DeHaven Projections through 2/18 games (assumes cutoff for at large bids will be two #12 seeds):
1's Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke
2's Villanova, Purdue, West Virginia, Kansas St
3's Georgetown, Ohio St., BYU, New Mexico
4's Temple, Pittsburgh, Texas, Wisconsin
5's Butler, Gonzaga, Baylor, Xavier
6's Maryland, Michigan St., Vanderbilt, Texas A&M
7's Tennessee, Northern Iowa, Missouri, Wake Forest
8's Clemson, Florida St.,Marquette, Richmond
9's Florida, UTEP, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
10's California, Oklahoma St., Louisville, UNLV
11's St. Mary's, Illinois, Cornell, UConn
12's Old Dominion, Rhode Island
On the verge (no order): Mississippi St., Dayton, Charlotte, Siena, San Diego St., UAB, Utah St., Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Arizona St.
Big East: 8
ACC: 7
Big 12: 7
Big 10: 5
A10: 4
SEC: 4
MWC: 3
WCC: 2
Pac 10: 1
Other: 5
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Mountaineers lose to UConn
The Mountaineers once again fell behind big early in a game (15). I don't know why they continue to dig big holes against good teams, but they were not able to climb out of this one. In the first half WV was outrebounded heavily. If the Mountaineers don't win the glass they are going to lose almost every time. WV rebounded much better in the second half and made a game of it, but couldn't come all the way back. Again Mountaineer foul shooting really hurt (12-23) their chances. Butler had a very poor game overall and that spells trouble considering WV's reliance on him. Ebanks had a fairly strong game with 17 points (7-9 from the filed) and 9 rebounds. In fact, he's scored in double figures six games in a row after scoring ten or more just once in the previous six. Perhaps he is rounding into form after a disappointing start to the season. When I look at the Mountaineers there is really only one thing they do really well - rebound. They can't penetrate and they can't stop the other team from penetrating. Maybe they are underachieving or maybe they are not as talented as we thought at the beginning of the season. Stopping dribble penetration may be a matter of a lack of heart or discipline, but not being able to drive to the bucket is usually a lack of raw talent and quickness. I think that even though the Mountaineers may be an athletic team in some ways, they are not a quick team. I've felt for some time that they were not a top 10 team despite the ranking. I think they'll beat Cincinnati, but lose at home to Georgetown and on the road to Villanova, which would finish them at 22-8 (11-7) and probably more in the 15-20 range where they belong. Depending on how they do in the Big East tournament, they could be anywhere from a 3-6 seed in the NCAA's unless they really surprise me. If they drop below a 3, I think they will be a prime target for an early round upset. They don't have the guard play, quickness, or the foul shooting to be a great tournament team.
Monday, February 22, 2010
NCAA update
I usually start with a take on the Mountaineers because more WV fans read this than Spiders' fans. The Spiders deserve it though. It's not because they won their eighth in a row or because they are now ranked in both polls or that they lead the A-10, all of which are nice of course. It's because they did something I thought not possible - they nearly filled the arena in a non televised game against a mediocre non rival team (GW). Ever since I came to Richmond 10 years ago such a game would have fallen just short of filling the Robins Center halfway up (around 4,500). Saturday night, however, the Spiders drew over 9,000 fans. The most attended game I've seen is when the Spiders hosted WV in an NIT game, but it wasn't close to 9,000. In fact, according to the local paper, it was the highest attended game since hosting Syracuse in a quarterfinal NIT game many moons ago. Have people finally bought into Richmond basketball? I don't know, but I hope so. As for the team, they have a week off before traveling to Xavier, an extremely tough game. Their win streak will be in serious jeopardy. As for the Spiders play, they had a close game against an inferior opponent, something they hadn't done recently. Still, Kevin Anderson remains a man you can count on in the clutch. He had 24 points including the game winning jumper. George Washington's coach said, "The last 8 minutes of the game, it was just Anderson making plays". Many other coaches could say the same this season. The Spiders may only need one more win to get into the tournament (including that A-10 tourney), two should definitely do it.
