NIT Preview
March 20, 2007 10:09 AM | General
March 20, 2007
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A streaking North Carolina State basketball team that has won four of its last five games will get reacquainted with the WVU Coliseum tonight when the Wolfpack meet West Virginia in an NIT quarterfinal game in Morgantown.
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| West Virginia's Darris Nichols scores two of his 14 points against Massachusetts in an NIT second-round game last Thursday night in Morgantown.
AP photo |
N.C. State’s last trip to Morgantown came in 1972 -- a year before David Thompson arrived in Raleigh and helped the Wolfpack to the 1974 NCAA title. N.C. State lost that 1972 game 87-75 and is winless in five tries at West Virginia, including a 71-60 verdict in Charleston earlier this year.
Earlier this year, N.C. State (20-15) played West Virginia without senior point guard Engin Atsur who was nursing a hamstring injury. Atusr is averaging 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Of course, West Virginia coach John Beilein sees a completely different North Carolina State basketball team this time around.
“Number one their point guard has returned and was really one of the better point guards in the country, let alone the ACC,” Beilein said. “The other thing is that they’re much more familiar with the style that Sidney (Lowe) wants to play with them. As a result, they’re just a completely different team than when we played them earlier.”
State has swept the season series against Virginia Tech and beat the Hokies in the ACC tournament. The Wolfpack also got past Duke and Virginia to meet North Carolina in the ACC tournament championship game.
“They’ve been putting on some clinics in some of the games they’ve played,” Beilein said.
State used just seven players in its 69-62 NIT second-round victory over Marist. Ben McCauley scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack and was one of five double-digit scorers.
“They are just a difficult team for anyone to guard. Going to Drexel and winning there when Drexel was angry as hornets … they are a pretty good team,” Beilein said.
Six-eight, 230-pound freshman forward Brandon Costner is tops on the team in points (16.7 ppg.) and rebounds (7.2 rpg.) The son of former St. Joseph’s standout player Tony Costner, Brandon scored a career-high 30 points in State’s 85-80 overtime victory over Duke in the ACC tournament. He had 15 against West Virginia in the game in Charleston and is the team’s top 3-point shooter with 59 3-point field goals made.
Six-seven junior guard/forward Gavin Grant is averaging 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He has reached double figures in 11 of his last 12 games including 20 in back-to-back ACC tournament wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech. He is shooting 47.8 percent from the field.
McCauley, a 6-9 center, is shooting 59.2 percent and is averaging 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The West Newton, Pa., resident has had six 20-point games this year including a pair of 26-point performances against Wofford and UNC Greensboro.
Six-four sophomore guard Courtney Fells also averages double figures at 11 points per game.
“They have actually a more experienced team than we do and if Atsur had not been injured earlier this year they would have probably been sitting on the (NCAA tournament) bubble just like us,” Beilein said.
West Virginia (24-9) got to the NIT quarterfinals with home victories over Delaware State and Massachusetts. Senior forward Frank Young scored a career-high 31 points in last Thursday’s victory over UMass and also tied the school single-season 3-point field goal record with his 101st 3 against the Minutemen. Young is averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game.
Junior guard Darris Nichols contributed 14 points in the UMass win to boost his scoring average to 10.7 points per game. Sophomore forward Joe Alexander (11.1 ppg.) and sophomore guard Alex Ruoff (10.3 ppg.) are also averaging double digits.
“It’s going to be a great game no question about it,” Beilein said
West Virginia is looking to advance to the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1981.
Tip off is slated for 9 pm and ESPN (Mark Jones and Bob Valvano) will televise the game nationally. Tickets still remain and can be purchased by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME.
Will call for tonight’s game will be at the Coliseum Green Gate and will be open at 5 pm. Local fans are encouraged to stop by the ticket office today and pick up their ticket orders.
