Lessons Learned
March 08, 2004 04:37 PM | General
March 8, 2004
HARTFORD, Conn. – West Virginia learned a valuable lesson in its first game against Villanova back on Feb. 17.
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| Michelle Carter says adjustments made from the first game helped the Mountaineers upset the No. 23-rated Wildcats Sunday night. (Big East/Bob Stowell photo) |
Concerned with Villanova’s inside players, Mountaineer coach Mike Carey made a concerted effort to double down in the post every time the ball went into the paint. That left the wings open and the Wildcats made West Virginia pay dearly, making 11 of 23 three-point attempts in registering a 74-67 win.
Sunday night Carey wasn’t going to fall into the same trap. He instructed his guards to stick with Villanova’s shooters and for post players Michelle Carter and Janell Dunlap to hold their ground in the paint.
The result: Villanova made just 3 of 22 three-point shot attempts and West Virginia came away with a memorable 58-47 victory Sunday night to advance to tonight’s second semifinal game against Rutgers at 8 pm.
Carter and Dunlap were monsters in the paint for West Virginia against Villanova, combining for 25 points and 20 rebounds. For the game, West Virginia out-rebounded Villanova 45-25. The Mountaineers were so effective down low that they attempted only one three-point field goal attempt. Prior to that, West Virginia’s fewest three-point tries were nine in a road win at Pitt.
Senior Michelle Carter says the team really sensed it could win the game at the start of the second half, “The first half I don’t think we played up to our capability,” she said. “The second half we picked it up a couple more notches than we did in the first half. We came together and said, ‘We’re not going to lose this game.’”
West Virginia has had trouble beating Villanova in the past, dropping eight straight to the Wildcats and last winning in Morgantown in 1998.
Carter says the frustration was beginning to mount, “Not beating them really got us fired up to play them,” she said. “Another thing is that they were defending Big East champions and that was something that was big for us.”
Carter believes if the Mountaineers can match the intensity and desire displayed in their first two tournament games, they have a great shot at beating Rutgers in the semifinals tonight.
“Anything is possible,” she said.
Bye-Bye Byes
Evidently an extra day of rest doesn’t mean much in the Big East tournament. Three of the Big East’s four byes have already been eliminated from the tournament.
No. 5-seed Boston College defeated No. 4-seeded Miami, No. 7-seeded Rutgers defeated No. 2-seed Notre Dame and No. 6-seed West Virginia upset No. 3-seed Villanova. The only team left unscathed was top seed UConn, which struggled to a 48-34 win over No. 8 seed Virginia Tech Sunday.
The performance of lower seeded teams Rutgers and West Virginia probably assures the Big East of eight NCAA tournament bids for the first time in conference history. Last year, the league had a season-high seven teams go.
Rutgers Scouting Report
Rutgers advanced to the tournament semifinals after posting wins against Seton Hall and Notre Dame. Against the Pirates on Saturday, the Knights got 18 points from all-Big East guard Cappie Pondexter to down Seton Hall, 51-42. Yesterday, Pondexter was once again the difference scoring 24 of Rutgers’ 51 points in a 51-45 win over Notre Dame. Pondexter made 12 of 12 free throws against the Irish. Rutgers overcame a 17-2 Notre Dame start to win the game.
“They’re very athletic and they’re a very, very good team,” said Carter.
In the only meeting between West Virginia and Rutgers in Morgantown, one of the big reasons West Virginia was able to defeat Rutgers was its ability to contain Pondexter. The guard finished the game making just 3 of 16 shots for 12 points. Forward Michelle Campbell did most of the damage for Rutgers, scoring 23 points on 11 of 13 shooting in an 80-71 WVU victory.
“Playing them once has set the mind frame for everybody to know what their game plan is going to be,” said Carter. “If we execute our game plan on defense and make our shots on offense then we’ll be fine.”
Like West Virginia, Rutgers has a depleted roster and will only dress nine players for tonight’s game.
20-Win Club
With its pair of wins in the Big East tournament, this year’s team became just the fifth West Virginia team to have at least 20 wins in a season. WVU’s 21 victories gives it’s the third highest total in school history; the Mountaineers won 26 games in 1992 and 24 in 1989.
Geno Said It
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma believes the Big East should get eight teams into the NCAA tournament. The one team possibly still riding the bubble is 21-9 West Virginia with an RPI in the 50s, “I can't believe there are 64 teams that are better than West Virginia. They're a good team and they're fun to watch.”
He was also displeased with the play of senior guard Diana Taurasi, who scored just four points in 23 minutes against Virginia Tech and was benched for most of the second half after picking up her fourth foul and getting into a verbal spat with her coach.
“D hasn't fouled anybody in four years,” Auriemma told the Harford Courant Sunday. “She has not been wrong in four years, and I'm just sick of it. You don't sit there and argue with me. Nobody argues with me on the bench.”
The Huskies only managed 48 points in a 14-point win over the Hokies.
Against Ranked Teams
West Virginia’s victory over No. 23-ranked Villanova Sunday was the second ranked team the Mountaineers have defeated this season. On Feb. 10, West Virginia downed then-No. 21-rated Virginia Tech, 69-66 to snap a 36-game losing streak to ranked teams. West Virginia’s two wins over ranked teams this year are a school first.
TV Update
Tonight’s semifinal game will now be carried in Clarksburg on WVFX and on Charter cable systems throughout the state on Charter channel 22. Eric Frede and Margo Plotzke will handle the call for Big East television.
