Poll Position
January 03, 2005 03:57 PM | General
January 3, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s basketball team has cracked the nation’s Top 25 for the first time in seven years. The Mountaineers are ranked No. 21 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, both released this afternoon.
 |
||
| North Carolina State's Andrew Brackman (40) tries to drive around West Virginia's Johannes Herber (5) during the second half, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. West Virginia won 82-69.
AP photo |
The Mountaineers finished the 1997-98 season ranked 23rd by AP under former coach Gale Catlett.
This marks the first time a John Beilein basketball team has ever cracked the national rankings. Beilein coached at Richmond and Canisius at the Division I level before taking the West Virginia job prior to the 2002-03 season.
West Virginia is one of five Big East teams in this week's AP rankings and one of four in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Beilein had engineered the school’s first 10-0 start since the Jerry West days in 1959-60. WVU has beaten nationally ranked teams back to back for the first time since the 1998 NCAA tournament and sold out its last home game against George Washington: a school first against a December non-conference foe since 1982.
Beilein remarked after the N.C. State victory on Sunday that he hoped his team would continue to fly “under the radar screen.”
That isn’t the case today.
This afternoon ESPN’s Dick Vitale proclaimed West Virginia his national team of the week, writing: “Coach John Beilein's team has been one of America's biggest surprises, remaining among the nation's eight unbeatens. The Mountaineers are 10-0 for the first time since 1959-60. Big East powers like Syracuse, Connecticut and Pittsburgh have had their eyes opened by West Virginia's early success.
“Anyone who thought an earlier win at LSU was a fluke should just look at the past two games. The Mountaineers beat a pair of ranked teams, George Washington and N.C. State, the latter coming in Raleigh. Mike Gansey had 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Wolfpack as West Virginia hit 10-of-18 trifectas in the 82-69 victory.”
ESPN.com’s Andy Katz listed West Virginia’s Big East opener at Villanova among the games to watch this week. Katz wrote: “The Mountaineers, our team of the week, are one of the hottest in the country. But the Big East won't be as impressed if they start off slowly. The Wildcats have been lurking under the radar throughout the season. This is their chance to step up and get noticed in week one.”
West Virginia’s game at 7-1 Villanova Wednesday night will be televised nationally by ESPN Classic. The network is airing college games this winter as they would appear in 1979 – the network’s first year in existence. Retired announcer Jim Simpson will call the game along with former Villanova coach Rollie Massamino.
West Virginia has a second ESPN Classic game against Providence at the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
According to Matt Wells, assistant director of marketing, ticket sales for Saturday’s Big East home opener against St. John’s have been “brisk.”
Wells says fans have also purchased Pitt, Notre Dame and Connecticut tickets at a steady pace. Fans wishing to purchase basketball tickets can call the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging onto the ticket web site WVUGAME.com.
The Charleston Civic Center Box Office is also accepting ticket orders for next Tuesday’s WVU-Marshall game in Charleston on Jan. 11. The Charleston Box Office number is 1-304-345-SHOW.
