(PRE-GAME) West Virginia, Sat. Dec. 7, 12 NOON, FS-1, 970 WNYW

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Defensively (for us) they can hit threes and have more size than us inside so very tough matchup since our bench won't be a major factor against a team that does the same.

Heron and Roberts staying out of foul trouble seem like big factors in this game. Roberts is going to be challenged big time.
 
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[quote="Paul Massell" post=365925]Defensively (for us) they can hit threes and have more size than us inside so very tough matchup since our bench won't be a major factor against a team that does the same.

Heron and Roberts staying out of foul trouble seem like big factors in this game. Roberts is going to be challenged big time.[/quote]

They “only” make threes at a 30% clip but teams get hit against us. A link to conference stats to see what they do well and what they don’t.

https://static.big12sports.com/custompages/pdfs/mbasketball/Big12MBB_Stats.pdf
 
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I expect West Virginia to be at least a seven point favorite.
 
[quote="Andrew" post=365930]I expect West Virginia to be at least a seven point favorite.[/quote]

I'll go with half that (3.5).
 
Tough, but at home and winnable. Zona will be more difficult, so relatively important to set right frame of mind and take this one.
 
We can be in trouble if they bring the guy in the leather outfit with the skunk hat and the long gun. ;).
They are big and rebounding and turnovers will decide the game. On the surface, the stats of both teams are highly comparable. Should be an interesting test, hopefully folks show up rather than stay home to watch for college football such as Miami (Ohio) vs. Central Michigan. Big college playoffs don't start till 4PM, can be home by then.
 
[quote="Paul Massell" post=365929][quote="MCNPA" post=365927]
They “only” make threes at a 30% clip but teams get hit against us. A link to conference stats to see what they do well and what they don’t.
[URL]https://static.big12sports.com/custompages/pdfs/mbasketball/Big12MBB_Stats.pdf[/URL][/quote]

I was looking at this with thee kids shooting over 40% from three.

[URL]https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/277[/URL]

Since we don't have a lock down defender it only takes one hot hand.[/quote]

Aha, gotcha. As a team they’re only shoo ti nc 30% but certainly have a few good shooters.
 
Under Lav/Mullin this is the exact type of game we wouldn't really show up for. I know we are still rebuilding under a new coach, but winning a game like this would be absolutely huge for the program and for our confidence in CMA going forward. This is not a top 25 team. WVU is good but beatable IMO if we have Heron and LJ giving us a lot of scoring inside and out plus Roberts being Roberts and we will also probably need either Champ or Dunn/Rutherford to go off to have a real chance. We've been waiting to see this team put it all together with everyone playing at the top of their game. Hoping this will be the first time. Yes it's cool to pound cupcakes and makes us feel good, but we failed our first two tests vs. Vermont and ASU. Would hate to be 0-3 in the high profile games going into Arizona where we probably get blown out. We need 1 legit OOC win.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=365938]Under Lav/Mullin this is the exact type of game we wouldn't really show up for. I know we are still rebuilding under a new coach, but winning a game like this would be absolutely huge for the program and for our confidence in CMA going forward. This is not a top 25 team. WVU is good but beatable IMO if we have Heron and LJ giving us a lot of scoring inside and out plus Roberts being Roberts and we will also probably need either Champ or Dunn/Rutherford to go off to have a real chance. We've been waiting to see this team put it all together with everyone playing at the top of their game. Hoping this will be the first time. Yes it's cool to pound cupcakes and makes us feel good, but we failed our first two tests vs. Vermont and ASU. Would hate to be 0-3 in the high profile games going into Arizona where we probably get blown out. We need 1 legit OOC win.[/quote]

WVU is ranked #28 by AP, #34 by KenPom, and are #1 in RPI. I agree that beating them would be huge, but I wouldn't dismiss them as "not a top 25 team". They are a very strong opponent. If the season ended today they'd be safely in the Tournament with a good seed.
 
I've been pretty positive all season (I'm genuinely pleased with how the team and culture of the program has been progressing under Coach Anderson) so hopefully my cheerleading allows me one game to be pessimistic:

Yes, this game is winnable but I personally don't see it happening. I've watched West Virginia a little and for me, it's a combination of it being a bad matchup for us and West Virginia being underrated. They've been under the radar because they haven't had big games but don't let that fool you as they've played a significantly tougher schedule than us and are undefeated. We beat Umass. They've beaten Pitt, Wichita State and two very tough mid-majors in Rhody & Northern Iowa. They have the entire week to rest and prepare for us and they're coming into the Garden knowing that if they beat us they'll be ranked on Monday. They won't be looking past us. We're their biggest game for the next month. They're coming to play.

