Recruiting itineraries last spring sent two college basketball coaches and future conference colleagues to, of all places, northwestern Arkansas.
Watching an AAU Tournament called the Real Deal on the Hill in Fayetteville, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey bumped into Bob Huggins, who had just left Kansas State after one season for his alma mater, West Virginia.
Brey welcomed back to the Big East someone who attended the league meetings in May 2005 before being fired that summer by Cincinnati. As the two talked, Huggins lamented leaving behind in Manhattan two future NBA lottery picks in Michael Beasley and Bill Walker.
Brey knew that disappointment would disappear.
"I said, 'You've got a better team in Morgantown,'" he said. "Whoever coached this team was going to be a lucky guy.
"They're really good."
Little did either coach know then that the Big East would have Huggins and West Virginia (10-2) visit Brey and Notre Dame (10-2) tonight in the league opener for both teams (7 p.m., ESPN2).
Notre Dame and West Virginia have worked off the same blueprint to post identical records in non-conference play -- utilize an eight-man rotation to score plenty of points, defend with a purpose, shoot it well from 3 and be unselfish with, yet very protective of the basketball (see stats box on C3).
"They're very skilled kids who know how to play," Brey said of the Mountaineers. "In a lot of ways (tonight) is like guarding ourselves."
Prior to Saturday's double-overtime loss to Oklahoma, West Virginia had won eight straight, including wins of 65 and 66 points. Four of five starters average double figures. Huggins has his team scoring a league-best 85.8 points per game, yet allowing 59.8.
Picked in preseason to finish 10th, West Virginia has allowed an opponent to go for more than 80 points only once. Notre Dame averages 81.0.
Though Huggins took time Wednesday to worry about his lack of depth and wondered what would happen if the Mountaineers stopped making shots, he also admitted that coming to practice every afternoon has been a bonus.
"It's fun to be around guys that love to be in the gym," Huggins said. "They enjoy playing the way we have them playing."
That way has been a trademark of Huggins-coached teams during a 26-year career that has won 600 games with five different programs -- tough, aggressive, hard-nosed defense where nothing for the other teams comes easily.
On offense, the Mountaineers are a little more free-wheeling than they were under the pass-move-screen-cut structure of former coach John Beilein. Yet every once in a while, someone sneaks free for a backdoor lay-up or shoots a 3. On the other end, the Mountaineers will occasionally fall back into their familiar 1-3-1 zone.
To completely junk the way West Virginia played under Beilein, where in his final three seasons the Mountaineers advanced to the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight (2005) and Sweet 16 (2006), then won the 2007 post-season NIT, would be foolish.
"We're still going to back-cut people," Huggins said. "That's basketball."
Picked to finish ninth in a preseason vote of league coaches, Notre Dame steps into its 13th season of Big East play having won eight consecutive games. The Irish rank in the top five of 13 different league statistical categories.
"They're good," Huggins said. "This is one of Mike's better teams."
Notre Dame has the nation's third-longest home win streak (28 games), something Brey wants his players to forget. Playing confidently, not protecting a number, should be paramount. Looking over their shoulder, like they did in a loss earlier this season to Baylor, will get the Irish beat.
"We just take it one team at a time and have fun doing what we do best," said sophomore guard Tory Jackson.
Last January, nobody really knew what Notre Dame might do best in league play. The Irish won a school-record 11 games, finished fourth to earn a first round postseason tournament bye and earned an invitation to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003.
What might be in store for an encore?
"We feel like we can do the same things and maybe even be better than last year's team," said Irish captain Rob Kurz. "We like how we're playing right now."
Watching an AAU Tournament called the Real Deal on the Hill in Fayetteville, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey bumped into Bob Huggins, who had just left Kansas State after one season for his alma mater, West Virginia.
Brey welcomed back to the Big East someone who attended the league meetings in May 2005 before being fired that summer by Cincinnati. As the two talked, Huggins lamented leaving behind in Manhattan two future NBA lottery picks in Michael Beasley and Bill Walker.
Brey knew that disappointment would disappear.
"I said, 'You've got a better team in Morgantown,'" he said. "Whoever coached this team was going to be a lucky guy.
"They're really good."
Little did either coach know then that the Big East would have Huggins and West Virginia (10-2) visit Brey and Notre Dame (10-2) tonight in the league opener for both teams (7 p.m., ESPN2).
Notre Dame and West Virginia have worked off the same blueprint to post identical records in non-conference play -- utilize an eight-man rotation to score plenty of points, defend with a purpose, shoot it well from 3 and be unselfish with, yet very protective of the basketball (see stats box on C3).
"They're very skilled kids who know how to play," Brey said of the Mountaineers. "In a lot of ways (tonight) is like guarding ourselves."
Prior to Saturday's double-overtime loss to Oklahoma, West Virginia had won eight straight, including wins of 65 and 66 points. Four of five starters average double figures. Huggins has his team scoring a league-best 85.8 points per game, yet allowing 59.8.
Picked in preseason to finish 10th, West Virginia has allowed an opponent to go for more than 80 points only once. Notre Dame averages 81.0.
Though Huggins took time Wednesday to worry about his lack of depth and wondered what would happen if the Mountaineers stopped making shots, he also admitted that coming to practice every afternoon has been a bonus.
"It's fun to be around guys that love to be in the gym," Huggins said. "They enjoy playing the way we have them playing."
That way has been a trademark of Huggins-coached teams during a 26-year career that has won 600 games with five different programs -- tough, aggressive, hard-nosed defense where nothing for the other teams comes easily.
On offense, the Mountaineers are a little more free-wheeling than they were under the pass-move-screen-cut structure of former coach John Beilein. Yet every once in a while, someone sneaks free for a backdoor lay-up or shoots a 3. On the other end, the Mountaineers will occasionally fall back into their familiar 1-3-1 zone.
To completely junk the way West Virginia played under Beilein, where in his final three seasons the Mountaineers advanced to the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight (2005) and Sweet 16 (2006), then won the 2007 post-season NIT, would be foolish.
"We're still going to back-cut people," Huggins said. "That's basketball."
Picked to finish ninth in a preseason vote of league coaches, Notre Dame steps into its 13th season of Big East play having won eight consecutive games. The Irish rank in the top five of 13 different league statistical categories.
"They're good," Huggins said. "This is one of Mike's better teams."
Notre Dame has the nation's third-longest home win streak (28 games), something Brey wants his players to forget. Playing confidently, not protecting a number, should be paramount. Looking over their shoulder, like they did in a loss earlier this season to Baylor, will get the Irish beat.
"We just take it one team at a time and have fun doing what we do best," said sophomore guard Tory Jackson.
Last January, nobody really knew what Notre Dame might do best in league play. The Irish won a school-record 11 games, finished fourth to earn a first round postseason tournament bye and earned an invitation to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003.
What might be in store for an encore?
"We feel like we can do the same things and maybe even be better than last year's team," said Irish captain Rob Kurz. "We like how we're playing right now."
