From a Syracuse perspective:
Syracuse Orangemen at West Virginia, Tuesday, March 2nd, 2004
7:00 PM -- West Virginia Colesium
by Jim Garrisi
When the Syracuse Orangemen (19-6, 9-5) travel to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (14-11, 6-8) it will be a tale of two three-game streaks. Syracuse will hope to extend the streak for both teams (as they are on the winning end of the plate) while West Virginia needs desperately to break out of theirs to improve their Big East Tournament seed.
West Virginia Season to Date: West Virginia's began the season with a very public controversy between head coach John Beilein and leading scorer Drew Schifino over playing time. Eventually, Schifino was dismissed from the team for unspecified reasons, leading to a potentially disappointing finish to the season. Surprisingly, the Mountaineers have managed to step it up and compete well with the rest of the Big East, battling their way to a respectable 6-5 record in their first 11 league games. Since that point, they have slumped badly, losing three in a row, their most notable and latest to the putrid Virginia Tech Hokies. Syracuse needs to stay focused as they travel straight to West Virginia after an emotional and very draining victory at third ranked Pittsburgh.
Series Facts: As with most Big East opponents, SU has a commanding lead in the all-time series, having won 24 of 39 meetings. The Orange have won 7 of the last 8 games, scoring at least 75 points in each contest. Their last loss to the Mountaineers was during the 2000-01 season.
Syracuse vs. West Virginia Career Stats:
Series Record: SU 24 wins, 15 losses
Average Score: Syracuse 73.7 West Virginia 70.5
Last SU Win: 02/26/03, Syracuse 89 West Virginia 51
Last SU Loss: 02/17/01, Syracuse 76 West Virginia 87
West Virginia Personnel:
Starters:
D'or Fischer (6-11 F/C, 10.2 ppg): Fischer is a shot-blocking force that recently transferred from Northwestern. After sitting out last season due to NCAA rules regarding transfers, he has proven very effective on both the offensive and the defensive end of the court. It will be very interesting to see him match up with Jeremy McNeil, as Fischer was the nation's 2nd leading blocker in the 2001-2002 season. His 90 inch wingspan could prove advantageous against Syracuse's stifling zone.
Kevin Pittsnogle (6-11 F/C, 10.1 ppg): Pittsnogle has been a problem for most teams the Mountaineers have faced. While his numbers won't dazzle you, he is a very complete player in the half-court offense. He bangs inside, is a great passer, and can step outside the arc and drain some threes. He shoots a respectable 38% from long-range and cans his free throws at a 76% clip. He spends most of his time at the power forward slot alongside Fischer. Although he has a definite height advantage over Hakim Warrick, his defense can be a little suspect. Look for Hakim to slither around him for some monster dunks.
Tyrone Sally (6-7 F, 9.6 ppg): Sally is primarily used in the Mountaineer lineup as a defensive player. His offensive game is limited, and on the season he has 70 turnovers to only 48 assists. Sally does possess very long arms and is very good at clogging the passing lanes, grabbing loose balls and starting fastbreaks. The zone will not need to extend too much on him as he does not take too many threes, and his percentage hovers in the mid-twenties.
Johannes Herber (6-6 G, 8-0 ppg): Herber is excellent at running the offense for the Mountaineers, although he often plays the off guard. He has started every game of his career and has even had offers to leave school and play overseas. His assist to turnover ratio is decent at 2.17. He loves to drive into the lane and kick it out to reserve Patrick Beilein outside the arc. He is routinely blocked from inside the paint area, but is a decent outside shooter. Look for him to get a lot of PT versus the 'Cuse.
Jarmon Durisseau-Collins (5-10 G, 4.1 ppg): Collins is a lot like former Orangeman James Thues. Much like Thues he is an exceptional ball handler but doesn't put up too many shots. He is lightning fast and defends like a hawk. He is a mid seventies free throw shooter and hits threes at a 39% pace, albeit not very often. In close game situations, he NEVER gives up the ball.
