West Virginia University
Seton Hall
Seton Hall Preview
March 04, 2005 11:57 AM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – To a man, the West Virginia University basketball team understands the opportunity that is presented them Saturday afternoon when they face Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena.
That also includes West Virginia's head-man John Beilein: "They're smart … they know that every game right now is important," Beilein said. "If you are playing basketball in March then they are in important games."
West Virginia (18-8, 8-7) can make another statement for inclusion into the NCAA tournament with a road victory against the 11-15 Pirates, losers of their last four and seven of their last eight.
The Mountaineers have won four straight and six of their last seven for their best February record (6-2) since Gale Catlett's 1989 team posted an 8-1 February record while members of the Atlantic 10 conference.
A win at Seton Hall coupled with a victory in the Big East tournament would give the Mountaineers a coveted 20-win season. However, Beilein says 20 wins doesn't hold the same weight it did a few years ago.
"I think 20 wins became an un-magic number as soon as people started scheduling to make sure they won 20 games," he said. "Right now it's about who you play and where you play them and how you do against them. There isn't a magic number anymore. We're trying to win every game we can."
In order to do that, Beilein knows his team is going to have to play better defense. The two teams combined to score 110 points in the second half the last time these two met in Morgantown in a 96-86 West Virginia victory.
"I think the fact that they pressed us a great deal and I think the fact that we got to the foul line a lot had a lot to do with us scoring the 96 points. You probably won't see those numbers again," he said. They'll play better defense and we'll play better defense."
Last Wednesday Seton Hall was right with No. 24 Villanova until the 16-minute mark when the Wildcats went on a 24-2 run to take control of a game they won 79-58.
Kelly Whitney was the only Pirate to reach double figures with 12 points. Whitney scored 10 against West Virginia in Morgantown before fouling out with more than 10 minutes left in the game.
Donald Copeland scored 19 and John Allen added 17 for Seton Hall in the West Virginia game.
"They've got a lot of good slashers like Allen, Copeland is quick and can shoot and obviously Whitney you've got to stop inside," said West Virginia junior forward Mike Gansey. "He fouled out with 11 minutes to go and that was pretty big for us."
West Virginia is looking for its seventh road win of the season and if it gets that, it would be the first time since the Mountaineers took eight on the road in 1997-98. Gansey says West Virginia's solid road record can be attributed to experience and team unity.
"I just think it's us: Hey, it's us 15 are going to prove everyone wrong in the whole gym. I think that's why we've been so successful. We've really come together and that's what you have to do on the road to be successful," he said.
Senior Tyrone Sally agrees: "We're keeping our poise and everyone knowing the task at hand and staying focused on what we need to do."
Saturday's game will tip off at noon and will be televised by ESPN Regional (Don Criqui and Bob Valvano). Stations carrying the game locally include WTAE (Pittsburgh), WVFX (Clarksburg), WCHS (Charleston), WOAY (Beckley), WJAL (Chambersburg, Pa..) and ESPN Full Court.
Briefly:
- John Beilein says he doesn't know if his team surfs the Internet or watches television to see what commentators are saying about the West Virginia program or its chances of making the NCAA tournament.
"I don't know what the players do but I don't pay much attention to it. We're just trying another game: we're trying to get road win number seven which would be a terrific for the program," he said.
- Beilein doesn't have any regrets about the non-conference teams he's scheduled this year despite several having down seasons.
"Coppin State had the type of year we were hoping other people would have," he said. "We certainly thought when we scheduled earlier that St. Bonaventure or James Madison would have better years. Madison has traditionally given us fits. Both of them had very poor years so those things didn't work out for us.
"But certainly the LSU, N.C. State and George Washington games worked out for us. Coppin looks like they're going to win their league but you just never know because you schedule two years in advance so you're never sure what you're getting."
- With his victory last Saturday against Rutgers, John Beilein has now moved into 97th place among all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history with 421 career wins at a four-year school. Beilein is 27th among active coaches in victories and 53rd in winning percentage.
- Tyrone Sally recently achieved 1,000 points for his career against Rutgers and junior Kevin Pittsnogle is now just 73 points away from becoming the 42nd player in West Virginia history to do it.
- West Virginia has hit at least 10 three-pointers in 12 games so far this season including 10 in its last win against Rutgers last Saturday afternoon. West Virginia is 11-1 in games this year when it makes at least 10 threes.
- Mike Gansey explains why West Virginia was able to get a season-high 96 points the first time it played Seton Hall on Feb. 20: "We got a lot of rebounds and our transition game was brilliant," he said. "Our guards were pushing and we were running and it seemed like our 3-zone kind of bothered them a little bit. We got a lot of deflections and that's how we got a lot of easy buckets. We got fouled and we had a great time at the line."
- Junior Joe Herber was named first team academic All-American earlier this week, moving up from the third team as a sophomore. "I guess it's because I'm a junior," he says of the jump this year. "That may count more if you do it for three years than if you do it for two years."
Pittsnogle says he can remember as a freshman absorbing 30-point beatings on the road and he believes that has helped West Virginia become a better road team this year.
"When we were freshmen we lost by 30 at St. Louis and we lost a lot of away games by a lot. We didn't want that to happen anymore," he said.
- Despite its 11-15 record, Pittsnogle maintains that Seton Hall has a good basketball team. "They've got good players who are all solid, especially Whitney and Allen. It's going to be tough to stop them but we've got to try to play around what they do and keep going," he said.
