Toyota Capital Classic
January 10, 2005 03:00 PM | General
January 10, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia plays its final non-conference regular season game of the year Tuesday night when it battles state rival Marshall in the 14th annual Toyota Capital Classic in Charleston’s Civic Center.
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| Freshman Darris Nichols is expected to get his second start Tuesday night against Marshall in Charleston.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
It will be West Virginia’s third game in the last six days.
“We’re trying to keep our guys fresh because we’ve been going on two-day preps since the George Washington game,” said West Virginia coach John Beilein. “A day after for us has been a mental prep day. We’re used to this but once this game is played we have an off-day scheduled which I think everyone needs -- including the coaches.”
The Mountaineers (11-1) are coming off a hard-fought 64-60 Big East victory over St. John’s Saturday. Center D’or Fischer scored a team-high 18 points and Mike Gansey added 12 points and seven rebounds in helping WVU earn its first league victory.
Fischer has come on strong of late, scoring 14 points in last Wednesday’s loss to Villanova before posting his 18-point effort against St. John’s. The 6-foot-11 center has reached double figures in each of his last four games and is averaging 14.3 points during that stretch.
Teaming with Fischer in the front court is 6-foot-7 senior center Tyrone Sally, who boasts a 12.3-points-per-game average. Sally is also grabbing 4.1 rebounds per contest.
Expected to start on the wing is 6-foot-4 junior forward Mike Gansey who shows averages of 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Gansey has led the team in rebounding in each of the last five games and is averaging 9.4 rebounds during that stretch. Gansey is the only Mountaineer player to grab more than 10 rebounds in a game this year, performing the feat three times so far.
Six-foot-six junior Joe Herber will start at one guard position and is coming off a 10-point effort against St. John’s last Saturday. Herber nailed two key three-point baskets in the second half against the Red Storm to bounce back from a disappointing scoreless, four-turnover performance against Villanova.
Herber is averaging 9.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Beilein said Monday that he will probably start freshman Darris Nichols at point guard once again versus Marshall. Nichols got his first career start Saturday against St. John’s in place of junior J.D. Collins, who suffered an ankle injury in the Villanova loss.
“I have changed on a couple of occasions but rarely in my history have I changed a starting lineup after a W,” said Beilein.
Nichols scored four points against St. John’s on two of four shooting and comes into Tuesday night’s fray averaging 4.8 points and 2.7 assists per game.
West Virginia has gotten stellar play off the bench from 6-foot-11 junior Kevin Pittsnogle and 6-foot-4 junior Patrick Beilein. Pittsnogle is averaging 8.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while Beilein is averaging 9.3 points and shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range. The two have combined to hit 45 three-point baskets so far this year.
The Mountaineers are playing a 2-10 Marshall team that lost 77-68 at Ohio University Sunday afternoon. The Herd has wins over East Tennessee State and High Point while playing a very difficult non-conference slate, according to Beilein.
“Its record is certainly not indicative of the type of team that is forming there right now,” said Beilein. “No, they have not won but I don’t know of any teams that they have played that don’t have winning records right now. They have played a very difficult schedule and knowing their coaching staff down there we know that there is a process that they have got to go through and they need a big win somewhere to just get themselves believing that they can win.
“They’re so darn close it is dangerous playing them,” he added.
Five-foot-11 freshman guard Joe Miles led Marshall with 16 points against Ohio and is tops on the team in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game coming off the bench.
“The Miles kid can just score in bunches ... he reminds me of Allan Ray of Villanova two years ago as a freshman. Sometimes he’s just indefensible,” said Beilein.
Six-foot-nine junior center Mark Patton is averaging 11.8 points per game and is very similar to Pittsnogle in that he is an excellent outside shooter for a big man, hitting 57.1 percent of his three-point tries.
Joining Patton up front is 6-foot-8 senior forward David Anderson who shows averages of 10 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
“Patton has obviously really developed his package and he’s gotten stronger and stronger,” said Beilein.
Marshall coach Ron Jirsa started three guards at Ohio: 6-foot-3 senior A.W. Hamilton, 6-foot-3 senior Ronny Dawn and 6-foot-4 sophomore Tre Whitted.
“Hamilton is the point guard that my teams love to have,” Beilein said. “He takes care of the basketball and he’s unselfish.”
The last two years West Virginia has had a tough time disposing of Marshall, downing the Herd 65-61 in 2003 and 55-51 in 2002. The last six meetings have been decided by six points or less and by a total of 22 points, including two overtime games.
West Virginia is 13-3 since the Capital Classic started in 1989 and is 11-2 since the game has been played annually in Charleston.
The Mountaineers hold a 24-8 all-time record against Marshall.
“All you have to do is walk in the arena and watch the tip off and you know why this game is so meaningful,” said Beilein. “There are alums on both sides that talk about this game. It’s a great event in the state every year. You just throw the records out and just go play because anything can happen.”
As of Monday morning there were less than 500 tickets remaining for the contest. Those can be purchased by calling the Civic Center Box Office at (304) 345-1500.
The game will be televised statewide on the Capital Classic Television Network (John Sanders and Mike Pratt). Stations carrying the game are WBOY (Clarksburg), WTRF (Wheeling), WOWK (Charleston/Huntington), WVNS (Beckley) and WJAL (Chambersburg, Pa.).
Tip off is tentatively scheduled for 8 pm following the WVU-Marshall women’s game.
