Men's Basketball: WVU to Battle LSU
November 25, 2005 07:08 PM | General
November 25, 2005
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| Pittsnogle |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 13-ranked West Virginia University men’s basketball team looks to stop its two-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon against LSU at the WVU Coliseum.
The Tigers come to Morgantown with a 2-0 record, having defeated Southern (84-56) and Nicholls State (104-57). Coach John Brady, 142-102 in nine seasons at LSU, is expected to use a starting lineup consisting of 6-foot-9-inch, 310-pound sophomore Glen Davis, 6-7, 230-pound freshman Tasmin Mitchell and 6-8, 240-pound junior Darnell Lazare at forwards, and 6-5, 175-pound freshman Garrett Temple and 5-11, 178-pound senior Darrel Mitchell at guards.
Freshman Tyrus Thomas, who has come off the bench in both games, leads LSU with an average of 20 points per game. Davis is averaging 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
West Virginia (2-2) has played a difficult early season schedule and is coming off back-to-back losses to top10-ranked teams Texas and Kentucky on consecutive days in the Guardians Classic. The Mountaineers were within a basket of knocking off the No. 2-rated Longhorns and were down by just three points to No. 7 Kentucky before a late Wildcat surge made the final margin 80-66.
Six-eleven senior center Kevin Pittsnogle is coming off a season-high 27-point, 10-rebound performance against Kentucky and leads WVU with an 18.3 points-per-game average. Mike Gansey scored a season-high 28 against Texas and is averaging 17.3 points per game.
Expected to join those two in the starting lineup are 6-5, 215-pound junior forward Frank Young (9.5 ppg., 5.0 rpg.), 6-6, 210-pound senior guard Joe Herber (8.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.) and 5-11, 180-pound senior guard J.D. Collins (3.0 ppg., 1.5 rpg.).
Last year West Virginia outlasted LSU 84-69 in Baton Rouge. It snapped LSU’s 56-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents.
Tip off is set for 4:44 pm in honor of West Virginia University great Jerry West, whose jersey number 44 will be officially retired during a halftime ceremony.
Fox Sports Pittsburgh will televise the game live throughout West Virginia.
There are no tickets remaining for the game, representing possibly the first time in school history a crowd of more than 10,000 will witness a basketball game in the Coliseum in the month of November.
Following the men’s game, the WVU women will take on Fordham in a non-conference match up scheduled for 7 pm. Fordham is coached by former WVU basketball player Jim Lewis, a letterman for former Coach Bucky Waters in the late 1960s.