The Mountaineers handled Providence and Seton Hall as they should, though they fell asleep at the wheel towards the end of the game against Seton Hall. Still it was two wins that keep them in good shape for the double bye. Butler continues to struggle from the free throw line in the clutch, but this time his teammates picked him up. The best news from the week was that Mazzulla was 5-6 from the line. That may be a sign that his shoulder is getting stronger and his touch is coming back. Could he perhaps be hoisting threes come tourney time? We'll see. If not, at least decent foul shooting will allow him to be on the court as an extra ball handler to preserve a lead. Kilicli continues to show flashes of brilliance, but his defense is too aggressive for his slow feet. Ebanks, Jones, and Smith had a nice week to compliment Butler.
Up next is at Connecticut tonight. It's an interesting game because WV has consistently beaten teams down in the standings while struggling against top tier talent. UConn is down in the standings, but has top tier talent and is playing much better since Calhoun has returned the bench. The Huskies will be fighting for the NCAA tourney lives tonight. I expect a close game. I give a slight edge to the Mountaineers.
On a personal note, I look at the rankings and Kentucky (3rd favorite team) is 2nd, WV is 8th, and Richmond is 23rd. It has never been so universally sweet.
Only a family note, my pops would love to chime in on the blog. However, his keyboarding and computer skills are keeping him down. He has tried a couple of times only to fall victim to frustration. So, to the best of my memory, I'll try to relay his thoughts below according to our phone conversation. By the way, he turned a very feisty 52 yesterday. Happy Birthday dad!!!
According to my dad or as many of you know him, Spud - the legend:
I am a huge Bobby Huggins fans. I love listening to the guy and I think he would be great to play for. I know the Mountaineers are ranked 8th, but I still feel like they are underachievers. People want to run Bill Stewart out of town, but he did about as well as could be expected for what he had this year. Huggins has one of the most talented teams at West Virginia and they haven't lived up to it. The most frustrating part is that they don't play defense. Huggins' teams usually, if nothing else, play excellent defense. Bryant doesn't play any defense, Ebanks doesn't play any defense, and Butler commits stupid fouls. I don't see them going very far in the tournament. They rely on Butler way too much in the clutch. They don't shoot free throws well. They say Ebanks may come out next year, but he's not ready. He'd get eaten up. For as good as they could be, they are hard to watch.
The Mountaineers handled Providence and Seton Hall as they should, though they fell asleep at the wheel towards the end of the game against Seton Hall. Still it was two wins that keep them in good shape for the double bye. Butler continues to struggle from the free throw line in the clutch, but this time his teammates picked him up. The best news from the week was that Mazzulla was 5-6 from the line. That may be a sign that his shoulder is getting stronger and his touch is coming back. Could he perhaps be hoisting threes come tourney time? We'll see. If not, at least decent foul shooting will allow him to be on the court as an extra ball handler to preserve a lead. Kilicli continues to show flashes of brilliance, but his defense is too aggressive for his slow feet. Ebanks, Jones, and Smith had a nice week to compliment Butler.
Up next is at Connecticut tonight. It's an interesting game because WV has consistently beaten teams down in the standings while struggling against top tier talent. UConn is down in the standings, but has top tier talent and is playing much better since Calhoun has returned the bench. The Huskies will be fighting for the NCAA tourney lives tonight. I expect a close game. I give a slight edge to the Mountaineers.
On a personal note, I look at the rankings and Kentucky (3rd favorite team) is 2nd, WV is 8th, and Richmond is 23rd. It has never been so universally sweet.
Only a family note, my pops would love to chime in on the blog. However, his keyboarding and computer skills are keeping him down. He has tried a couple of times only to fall victim to frustration. So, to the best of my memory, I'll try to relay his thoughts below according to our phone conversation. By the way, he turned a very feisty 52 yesterday. Happy Birthday dad!!!
