Men's Basketball: WVU to Face Providence
March 09, 2008 09:24 PM | General
March 9, 2008
TOURNAMENT NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – If West Virginia is going to advance in Big East Tournament play it is going to have to beat Providence a third time. The Mountaineers drew the fifth seed in the tournament following Marquette’s loss at Syracuse and will play No. 12-seeded Providence in the tournament’s first round Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm at Madison Square Garden.
It is the third time in the last four years West Virginia has played Providence in the first round of the Big East Tournament.
Providence had to wait until Pitt defeated DePaul Sunday afternoon to learn its post-season fate. The Friars have won a pair of games against Cincinnati and Connecticut before losing 73-63 at home against Villanova on Saturday.
The Friars own a 15-15 overall record and a 6-12 mark in league play.
West Virginia (22-9, 11-7) has won four of its last five including a 73-64 overtime victory at St. John’s Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The Mountaineers beat Providence twice during the regular season, 77-65 at Providence on Feb. 2 and 80-53 in Morgantown on Feb. 23.
Ironically, West Virginia last performed the trifecta against Providence during the 2005 season.
Other first-round games on Wednesday including a noon game between No. 8-9-seeded Villanova and Syracuse, at 7 pm game between No. 7 Pitt and No. 10 Cincinnati. The final game of the first session will pit No. 6 Marquette against No. 11 Seton Hall.
No. 1 Georgetown will meet the Villanova-Syracuse winner at noon in one quarterfinal game on Thursday. No. 4-seeded Connecticut will get the West Virginia-Providence winner at 2 pm, No. 2 Louisville will face the Pitt-Cincinnati winner at 7 pm and No. 3 Notre Dame will take on Marquette-Seton Hall winner at 9 pm.
West Virginia’s game against Providence will be televised on ESPN. Mountaineer coach Bob Huggins owns a 31-10 all-time record in conference tournament action with nine league titles in three different conferences.
The Mountaineers will charter to New York City Tuesday in time for the conference’s awards banquet Tuesday night.