While I respect Mike's opinion, I disagree and do think this is a Top 25 team. I think in the end they'll be a top 4 team in the Big12 and be ranked. They're very tough inside with Tshiebwe & Culver and they don't press a much as the classic "Press Virginia" teams but their press is good and Huggins uses it as needed. I think he'll scout us and press often. I'm not saying we can't win I'm just saying I'm not a true believer yet. That being said, I can see a situation where the 2nd half of the St Pete's game lights a fire under our ass and we come ready to play. Would be a fantastic win and I'll be rooting hard at 9AM my time.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=365934]Tough, but at home and winnable. Zona will be more difficult, so relatively important to set right frame of mind and take this one.[/quote]

Any house betting on this one?;)
 
I'm with Queensball on this one. It would be a huge win for us and certainly one that's not out of the question at MSG. On the other hand, I just see it as a very tough matchup and also think this is a better WV team than we've seen the last few years. We have to take care of the ball, get big games from both our stars and Roberts will need to play the game of his life underneath while staying out of foul trouble. Hoping for the best.
 
Gonna be an interesting game. I believe we will shorten our rotation using only Dunn, Earlington and Caraher off the bench.
WVU, as stated, is strong on the boards. Earlington should help against their beefy front line. Do not understand his diminished minutes the last two games.

Dunn is our ONLY penetrater. As a point guard the ball gets stuck in his hands too much. Give the ball up.
Hopefully Caraher has a hot hand. We these 3 subs I believe this game is doable.
 
[quote="Mike Zaun" post=365938]Under Lav/Mullin this is the exact type of game we wouldn't really show up for. I know we are still rebuilding under a new coach, but winning a game like this would be absolutely huge for the program and for our confidence in CMA going forward. This is not a top 25 team. WVU is good but beatable IMO if we have Heron and LJ giving us a lot of scoring inside and out plus Roberts being Roberts and we will also probably need either Champ or Dunn/Rutherford to go off to have a real chance. We've been waiting to see this team put it all together with everyone playing at the top of their game. Hoping this will be the first time. Yes it's cool to pound cupcakes and makes us feel good, but we failed our first two tests vs. Vermont and ASU. Would hate to be 0-3 in the high profile games going into Arizona where we probably get blown out. We need 1 legit OOC win.[/quote]

Wouldn't show up for???? That is a pretty inaccurate statement.
 
Yes it would be nice, but think we are asking a lot for this young team to win If we just be competitive would not be a step backward
 
[quote="Rehobie" post=365951]Gonna be an interesting game. I believe we will shorten our rotation using only Dunn, Earlington and Caraher off the bench.
WVU, as stated, is strong on the boards. Earlington should help against their beefy front line. Do not understand his diminished minutes the last two games.

Dunn is our ONLY penetrater. As a point guard the ball gets stuck in his hands too much. Give the ball up.
Hopefully Caraher has a hot hand. We these 3 subs I believe this game is doable.[/quote]

Not sure but it seems Earlington was taken out pretty quickly and never came back in the 2nd half for throwing up a 3 after one pass. I know we had an outstanding assists to baskets ratio last night but we take the first shot that shows too often IMO. One of the things about playing with a lead is to play smarter, maybe even a little slower if the break isn't there, because teams have a tendency to be impatient on defense when playing from behind and break down trying to make the home run play. Easier said than done though but the fact is we have 3 experienced players doing a lot of the ball handling yet our most poised player continues to be Champagnie.
 
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[quote="Rehobie" post=365951]Gonna be an interesting game. I believe we will shorten our rotation using only Dunn, Earlington and Caraher off the bench.
WVU, as stated, is strong on the boards. Earlington should help against their beefy front line. Do not understand his diminished minutes the last two games.

Dunn is our ONLY penetrater. As a point guard the ball gets stuck in his hands too much. Give the ball up.
Hopefully Caraher has a hot hand. We these 3 subs I believe this game is doable.[/quote]

I tend to doubt shortening the rotation is in the game plan. IMO the depth is the only consistent strength of the team so far and Heron getting into foul trouble has made it even more important. Against WVU it seems counter-intuitive to shorten the bench. I agree with you about both Earlington and Dunn.
 
[quote="Paul Massell" post=365958][quote="Rehobie" post=365951]Gonna be an interesting game. I believe we will shorten our rotation using only Dunn, Earlington and Caraher off the bench.
WVU, as stated, is strong on the boards. Earlington should help against their beefy front line. Do not understand his diminished minutes the last two games.

Dunn is our ONLY penetrater. As a point guard the ball gets stuck in his hands too much. Give the ball up.
Hopefully Caraher has a hot hand. We these 3 subs I believe this game is doable.[/quote]

I tend to doubt shortening the rotation is in the game plan. IMO the depth is the only consistent strength of the team so far and Heron getting into foul trouble has made it even more important. Against WVU it seems counter-intuitive to shorten the bench. I agree with you about both Earlington and Dunn.[/quote]

Agree here. It’s one of our few strengths this season. We might tighten it a little bit, and when Steere is ready to play, it will get tightened further, but we need to use our depth. I’ve never been a fan of teams that tighten their roster a ton and don’t use a valuable commodity in their bench. I hope
mike Anderson continues to utilize what he has available.
 
I can hear Anderson at cA yelling at him not to take jump shots, especially 3's. Probably the main reason he got pulled.
 
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