According to my dad or as many of you know him, Spud - the legend:
I am a huge Bobby Huggins fans. I love listening to the guy and I think he would be great to play for. I know the Mountaineers are ranked 8th, but I still feel like they are underachievers. People want to run Bill Stewart out of town, but he did about as well as could be expected for what he had this year. Huggins has one of the most talented teams at West Virginia and they haven't lived up to it. The most frustrating part is that they don't play defense. Huggins' teams usually, if nothing else, play excellent defense. Bryant doesn't play any defense, Ebanks doesn't play any defense, and Butler commits stupid fouls. I don't see them going very far in the tournament. They rely on Butler way too much in the clutch. They don't shoot free throws well. They say Ebanks may come out next year, but he's not ready. He'd get eaten up. For as good as they could be, they are hard to watch.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Projections 2/19
DeHaven Projections through 2/18 games (assumes cutoff for at large bids will be two #12 seeds):
1's Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova
2's Duke, Purdue, West Virginia, Kansas St
3's Georgetown, Temple, BYU, New Mexico
4's Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Texas, Michigan St.
5's Gonzaga, Baylor, Ohio St., Wake Forest
6's Tennessee, Wisconsin, Butler, Texas A&M
7's Northern Iowa, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Xavier
8's Georgia Tech, Florida St., Maryland, Richmond
9's St. Mary's, Old Dominion, Dayton, UNLV
10's Clemson, UTEP, Louisville, Maquette
11's Oklahoma St., Cornell, Rhode Island, Florida
12's California, Illinois
On the verge (no order): Mississippi , Charlotte, Siena, South Florida, UAB, Utah St., Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Miss. St.
Big East: 7
ACC: 7
Big 12: 7
A10: 5
SEC: 4
Big 10: 5
MWC: 3
WCC: 2
Pac 10: 1
Other: 5
1's Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova
2's Duke, Purdue, West Virginia, Kansas St
3's Georgetown, Temple, BYU, New Mexico
4's Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Texas, Michigan St.
5's Gonzaga, Baylor, Ohio St., Wake Forest
6's Tennessee, Wisconsin, Butler, Texas A&M
7's Northern Iowa, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Xavier
8's Georgia Tech, Florida St., Maryland, Richmond
9's St. Mary's, Old Dominion, Dayton, UNLV
10's Clemson, UTEP, Louisville, Maquette
11's Oklahoma St., Cornell, Rhode Island, Florida
12's California, Illinois
On the verge (no order): Mississippi , Charlotte, Siena, South Florida, UAB, Utah St., Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Miss. St.
Big East: 7
ACC: 7
Big 12: 7
A10: 5
SEC: 4
Big 10: 5
MWC: 3
WCC: 2
Pac 10: 1
Other: 5
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Basketball weekend recap
It was a rough week for Mountaineer fans. First they were outclassed at home versus Villanova and then they gave the game away against Pittsburgh. This wasn't the first time the Mountaineers seemed to have a game wrapped up only to see it go to overtime. Seton Hall did the same thing against them earlier in the year. The Mountaineers are not a great foul shooting team and they do not have strong guard play. The combination makes the team susceptible to comebacks. Mazzulla unfortunately can't be on the floor offensively because he has to be one of the worst free throw shooters in the country (37.5%). A big reason for that is his injury, but he would likely only be around 65% even if healthy, which also is not very good. It comes down to Bryant, Butler, and Ebanks handling the ball. Butler has made clutch shots this year, but his two front ends of one and ones weren't close. It was a choke job. The Mountaineers also missed the other front end as well. The most disturbing thing is that they quit rebounding and playing defense down the stretch. Kilicli has not looked very good since his impressive debut and the Mountaineers continue to struggle to get bench production, which is odd since depth seemed to be a strength of the team. Butler is certainly the best scorer, but they seem to rely on him too much, particularly down the stretch. He also continues to commit dumb fouls and then run around the court with his arms up in the air like it was some crazy call when it was really quite an easy call and obvious foul. He has had this fouling issue since early in his career. I actually think that Bryant has to become more of a force on the offensive end, which is a little scary. I don't particularly want him shooting more, but he is one of the few that can penetrate. He needs to drive and dish. Can he do that effectively? I'm not sure, but they need somebody to do that. Still, the bottom line is defense. It must improve. The Mountaineers have dropped into a 3 seed and better gather themselves for a tough stretch run or it will continue to drop. They have not handled the elite competition well this year, so they need a high seed if they want to go deep in the tourney. This week the Mountaineers go to Providence and host Seton Hall. They need to win a couple here because it gets much tougher after that.
