Rutgers-West Virginia scouting report

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WHO: West Virginia (17-13) vs. Rutgers (17-12).

WHEN/WHERE: Today, 7:30 p.m.; Louis Brown Athletic Center, Piscataway.

RADIO: 710 AM, 1450 AM, 88.7 FM.

WEST VIRGINIA STARTERS: Jarmon Duisseau-Collins (So., 5-10, G, 4.0 ppg., 3.2 apg.); Joe Herber (So., 6-6, G, 8.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg.); Tyrone Sally (Jr., 6-7, F, 10.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg.); Kevin Pittsnogle (So., 6-10, C, 10.2 ppg., 3.8 rpg.); Dor Fischer (Jr., 6-11, C, 10.6 ppg., 6.1 rpg.).

WEST VIRGINIA RESERVES: Patrick Beilein (So., 6-4, G, 9.0 ppg.); Tyler Relph (Fr., 6-0, G, 5.0 ppg.); Franklin Young (Fr., 6-5, F, 1.1 ppg.).

RUTGERS STARTERS: Marquis Webb (Fr., 6-5, G, 7.4 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 2.9 apg.); Quincy Douby (Fr., 6-3, G, 11.8 ppg., 1.9 rpg.); Ricky Shields (Jr., 6-4, G, 15.0 ppg., 4.9 rpg.); Herve Lamizana (Sr., 6-10, F, 13.5 ppg., 7.8 rpg.); Sean Axani (Sr., 6-8, F, 5.8 ppg., 6.3 rpg.).

RUTGERS RESERVES: Adrian Hill (So., 6-8, F-C, 6.2 ppg., 4.8 rpg.); Juel Wiggan (Jr., 6-2, G, 5.1 ppg., 2.7 apg.); Calvin Wooten (So., 6-1, G, 3.5 ppg.); Byron Joynes (Fr., 6-9, C, 2.0 ppg., 2.3 rpg.); Justin Piasecki (Sr., 6-8, F); Eric Hazard (Fr., 6-5, F); Shayle Keating (Fr., 6-0, G); Jon Mimmo (Fr., 6-1, G).

WEST VIRGINIA REPORT: The Mountaineers advanced to the second round courtesy of their 79-72 win over Rhode Island on Friday. Four players scored in double figures for the Mountaineers, led by Tyrone Salley's 17 points. Despite the presence of two centers in the starting lineup, the Mountaineers rank last in the Big East in rebounding, with an average of six less boards per game than their opponent this season. D'or Fischer ranks second in the Big East and fourth nationally in blocked shots at 3.8 per game. Patrick Beilein, the son of Mountaineers coach John Beilein, brings instant offense off the bench. The third-most accurate 3-point shooter in the Big East, Beilein connects at 39.9 percent for a WVU team that shot a season-best 13 in their win over URI.

RUTGERS REPORT: Rutgers defeated West Virginia 74-53 at home on Feb. 25 in the only meeting of the season, getting a game-high 24 points from Ricky Shields. Spurred by a 13-2 run in the first half and an 11-0 spurt in the second, the Scarlet Knights rolled to an easy victory. Rutgers went into tailspin after that win, however, losing three straight before getting past Temple 76-71 in the opening round of the NIT. Quincy Douby, in his first start, poured in a career-high 28 points, connecting on six 3-pointers and making all eight free throws, while Ricky Shields eclipsed double figures for the ninth time in 11 games with 14 points. A win would put Rutgers into the NIT quarterfinals (against Villanova) for the first time since 1990. The Scarlet Knights are 12-12 all-time in NIT games, advancing to the Final Four in 1967 and 1978.

 

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NIT still has Big East flavor


When West Virginia University's basketball team lost two weeks ago to Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament, no one knew that another mini-Big East tournament would break out.

That, however, is what has happened with the Mountaineers' portion of the NIT bracket. Three teams remain for that portion's semifinal berth and all are from the Big East.

One of those teams will be eliminated tonight when WVU (17-13) faces host Rutgers (17-12) in a non-televised round of 16 game at 7:30 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the Scarlet Knights' campus in Piscataway, N.J.

The winner progresses to a quarterfinal meeting with Villanova (18-16). That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN2 at a to-be-determined site. The victor of that moves to the NIT's final four in New York at Madison Square Garden.

On the surface, WVU would seem at a disadvantage entering tonight's game. The Mountaineers had to play an extra game to reach the round of 16, winning Wednesday at Kent State (65-54) and at home Friday over Rhode Island (79-72). Rutgers has been idle since Wednesday, when it rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to beat visiting Temple, 76-71.

So what, said one Mountaineer.

"We don't want our season to end," guard Jarmon Durisseau-Collins said. "Whenever you feel like that, you're going to fight to the end."

Perhaps what WVU must conquer is the demon that is known in basketball jargon as "The RAC." The Louis Brown Athletic Center is also commonly called the Rutgers Athletic Center. By whatever name, the red-based gym is considered one of the toughest in the league -- perhaps because the Scarlet Knights, generally deplorable on the road, have sprung so many upsets there.

This season has been no different in the steep-stands, fans-close, 8,000-seat building. Rutgers is 14-2 there with the two losses occurring by a combined three points to NCAA Tournament teams Connecticut and Seton Hall.

"The gym's a little weird," Durisseau-Collins said. "We just have to go out and match their intensity and jump on them."

WVU did that in the teams' regular-season meeting there -- for five minutes. The Mountaineers led 14-9 before being blitzed 74-53. WVU, however, won in 2002-03 at the RAC, which often fills for the big-name teams, but not for the WVU's of the college basketball world.

In addition, only 3,423 fans came to the NIT first-round game there.

"I didn't think it was a tough place to play crowd-wise," WVU sophomore Johannes Herber said. "I didn't think the crowd was into it both times (he played there). It's just an odd gym, different from others. The look, I don't like it. But it shouldn't be a factor for us."

What could be was a recent Rutgers lineup change. Freshman guard Quincy Douby, effective off the bench against WVU, scored 28 points against Temple in his first college start. He averages 11.8 points and has made 60-of-137 3-pointers. Other threats are guard Ricky Shields (15.0 ppg) and mercurial forward Herve Lamizana (13.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg).

Thus WVU oddly enters the second Big East portion of the season.