- Mar 19, 2006
- 38,712
- 599
- 113
- 75
WEST VIRGINIA
VS top 25 [2-1]
VS top 50 [2-3]
GETTING INSIDE
One win doesn't make a season ? except when it does. And the Mountaineers might have gotten that victory with a 70-65 victory over UCLA.
The Mountaineers entered the game with a gaudy record, but no signature victory. Beating the No. 2-ranked team fulfills that resume line, even if the Bruins were missing their starting point guard because of an injury.
At 19-5, 7-4 in the Big East, WVU is in solid position for the NCAA Tournament heading into this week. The key for them is simply to not screw up.
That having been said, the final five games could make things interesting. Only two are at home, against woeful Seton Hall and Cincinnati. But the Bearcats beat WVU by 13 at home in January, and the Pirates' pressure can make the game ugly enough to bother the generally patient Mountaineers.
Road games include trips to Georgetown, Pitt, and Providence. The first two are ranked, while the latter will be desperately seeking an NCAA trip of its own.
If the Mountaineers hold serve at home and get swept on the road, the team will finish the regular season at 21-8, 9-7. Would that alone be good enough to make the NCAAs? If so, it will be because of the one signature victory John Beilein's squad earned against UCLA.
NOTES, QUOTES
?The Mountaineers were once again outrebounded over the weekend, 44-33 to UCLA. However, the team helped its cause by getting 11 of those on the offensive end.
?West Virginia has one of the more balanced offensive attacks in the country. Five players average between 9.8 and 14.3 points per game.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "There have been a few times when we've had top-ranked teams come in here and we almost got there. That's the big thing here ? we got the momentum to have people come back." ? West Virginia coach John Beilein, after the victory over UCLA.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Even with injuries, coach John Beilein likes to have nine men available to see game action. This has meant consistent, though brief, stretches lately from Ted Talkington and Wellington Smith.
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? G Darris Nichols, G Joe Alexander, F Frank Young, F Alex Ruoff, C Rob Summers. Key Subs ? G/F Da'Sean Butler, C Jamie Smalligan.
GAME REVIEW:
West Virginia 81, Seton Hall 70
Pittsburgh 60, West Virginia 47
West Virginia 70, UCLA 65
GAME PREVIEW:
at Georgetown, Monday, Feb. 12
vs. Seton Hall, Saturday, Feb. 17
at Providence, Tuesday, Feb. 20
KEYS: If West Virginia stays patient on offense and gets good looks, it can beat any team in the country because everyone on the roster has the confidence to make big shots. But if it suffers lapses, it doesn't usually rebound enough to overcome them.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Sophomore G Ted Talkington isn't on scholarship, but a bunch of coaches have to be wondering how they couldn't have spots on their team for him. He only played four minutes of UCLA, but made the most of that time by knocking down two key buckets.
?Freshman G Joe Mazzulla has missed the past five games with a deep thigh bruise. The backup point guard may be available this week.
?Freshman F Da'Sean Butler is averaging 16.3 points over his last four games off the bench.
....................................................................
PITTSBURGH
VS top 25 [2-1]
VS top 50 [4-3]
GETTING INSIDE
Providence isn't one of the top-tier teams in the Big East, but the Friars gave the Panthers a test over the weekend by showing the team something it hasn't seen much of in conference play ? a man-to-man defense.
Teams tend to play zone against Pittsburgh to avoid problems matching up with Panthers center Aaron Gray. The Friars, however, were confident enough in their big bodies to roll the dice on defense, figuring that stopping the 3-point shooters was at least as important at managing the middle.
In this case, that didn't work. The Friars simply lost because Aaron Gray was too much inside. But a 74-68 victory won't be enough for coach Jamie Dixon to consider that particular challenge solved.
Gray got his third foul with 16 minutes to play, but stayed in the game and dominated in the second half. That's one of those coaching decisions that easily could have gone the other way; had Gray picked up his fourth foul soon afterward, the Panthers might have been in trouble.
The balance between Gray's inside play and the wing players outside shooting has been tough for foes to stop, but Pitt has struggled against physical play and quick backcourts.
Those issues will need to be addressed if this team is to finally break through and get to the Final Four.