The Spiders are ranked for the first time in 24 years (#25). They lead the A-10 at 9-2 and are 20-6 overall with 6 straight wins. I continue to rave about Kevin Anderson. In their blowout win against St. Bonaventure he scored 6 points in 34 minutes, very unimpressive. However, that's the thing about this guy, the bigger the moment the better he is. There was no need for him to take over that game and he is not a stat hog. Gonzalvez is also solid. In many ways the Spiders and Mountaineers are polar opposites. The Spiders shoot it well, have great guard play, but struggle on the glass while the Mountaineers are great on the boards, but struggle shooting and handling the ball. The thing that concerns me is the rebounding. In the Spiders two big recent wins (Temple, Rhode Island) they shot 58%. That's just not going to happen most games. They were heavily outrebounded in both games, which is odd since the Spiders weren't missing many shots. The Spiders have worked their way up around a 7 seed and have a couple of easy games where they must not stumble this week before an extremely difficult finish. They are in great shape for the tournament, but they must close.
The Spiders are ranked for the first time in 24 years (#25). They lead the A-10 at 9-2 and are 20-6 overall with 6 straight wins. I continue to rave about Kevin Anderson. In their blowout win against St. Bonaventure he scored 6 points in 34 minutes, very unimpressive. However, that's the thing about this guy, the bigger the moment the better he is. There was no need for him to take over that game and he is not a stat hog. Gonzalvez is also solid. In many ways the Spiders and Mountaineers are polar opposites. The Spiders shoot it well, have great guard play, but struggle on the glass while the Mountaineers are great on the boards, but struggle shooting and handling the ball. The thing that concerns me is the rebounding. In the Spiders two big recent wins (Temple, Rhode Island) they shot 58%. That's just not going to happen most games. They were heavily outrebounded in both games, which is odd since the Spiders weren't missing many shots. The Spiders have worked their way up around a 7 seed and have a couple of easy games where they must not stumble this week before an extremely difficult finish. They are in great shape for the tournament, but they must close.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tourney Projections through 2/10
DeHaven Projections through 2/10 games (assumes cutoff for at large bids will be two #12 seeds):
1's Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova
2's Duke, Purdue, West Virginia, Georgetown
3's Kansas St., Texas, BYU, New Mexico
4's Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Michigan St.
5's Temple, Northern Iowa, Tennessee, Ohio St.
6's Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Butler, Baylor
7's Texas A&M, Missouri, Xavier, Cornell
8's St. Mary's, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Maryland
9's Georgia Tech, UNLV, Richmond, Mississippi
10's Rhode Island, Dayton, Florida, UAB
11's Siena, Florida St., Louisville, Charlotte
12's California, Clemson
On the verge (no order): Old Dominion, UTEP, Oklahoma St., South Florida, Illinois
Big East: 7
ACC: 7
Big 12: 6
A10: 6
SEC: 5
Big 10: 4
MWC: 3
WCC: 2
Pac 10: 1
Other: 5
1's Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova
2's Duke, Purdue, West Virginia, Georgetown
3's Kansas St., Texas, BYU, New Mexico
4's Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Michigan St.
5's Temple, Northern Iowa, Tennessee, Ohio St.
