Connecticut Preview
February 29, 2008 05:21 PM | General
February 29, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia has little time to reflect on its 12-point road win at DePaul on Wednesday night. The Mountaineers are hopping on a charter Friday night to take on No. 15 Connecticut Saturday afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford.
It’s is the second game of a three-game-in-six-day stretch for West Virginia that winds up Monday back in Morgantown against Pitt on Big Monday.
Connecticut presents many problems for West Virginia. The Huskies have one of the biggest frontlines in college basketball with 7-foot-3-inch Hasheem Thabeet teaming up with 6-foot-9-inch forward Stanley Robinson and 6-foot-7-inch, 243-pound forward Jeff Adrien. All three are averaging double figures in points and have combined to grab an average of 23.9 rebounds per game.
The Huskies are second in the Big East in rebounding margin at plus-6.9.
UConn guard A.J. Price is the team’s leading scorer averaging 14.7 points per game. He also leads the conference in assists averaging 6.2 per game.
Connecticut (22-6, 11-4) successfully rebounded from last Saturday’s two-point loss at Villanova by beating Rutgers 79-61 in Piscataway on Wednesday night. Adrien scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Rutgers win. Stanley Robinson added 18 points and 13 boards.
Thabeet blocked six shots against the Scarlet Knights and is averaging a Big East-best 4.4 blocks per game.
West Virginia (20-8, 9-6) had an early 24-point lead at DePaul and held on for an 85-73 victory over the Blue Demons Thursday night. The Mountaineers have now reach 20 victories in each of the last four years and are still in contention for an NCAA tournament at-large berth.
Alex Ruoff scored 22 points, Joe Alexander added 17 and Da’Sean Butler contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Mountaineers, now guaranteed at least a .500 record in conference play this season.
“We’ve just need to keep winning games,” said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins.
Alexander (14.5 ppg.), Ruoff (14.1 ppg.), Butler (12.5 ppg.) and Nichols (11.3 ppg.) are all averaging double figures in points.
The Mountaineers have never won at Connecticut, going 0-5 in Storrs and losing by 17 in Hartford on Jan. 4, 1997. Overall Connecticut holds an 11-3 record in all-time series play.
WVU is just 2-10 against UConn since joining the Big East.
Last year West Virginia surprised Connecticut 81-71 in Morgantown. Butler scored 16 points and Nichols added 14 in that game.
Tip off is set for noon. The game will be televised by ESPN Plus as the Big East game of the week (Mike Gleason and Mike Kelley). Local stations carrying the game include WCHS (Charleston), WVFX (Clarksburg), WOAY (Beckley), WTAP (Parkersburg), WTAE (Pittsburgh), MASN (Baltimore) and WTOV (Wheeling).
MSN’s radio coverage begins at 11:30 am with The Mountaineers Today. Sririsu Satellite Radio users can access the broadcast on channel 123. Internet users can get the game broadcast through CSTV All-Access.
