Schedules a Great Fit
September 12, 2006 03:09 PM | General
September 12, 2006
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After sitting down and looking at both the men’s and women’s basketball schedules, I really like what both programs have done putting together schedules that reflect where they’re at with their respective programs.
For the men, I like the early out of conference games building up to the Orlando tournament at Thanksgiving. Then they have an N.C. State in Charleston and face some solid competition in December before opening the Big East season at home against Connecticut on Dec. 30.
At the end of the year when you expect John Beilein’s team to be better, three out of the last six conference games are at home with UCLA thrown in there as well.
On the other side of the hallway, Mike Carey’s women’s program is playing one heck of a schedule opening up at LSU and then playing Virginia Tech before going on the road to play at Tennessee on Dec. 20. Mike says it’s the toughest schedule in school history and I know he really enjoys playing those types of teams because he loves to compete. He likes his team a lot and likes what they can do even without all-conference guard Meg Bulger, who will miss this year after re-injuring her knee.
The women plan on extending their defense a little more this year and the offensive philosophy has changed a little bit into more of a Princeton style to get more people involved.
The way I see it, one schedule is based more on having a larger number of players returning and the other is based on having a young team that needs time to grow.
Both schedules fit each program perfectly.
Even though senior Frank Young was a starter last year, the player with the most experience returning is junior guard Darris Nichols. Don’t forget, Frank didn’t really play that much his sophomore season in 2005 until the Big East tournament when Tyrone Sally got sick. Nichols, on the other hand, has played a prominent role in the program as a backup since he arrived.
Unlike last year when J.D. Collins was the unquestioned leader of the team, I see this year’s team being more of a John Beilein team. I also think athletic 6-8 sophomore forward Joe Alexander is going to be the real X factor in this whole thing.
I think what you’ve got is two guys on other sides of the line as far as styles with John Beilein and Joe Alexander. If Beilein can tug that rope and pull Alexander to his side then I think we’re really going to have an outstanding player because Joe has got all of the physical tools.
When you break down this year’s team it really comes down to two parts. One half of the equation is Nichols, Young, Rob Summers, Alexander and Alex Ruoff and then you come in with eight new guys with two or three of them probably being redshirted. Beilein and his coaching staff have got some work ahead of them putting that system in with all of the new players, but I think it’s going to be fun to watch them develop.
You can’t have everything in a schedule. This year West Virginia opens the season with three straight Big East games at home against Connecticut, Villanova and St. John’s without the students. On the flip side, West Virginia gets a couple of breaks by not playing Syracuse and Louisville during the regular season. The Mountaineers are have lost eight in a row to the Orange since 2001.
I think going to Marquette in the middle of the season will be very difficult as will Notre Dame. But some of the teams in the conference have lost key people and coaches and I think if you can go and play at a Seton Hall and play at a Rutgers there are possibilities there. By the end of January hopefully the players know what they’re doing within the system.
Here is something to consider: last year’s team won 22 games -- won at UCLA and at Oklahoma -- and was one of the worst rebounding-margin teams in the country. How did they do it? They were first in assists, second in steals and they had a great assist-to-turnover ratio.
If the young players can play to the strength of this system -- valuing and sharing the ball -- I’m confident they can upset some excellent teams this year.
Here are my two key questions heading into this year: Where is the unity going to be? Who is going to step up? From being with them for four years I knew when things got tough J.D. Collins went in there and got things straightened out. And Joe Herber was right in there with him. Who assumes that role this year?
I believe this year’s schedule is great for our centers. Without discussing this with the coaches, I would say Rob Summers is going to win the starting position and I think he’s going to be a guy who plays great games against easier teams and by the time he gets to the meat of the conference schedule he will be able to hold his own against the Connecticuts, Villanovas and Georgetowns. Playing those games prior to the league are going to be nothing but beneficial to building his confidence.
Jay Jacobs is the basketball analyst for the Mountaineer Sports Network. He offers periodic commentary and analysis for MSNsportsNET.com.