6's Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Butler, Baylor
7's Texas A&M, Missouri, Xavier, Cornell
8's St. Mary's, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Maryland
9's Georgia Tech, UNLV, Richmond, Mississippi
10's Rhode Island, Dayton, Florida, UAB
11's Siena, Florida St., Louisville, Charlotte
12's California, Clemson
On the verge (no order): Old Dominion, UTEP, Oklahoma St., South Florida, Illinois
Big East: 7
ACC: 7
Big 12: 6
A10: 6
SEC: 5
Big 10: 4
MWC: 3
WCC: 2
Pac 10: 1
Other: 5
NCAA Basketball 2/11
The Mountaineers once again got off to a dismal start, only this time the opponent, Villanova, was to good to allow the Mountaineers to recover from their early trouble. To me the Mountaineers looked outclassed against a top notched team yet again. Two of those games have come at home. West Virginia's remaining games are at Pitt, at Providence, vs Seton Hall, at UConn, vs Cincy, vs Georgetown, at Villanova. It's possible the Mountaineers could have a losing record in those games if they are not really a top 10 team. It will be interesting to see how it plays out because their resume is one of a #2 seed right now, but I feel like they are more of a #4 seed team and it may play out that way if they lose a few of these down the stretch. They just don't seem to have quite enough fire power or an ability to guard to be really dangerous. It's the latter of those two that has continued to perplex me. I suppose they might not be as athletic as I once thought. Wellington Smith is a microcosm of this. A couple of years ago I would have said he was very athletic with high end potential but he would need to learn how to shoot. I remember some of his dunks and blocks bringing comparisons to Joe Alexander. He has turned into a spot up three point shooter. Really? How did that happen? I'm not sure what the answer or if there is one, but for a team ranked in the top 10 much of the year, I find it difficult to be optimistic about a deep tourney run. If nothing else, it would be nice if they swept the Panthers this year. As the chant goes, eat s___ Pitt!
The Spiders won a big road game at Rhode Island. This puts them more around a 8 or 9 seed and solidly in at this point. They continue to be a little weak on the boards and with inside scoring, but their guard play is outstanding. A team with good guard play can be dangerous in the tournament. They don't have the talent to handle a #1 seed should they draw into that 8 or 9 slot, but perhaps a 2 or 3 could go down to the hands of the Spiders. It may be the best team I have seen since coming to Richmond and Kevin Anderson the best player. I've thought that even before the season started, but at 19-6 (8-2) and tied for the conference lead, the results are beginning to back it up. They have 3 relatively easy games coming up (@ St. Bonaventure, vs Fordham, vs GW) before a real tough stretch to finish (@ Xavier, vs Dayton, and @ Charlotte). Hopefully the Spiders can win the next three and then they should really only need one of the final three to feel good about their NCAA chances.
