen iced the game with a put-in sealing the Oak Hill victory. Allen was named his teams MVP with 17 points in the win.

Watching the game courtside was Allen’s future coach, Mountaineer Head Coach Bob Huggins. Allen told NBE, “[I] liked their style of play, the way they get it up and down the court,” as to why he choose to commit early to West Virginia. Allen, who stated to NBE he also had offers from Maryland, Georgetown, Clemson, and Xavier, should don the Blue and Gold in the fall of 2010. Until then, Allen said he would like to work on his ball-handling and three-point shot.

Allen who called himself a hard worker and someone that hated to lose should be a great addition to a 2010 recruiting class that is now already three deep for WVU with Mountain State Academy guard Noah Cottrill and Ohio big man Storm Stanley.

As Allen put it, “[I just] try and be the best player I can be,” and this is the type of player Huggins will continue to do wonders with.

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WEST VIRGINIA REBOUNDS TO BEAT USF

March 2, 2009


West Virginia seems to have all but assured themselves of an NCAA Tournament bid and they rebounded from their previous loss to Cincinnati by taking care of business on the road in a 64-50 win at South Florida on Sunday.

The win pushes WVU to 9-7 in the Big East and 20-9 overall. The Mountaineers close the regular season with DePaul on Wednesday and then a primetime showdown with Louisville on Saturday night in the Coliseum.

On Sunday, Alex Ruoff's Second Homecoming Off the Week was a Better One (Daily Mail) as the senior guard had a team-high 16 points in the win. Freshman Truck Bryant was also Efficient and Effective in the Victory (Daily Mail), scoring 13 points and not committing a turnover in 25 minutes.

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