Key Reserves: Coach Beilein's first player off the bench is his son, former walkon Patrick Beilein. Beilein has an uncanny ability to get the ball inside to the two big men, which is a potential problem to the zone. He is a pure shooter, averaging 41% from both the field and from three point range. 55 of his 65 baskets are threes. Also off the bench is guard Tyler Relph, another dead on three point shooter. Freshman forward Jerrah Young also picks up about 5 minutes a game, mostly to spell the veterans.
Game Analysis: This game could be bad for Syracuse. The Orange have more than enough talent and ability to take care of West Virginia, but a solid gameplan and some good shooting by the Mountaineers could shake us up early. Coach Beilien is planning on mixing it up a little on Syracuse, not counting on one angle of the game. ?You have to do both against them: you just can?t shoot threes and you just can?t attack inside. You have to try and mix both,? he said after watching Sunday's win at Pittsburgh.
On the other hand, in the past 3 games Syracuse has shown that if you keep them around, they're going to get the last laugh. Boeheim deserves Coach of the Year honors for what he's done with the team. He began the year with a high-offense, run and gun oriented team. After the disappearance of Billy Edelin, he has in effect restructured the whole offensive set into a slow, defensive mudpit that has proven time and again to suck teams right in. To change the dynamics of a team like that in so little time is incredible.
Keep in mind that at any given time the Orange is due for an offensive explosion as well. The slow game works good right now because their offense has been non-existent. If Gerry McNamara can get hot and the freshmen get some easy shots, it opens up Hak and the McForth monster for some easy chippies. Our defense needs to limit the touches that the West Virginia big men get, as well as extend the zone to their shooters. West Virginia may be slumping, but they shoot the ball much better than Pitt. If Boeheim lets his Orangemen relax on the shooters it could be a long night.
This game might be dangerous because Syracuse no longer finds themselves in a ?must-win? situation. The win at Pittsburgh all but locked up a tournament bid, so it will be easy for them to relax and get the rug pulled right out from under them. Even though they are playing on the road for the second time in three days, if they maintain their intensity and can start hitting some shots, the game is winnable.
Syracuse Orangemen at West Virginia, Tuesday, March 2nd, 2004
7:00 PM -- West Virginia Colesium
by Jim Garrisi
When the Syracuse Orangemen (19-6, 9-5) travel to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (14-11, 6-8) it will be a tale of two three-game streaks. Syracuse will hope to extend the streak for both teams (as they are on the winning end of the plate) while West Virginia needs desperately to break out of theirs to improve their Big East Tournament seed.
West Virginia Season to Date: West Virginia's began the season with a very public controversy between head coach John Beilein and leading scorer Drew Schifino over playing time. Eventually, Schifino was dismissed from the team for unspecified reasons, leading to a potentially disappointing finish to the season. Surprisingly, the Mountaineers have managed to step it up and compete well with the rest of the Big East, battling their way to a respectable 6-5 record in their first 11 league games. Since that point, they have slumped badly, losing three in a row, their most notable and latest to the putrid Virginia Tech Hokies. Syracuse needs to stay focused as they travel straight to West Virginia after an emotional and very draining victory at third ranked Pittsburgh.
Series Facts: As with most Big East opponents, SU has a commanding lead in the all-time series, having won 24 of 39 meetings. The Orange have won 7 of the last 8 games, scoring at least 75 points in each contest. Their last loss to the Mountaineers was during the 2000-01 season.
Syracuse vs. West Virginia Career Stats:
Series Record: SU 24 wins, 15 losses
Average Score: Syracuse 73.7 West Virginia 70.5
Last SU Win: 02/26/03, Syracuse 89 West Virginia 51
Last SU Loss: 02/17/01, Syracuse 76 West Virginia 87
West Virginia Personnel:
Starters:
D'or Fischer (6-11 F/C, 10.2 ppg): Fischer is a shot-blocking force that recently transferred from Northwestern. After sitting out last season due to NCAA rules regarding transfers, he has proven very effective on both the offensive and the defensive end of the court. It will be very interesting to see him match up with Jeremy McNeil, as Fischer was the nation's 2nd leading blocker in the 2001-2002 season. His 90 inch wingspan could prove advantageous against Syracuse's stifling zone.