The Spiders won a big road game at Rhode Island. This puts them more around a 8 or 9 seed and solidly in at this point. They continue to be a little weak on the boards and with inside scoring, but their guard play is outstanding. A team with good guard play can be dangerous in the tournament. They don't have the talent to handle a #1 seed should they draw into that 8 or 9 slot, but perhaps a 2 or 3 could go down to the hands of the Spiders. It may be the best team I have seen since coming to Richmond and Kevin Anderson the best player. I've thought that even before the season started, but at 19-6 (8-2) and tied for the conference lead, the results are beginning to back it up. They have 3 relatively easy games coming up (@ St. Bonaventure, vs Fordham, vs GW) before a real tough stretch to finish (@ Xavier, vs Dayton, and @ Charlotte). Hopefully the Spiders can win the next three and then they should really only need one of the final three to feel good about their NCAA chances.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sports weekend recap
Before moving on to college basketball, I wouldn't be a sports' fan if I didn't mention the Super Bowl. I like Brees and Manning and both teams fine, so I had a hard time pulling for either one of them. I'm glad I didn't post a prediction, because I wouldn't have had the Saints winning, but quirky things happen in the Super Bowl. The decision to go for it on fourth and goal at the end of the first half by the Saints worked out perfectly even though they didn't get it. Manning had no chance to score and the Saints got 3 anyway. The onside kick then changed the whole complexion of the game. Then the Colts set Stover out for a 50+ yarder. They should have sent out our boy McAfee who is much better from long distance. In the end, Manning made a mistake that Brees did not. I still feel like the Colts are the better team and would win 7 out of 10, but they didn't win the one that counted. Manning's legacy is still an interesting one at this point. He will go down as one of the all time greats and perhaps the greatest regular season quarterback, but despite one Super Bowl win his post season results are still not that impressive. Sure, he got to the Colts to the Super Bowl this year, but he only had to beat the 5 and 6 seeds at home (Ravens, Jets) to do it. I hope he wins one or two more because I'm not quite sure he's gotten that "not a big game quarterback" monkey off his back. If I had to take one quarterback in the league right now as my Super Bowl starter, he would be my #5 guy - and I like him; I'm not a hater. Congrats to Brees and the Saints. Brees is a classic case of when something happens that seems bad turns out to be a really good thing. Getting pushed out of San Diego (aka Loserville) gave him the opportunity to win the big one. Good for him.
Back to the hardwood. WV played a terrible first half only to thrash the Johnnies in the second behind ridiculous shooting from Butler (7-7 from 3 point range). Bryant had a poor offensive shooting game, but he had just one turnover which is the most important number for him. The Mounties host Villanova tonight and a win could put them in contention for a #1 seed. Just as importantly it would go a long way to solidifying finishing in the top 4 of the Big East and receiving a double bye in the tournament. It will be an interesting game; we'll see if WVU can hang with one of the best in the nation.
I managed to make it out to the Richmond game Saturday and I'm glad I did. I was able to witness the Spiders spank the Owls and move solidly onto the right side of the bubble. They have a big game at Rhode Island this week, but even if they lose it shouldn't hurt too much. URI is a top 15 RPI team. Anderson continues to impress me. The guy is clutch and just a stud. The Spiders will have him for one more year and if he's on the court then Richmond has a chance.
Back to the hardwood. WV played a terrible first half only to thrash the Johnnies in the second behind ridiculous shooting from Butler (7-7 from 3 point range). Bryant had a poor offensive shooting game, but he had just one turnover which is the most important number for him. The Mounties host Villanova tonight and a win could put them in contention for a #1 seed. Just as importantly it would go a long way to solidifying finishing in the top 4 of the Big East and receiving a double bye in the tournament. It will be an interesting game; we'll see if WVU can hang with one of the best in the nation.
I managed to make it out to the Richmond game Saturday and I'm glad I did. I was able to witness the Spiders spank the Owls and move solidly onto the right side of the bubble. They have a big game at Rhode Island this week, but even if they lose it shouldn't hurt too much. URI is a top 15 RPI team. Anderson continues to impress me. The guy is clutch and just a stud. The Spiders will have him for one more year and if he's on the court then Richmond has a chance.
Friday, February 5, 2010
NCAA Football Signing Day
I thought I'd do a quick take on college football since signing day was this week. ESPN did not have a single team from the Big East in the top 25. Rivals, who I trust a little more when it comes to grading high school football talent, had WV at #19. I still have major questions about Bill Stewart's ability to lead and coach the Mounties, but he appears to be doing a fine job recruiting, really as good as anyone has done at WVU. So, we'll see what the talent brings. Zook had a top recruiting class upon coming to Illinois and his team still stinks because he's a bad coach. There are also teams that don't get that top level talent that are consistently good because of coaching, so I'm not sure how much weight to put on these rankings. I do know this, having a top 25 recruiting class can't hurt. My main concern is that the Big East continues to be lackluster in its recruiting as a conference. After WV, Pitt comes in at 33, Louisville 51, Cincy 59, USF 62, Rutgers 64, Syracuse 78, and UConn 84. Considering that there are 65 teams in the 6 power conferences, that's a pretty poor showing. I do like WV at the top of the Big East, but I wish more talent was coming to the conference. As for WV's class, the four stars recruits included a QB, LB, 2 WR's, and OL. The lone 5 start recruit is a DB, Latwan Anderson who, according to the sites, has only verbally committed to WV. Ryan could probably offer a little more insight if he was willing to lend his time.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
NCAA Basketball Season to date Summary
We are less than 4 weeks away from March and the Madness that will ensue. I look forward to analyzing and predicting the layout of the NCAA tournament. First, however, let's take a look at the season to date of my primary two teams of interest - WVU and UR.
