NCAA Still a Possibility
March 07, 2005 03:06 PM | General
Monday, March 7, 2005
Two weeks ago today I penned a column regarding WVU’s NCAA tournament chances.
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| West Virginia couldn't get a grip on Providence forward Ryan Gomes during the Mountaineers' 2003 NCAA tournament first-round loss to the Friars.
AP photo |
The record will show I wrote that the Mountaineers could and would reach the world’s greatest basketball tournament provided that Georgetown went on a late season nose-dive.
Thank you, Hoyas.
No I’m not a prophet, but I did watch Kreskin as a kid.
Now, WVU harmed its chances by losing last Saturday at Seton Hall. However, the general consensus remains that WVU will receive an NCAA invite provided they beat Providence in the Big East Tournament opener Wednesday afternoon in New York. Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi wrote late Sunday: “Of all the BCS bubble teams, WVU has the most wins over NCAA-bound opponents (and the best road record).”
But, I know what you’re thinking: Providence! Providence! You’d rather play any other team than Providence. The Mountaineers escaped with two wins over the Friars by a combined six points. I’m also aware of the college basketball adage that says it’s hard to beat the same team three times in the same season.
Yes, Big East first team selection Ryan Gomes is playing his best basketball of the season.
True, the Friars have plenty of motivation. However, let’s take five steps -- make that 10 steps back and examine the big picture.
Quick, answer this: If I asked you before the season started if you would take a one-game showdown with Providence for the right to play in the NCAA tournament would you take it?
Of course you would.
That’s exactly how the Mountaineers need to approach this game. Forget about last Saturday in New Jersey and turn this Wednesday afternoon into a positive.
It’s as plain and simple as this: Our five against their five for 40 minutes. If you win then you’re into the tournament for the first time in eight years. If you lose, then you didn’t deserve to be in the Big Dance because you lost your last two games against teams you needed to beat.
Wednesday’s game is as much about attitude and desire as it is about Xs and Os. West Virginia must play with a reckless abandon that separates March winners from March losers. NCAA teams have a swagger about them -- they play like they BELONG in the tournament. Teams that are timid are the first to become March Madness spectators.
If any additional motivation is needed for West Virginia, all they have to do is take a trip down memory lane to the 2003 Big East tournament. West Virginia’s freshman class of J-D Collins, Kevin Pittsnogle, Joe Herber, and Patrick Beilein were run off the floor by none other than Providence in the tournament’s opening round.
It’s said that what goes around comes around. What better way for the Mountaineers to show the basketball world how far they’ve come in the last two seasons then to walk off the floor of the world’s most famous arena Wednesday afternoon at about 4:05 pm with a victory over the Friars and a dance ticket stamped WVU-NCAA.