Kevin Pittsnogle (6-11 F/C, 10.1 ppg): Pittsnogle has been a problem for most teams the Mountaineers have faced. While his numbers won't dazzle you, he is a very complete player in the half-court offense. He bangs inside, is a great passer, and can step outside the arc and drain some threes. He shoots a respectable 38% from long-range and cans his free throws at a 76% clip. He spends most of his time at the power forward slot alongside Fischer. Although he has a definite height advantage over Hakim Warrick, his defense can be a little suspect. Look for Hakim to slither around him for some monster dunks.
Tyrone Sally (6-7 F, 9.6 ppg): Sally is primarily used in the Mountaineer lineup as a defensive player. His offensive game is limited, and on the season he has 70 turnovers to only 48 assists. Sally does possess very long arms and is very good at clogging the passing lanes, grabbing loose balls and starting fastbreaks. The zone will not need to extend too much on him as he does not take too many threes, and his percentage hovers in the mid-twenties.
Johannes Herber (6-6 G, 8-0 ppg): Herber is excellent at running the offense for the Mountaineers, although he often plays the off guard. He has started every game of his career and has even had offers to leave school and play overseas. His assist to turnover ratio is decent at 2.17. He loves to drive into the lane and kick it out to reserve Patrick Beilein outside the arc. He is routinely blocked from inside the paint area, but is a decent outside shooter. Look for him to get a lot of PT versus the 'Cuse.
Jarmon Durisseau-Collins (5-10 G, 4.1 ppg): Collins is a lot like former Orangeman James Thues. Much like Thues he is an exceptional ball handler but doesn't put up too many shots. He is lightning fast and defends like a hawk. He is a mid seventies free throw shooter and hits threes at a 39% pace, albeit not very often. In close game situations, he NEVER gives up the ball.
Key Reserves: Coach Beilein's first player off the bench is his son, former walkon Patrick Beilein. Beilein has an uncanny ability to get the ball inside to the two big men, which is a potential problem to the zone. He is a pure shooter, averaging 41% from both the field and from three point range. 55 of his 65 baskets are threes. Also off the bench is guard Tyler Relph, another dead on three point shooter. Freshman forward Jerrah Young also picks up about 5 minutes a game, mostly to spell the veterans.
Game Analysis: This game could be bad for Syracuse. The Orange have more than enough talent and ability to take care of West Virginia, but a solid gameplan and some good shooting by the Mountaineers could shake us up early. Coach Beilien is planning on mixing it up a little on Syracuse, not counting on one angle of the game. ?You have to do both against them: you just can?t shoot threes and you just can?t attack inside. You have to try and mix both,? he said after watching Sunday's win at Pittsburgh.
On the other hand, in the past 3 games Syracuse has shown that if you keep them around, they're going to get the last laugh. Boeheim deserves Coach of the Year honors for what he's done with the team. He began the year with a high-offense, run and gun oriented team. After the disappearance of Billy Edelin, he has in effect restructured the whole offensive set into a slow, defensive mudpit that has proven time and again to suck teams right in. To change the dynamics of a team like that in so little time is incredible.
Keep in mind that at any given time the Orange is due for an offensive explosion as well. The slow game works good right now because their offense has been non-existent. If Gerry McNamara can get hot and the freshmen get some easy shots, it opens up Hak and the McForth monster for some easy chippies. Our defense needs to limit the touches that the West Virginia big men get, as well as extend the zone to their shooters. West Virginia may be slumping, but they shoot the ball much better than Pitt. If Boeheim lets his Orangemen relax on the shooters it could be a long night.
This game might be dangerous because Syracuse no longer finds themselves in a ?must-win? situation. The win at Pittsburgh all but locked up a tournament bid, so it will be easy for them to relax and get the rug pulled right out from under them. Even though they are playing on the road for the second time in three days, if they maintain their intensity and can start hitting some shots, the game is winnable.