NOTES, QUOTES
?The Panthers have been particularly strong away from home this season, entering the week on a five-game road winning streak.
?Pitt has held 10 of its 11 Big East opponents under 70 points, The one time it allowed a league foe to cross that barrier, it suffered its only league defeat of the season, losing to Marquette 77-74 in overtime.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's a smart player and they know when to look for him. We took the 3-pointers away from them but they made us pay inside." ? Providence coach Tim Welsh told the Associated Press after the Panthers beat his Friars.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Jamie Dixon often says he has nine starters to work in, but Tyrell Biggs is clearly last on that list. He's totaled just 11 minutes over the past three games.
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? F Levon Kendall, F Mike Cook, C Aaron Gray, G Levance Fields, G Antonio Graves. Key Subs ? G Ronald Ramon; F Sam Young
GAME REVIEW:
Pittsburgh 65, Villanova 59
Pittsburgh 60, West Virginia 47
Pittsburgh 74, Providence 68
GAME PREVIEW:
vs. Louisville, Monday, Feb. 12
vs. Washington, Saturday, Feb. 17
at Seton Hall, Monday, Feb. 19
KEYS: Pitt can beat anyone if it gets a balanced offensive attack, but it will be interesting to see what happens when teams somehow take Aaron Gray out of the game. Louisville presents a particular problem because its big men tend to drift outside, so Gray will have to be careful not to pick up cheap fouls. The matchup with Washington, a highly talented team with little or nothing to lose, could be interesting from that perspective. Talented freshman Spencer Hawes, if he's healthy, can put Gray on alert.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Junior G Mike Cook's 11 points against Providence broke a four-game streak of finishing in single digits in the scoring column. Still, he hasn't made more than four shots from the field since a Jan. 13 victory over Georgetown.
?Senior C Aaron Gray missed the last three minutes of the Providence game after landing hard following an intentional foul from Ray Hall. He said after the game that his back was stiff, but did not expect to miss any time.
?Sophomore G Levance Fields is fourth on the team in scoring, but hasn't been as good in Big East play at finding his shot. He's finished in double figures just twice in the past nine games.
_____________________________________________________________
USA TODAY....
VS top 25 [2-1]
VS top 50 [2-3]
GETTING INSIDE
One win doesn't make a season ? except when it does. And the Mountaineers might have gotten that victory with a 70-65 victory over UCLA.
The Mountaineers entered the game with a gaudy record, but no signature victory. Beating the No. 2-ranked team fulfills that resume line, even if the Bruins were missing their starting point guard because of an injury.
At 19-5, 7-4 in the Big East, WVU is in solid position for the NCAA Tournament heading into this week. The key for them is simply to not screw up.
That having been said, the final five games could make things interesting. Only two are at home, against woeful Seton Hall and Cincinnati. But the Bearcats beat WVU by 13 at home in January, and the Pirates' pressure can make the game ugly enough to bother the generally patient Mountaineers.
Road games include trips to Georgetown, Pitt, and Providence. The first two are ranked, while the latter will be desperately seeking an NCAA trip of its own.
If the Mountaineers hold serve at home and get swept on the road, the team will finish the regular season at 21-8, 9-7. Would that alone be good enough to make the NCAAs? If so, it will be because of the one signature victory John Beilein's squad earned against UCLA.
NOTES, QUOTES
?The Mountaineers were once again outrebounded over the weekend, 44-33 to UCLA. However, the team helped its cause by getting 11 of those on the offensive end.
?West Virginia has one of the more balanced offensive attacks in the country. Five players average between 9.8 and 14.3 points per game.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "There have been a few times when we've had top-ranked teams come in here and we almost got there. That's the big thing here ? we got the momentum to have people come back." ? West Virginia coach John Beilein, after the victory over UCLA.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Even with injuries, coach John Beilein likes to have nine men available to see game action. This has meant consistent, though brief, stretches lately from Ted Talkington and Wellington Smith.
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? G Darris Nichols, G Joe Alexander, F Frank Young, F Alex Ruoff, C Rob Summers. Key Subs ? G/F Da'Sean Butler, C Jamie Smalligan.