West Virginia is ranked sixth and in line for a #2 seed at this point, so obviously there shouldn't be much to complain about. It certainly makes Mountaineer nation very happy to see them stomp their rivals Pittsburgh last night. Pitt is a little down this year, but that was still a good win. In fact it is their best win outside of an earlier win at home versus Ohio St. This makes me wonder how good West Virginia is and of what they are capable. I would like to consider them a national title contender. Perhaps they are if the pieces fall into place just right. Other results against ranked opponents include a pounding they took to the hands of Purdue at their place and a narrow one point loss to Syracuse at home. However that loss is a little deceiving since Syracuse led by 10 with 1:20 to go and by 6 with just 7 seconds remaining. West Virginia looked outclassed by both of those teams. The Notre Dame loss was a bad one, but I'm willing to throw out one bad game. So, to me it appears that WVU is a solid top 15 team but it remains to be seen if they can handle to the top teams in the land and make a run at a title. I would say no if it were not for the addition of Kilicli. He has now served his suspension and I'm anxious to see what he can do. His stats in his debut were impressive (I did not get to see the game since it was not on in Richmond). I also think that Truck Bryant has really settled down of late and become more reliable with his ball handling and distribution. That has been huge for the Mountaineers. I still have two concerns. The first is that the defense has been a bit disappointing from a Huggins coached team. In fact Louisville appeared to be leaving Morgantown with a win until the Mountaineers changed to a 1-3-1 (coached by Mazzulla) and confused them. I'd like to see the man to man defense improve. Secondly is that they lack slashers. If teams can get up into the faces of the Mountaineers they struggle. On some positive notes, Wellington Smith's three point shooting is a welcome surprise, Kevin Jones is much improved, and Butler seems to finding his stroke lately. So we'll see where they go from here. I'll be disappointed if they miss the sweet 16 and I'm hoping for a trip to the final 4.
Richmond is a bubble team at 17-6. Lunardi has them on the inside of that bubble right now. The team is a bit perplexing and inconsistent. They have some nice wins and questionable losses. They entertain Temple this weekend and go to Rhode Island, a couple of big games for them. Kevin Anderson is a terrific point guard (if he were on the Mountaineers, WV would be in much better shape), Gonzalvez is a nice 2 though he is very streaky, and Harper has been more consistent with scoring this year and improved on his strength inside to go with his 6-8 frame. Butler gives them good reliable minutes. The pleasant surprise and big disappointment have come at the same position, center. Dan Geriot was returning from a redshirt year with big expectations. He was supposed to be the missing piece to put the team over the top since he lead the team in scoring and rebounding two years ago. He has been a shell of his former self. However, Darrius Garrett has stepped up and been impressive. He is a shot blocking force and moves well defensively. Offensively he's much improved from his freshman season but still has a long way to go to be a threat inside. Who gets the majority of the minutes should depend on the matchup the opponent presents as Geriot still has superior offensive skills. I like the look of the team more with Garrett on the floor, however. I will be disappointed if the Spiders miss the tournament, but it could go either way right now. The A-10 is solid with 3 teams (Temple, Rhode Island, Xavier) almost assured of a bid and another 3 (Dayton, Charlotte, Richmond) aiming for a bid. The Spiders have to make it happen down the stretch. If they can get in, the Spiders could make some noise in the tournament considering their strong guard play.
Weekend games:
WV @ St. Johns - I would think the Mountaineers would not have much problems there.
UR vs Temple - I plan on attending this game, it's a big game and a measuring stick for the team. I think they come up with a big win.
West Virginia is ranked sixth and in line for a #2 seed at this point, so obviously there shouldn't be much to complain about. It certainly makes Mountaineer nation very happy to see them stomp their rivals Pittsburgh last night. Pitt is a little down this year, but that was still a good win. In fact it is their best win outside of an earlier win at home versus Ohio St. This makes me wonder how good West Virginia is and of what they are capable. I would like to consider them a national title contender. Perhaps they are if the pieces fall into place just right. Other results against ranked opponents include a pounding they took to the hands of Purdue at their place and a narrow one point loss to Syracuse at home. However that loss is a little deceiving since Syracuse led by 10 with 1:20 to go and by 6 with just 7 seconds remaining. West Virginia looked outclassed by both of those teams. The Notre Dame loss was a bad one, but I'm willing to throw out one bad game. So, to me it appears that WVU is a solid top 15 team but it remains to be seen if they can handle to the top teams in the land and make a run at a title. I would say no if it were not for the addition of Kilicli. He has now served his suspension and I'm anxious to see what he can do. His stats in his debut were impressive (I did not get to see the game since it was not on in Richmond). I also think that Truck Bryant has really settled down of late and become more reliable with his ball handling and distribution. That has been huge for the Mountaineers. I still have two concerns. The first is that the defense has been a bit disappointing from a Huggins coached team. In fact Louisville appeared to be leaving Morgantown with a win until the Mountaineers changed to a 1-3-1 (coached by Mazzulla) and confused them. I'd like to see the man to man defense improve. Secondly is that they lack slashers. If teams can get up into the faces of the Mountaineers they struggle. On some positive notes, Wellington Smith's three point shooting is a welcome surprise, Kevin Jones is much improved, and Butler seems to finding his stroke lately. So we'll see where they go from here. I'll be disappointed if they miss the sweet 16 and I'm hoping for a trip to the final 4.
Richmond is a bubble team at 17-6. Lunardi has them on the inside of that bubble right now. The team is a bit perplexing and inconsistent. They have some nice wins and questionable losses. They entertain Temple this weekend and go to Rhode Island, a couple of big games for them. Kevin Anderson is a terrific point guard (if he were on the Mountaineers, WV would be in much better shape), Gonzalvez is a nice 2 though he is very streaky, and Harper has been more consistent with scoring this year and improved on his strength inside to go with his 6-8 frame. Butler gives them good reliable minutes. The pleasant surprise and big disappointment have come at the same position, center. Dan Geriot was returning from a redshirt year with big expectations. He was supposed to be the missing piece to put the team over the top since he lead the team in scoring and rebounding two years ago. He has been a shell of his former self. However, Darrius Garrett has stepped up and been impressive. He is a shot blocking force and moves well defensively. Offensively he's much improved from his freshman season but still has a long way to go to be a threat inside. Who gets the majority of the minutes should depend on the matchup the opponent presents as Geriot still has superior offensive skills. I like the look of the team more with Garrett on the floor, however. I will be disappointed if the Spiders miss the tournament, but it could go either way right now. The A-10 is solid with 3 teams (Temple, Rhode Island, Xavier) almost assured of a bid and another 3 (Dayton, Charlotte, Richmond) aiming for a bid. The Spiders have to make it happen down the stretch. If they can get in, the Spiders could make some noise in the tournament considering their strong guard play.
Weekend games:
WV @ St. Johns - I would think the Mountaineers would not have much problems there.
UR vs Temple - I plan on attending this game, it's a big game and a measuring stick for the team. I think they come up with a big win.
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