GAME REVIEW:
West Virginia 81, Seton Hall 70
Pittsburgh 60, West Virginia 47
West Virginia 70, UCLA 65
GAME PREVIEW:
at Georgetown, Monday, Feb. 12
vs. Seton Hall, Saturday, Feb. 17
at Providence, Tuesday, Feb. 20
KEYS: If West Virginia stays patient on offense and gets good looks, it can beat any team in the country because everyone on the roster has the confidence to make big shots. But if it suffers lapses, it doesn't usually rebound enough to overcome them.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Sophomore G Ted Talkington isn't on scholarship, but a bunch of coaches have to be wondering how they couldn't have spots on their team for him. He only played four minutes of UCLA, but made the most of that time by knocking down two key buckets.
?Freshman G Joe Mazzulla has missed the past five games with a deep thigh bruise. The backup point guard may be available this week.
?Freshman F Da'Sean Butler is averaging 16.3 points over his last four games off the bench.
....................................................................
PITTSBURGH
VS top 25 [2-1]
VS top 50 [4-3]
GETTING INSIDE
Providence isn't one of the top-tier teams in the Big East, but the Friars gave the Panthers a test over the weekend by showing the team something it hasn't seen much of in conference play ? a man-to-man defense.
Teams tend to play zone against Pittsburgh to avoid problems matching up with Panthers center Aaron Gray. The Friars, however, were confident enough in their big bodies to roll the dice on defense, figuring that stopping the 3-point shooters was at least as important at managing the middle.
In this case, that didn't work. The Friars simply lost because Aaron Gray was too much inside. But a 74-68 victory won't be enough for coach Jamie Dixon to consider that particular challenge solved.
Gray got his third foul with 16 minutes to play, but stayed in the game and dominated in the second half. That's one of those coaching decisions that easily could have gone the other way; had Gray picked up his fourth foul soon afterward, the Panthers might have been in trouble.
The balance between Gray's inside play and the wing players outside shooting has been tough for foes to stop, but Pitt has struggled against physical play and quick backcourts.
Those issues will need to be addressed if this team is to finally break through and get to the Final Four.
NOTES, QUOTES
?The Panthers have been particularly strong away from home this season, entering the week on a five-game road winning streak.
?Pitt has held 10 of its 11 Big East opponents under 70 points, The one time it allowed a league foe to cross that barrier, it suffered its only league defeat of the season, losing to Marquette 77-74 in overtime.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "He's a smart player and they know when to look for him. We took the 3-pointers away from them but they made us pay inside." ? Providence coach Tim Welsh told the Associated Press after the Panthers beat his Friars.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Jamie Dixon often says he has nine starters to work in, but Tyrell Biggs is clearly last on that list. He's totaled just 11 minutes over the past three games.
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? F Levon Kendall, F Mike Cook, C Aaron Gray, G Levance Fields, G Antonio Graves. Key Subs ? G Ronald Ramon; F Sam Young
GAME REVIEW:
Pittsburgh 65, Villanova 59
Pittsburgh 60, West Virginia 47
Pittsburgh 74, Providence 68
GAME PREVIEW:
vs. Louisville, Monday, Feb. 12
vs. Washington, Saturday, Feb. 17
at Seton Hall, Monday, Feb. 19
KEYS: Pitt can beat anyone if it gets a balanced offensive attack, but it will be interesting to see what happens when teams somehow take Aaron Gray out of the game. Louisville presents a particular problem because its big men tend to drift outside, so Gray will have to be careful not to pick up cheap fouls. The matchup with Washington, a highly talented team with little or nothing to lose, could be interesting from that perspective. Talented freshman Spencer Hawes, if he's healthy, can put Gray on alert.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Junior G Mike Cook's 11 points against Providence broke a four-game streak of finishing in single digits in the scoring column. Still, he hasn't made more than four shots from the field since a Jan. 13 victory over Georgetown.
?Senior C Aaron Gray missed the last three minutes of the Providence game after landing hard following an intentional foul from Ray Hall. He said after the game that his back was stiff, but did not expect to miss any time.
?Sophomore G Levance Fields is fourth on the team in scoring, but hasn't been as good in Big East play at finding his shot. He's finished in double figures just twice in the past nine games.
_____________________________________________________________
USA TODAY....
