Seton Hall Preview
January 02, 2009 03:35 PM | General
January 2, 2009
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia players admit they have not seen anything quite like Seton Hall so far this year.
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| Alex Ruoff embraces teammate Wellington Smith following West Virginia's 76-48 victory at Ohio State on Dec. 27.
AP photo |
The Pirates (9-4, 0-1) are difficult to scout because they are a perimeter-oriented team that likes to drive to the basket and kick out to the wing for 3-point shots.
“They are just a different team,” said West Virginia junior forward Da’Sean Butler. “They run and if they don’t have an open lay up they shoot 3s. Hopefully we can contain them with our half-court defense.”
“They don’t have as much structure,” explained West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. “They run some sets but they kind of run their sets to get you moving so they can break you down off the dribble. They are really good in transition and they play with numbers. They use their press to speed people up.”
Recently Seton Hall has been using a four-guard lineup with one big player, but Huggins expects 6-foot-9-inch, 265-pound senior John Garcia to be available for Saturday’s game.
“They were playing two bigs and three guards and then when Garcia got hurt they started playing four guards. They’re supposed to get Garcia back,” Huggins said. “(Mike) Davis has played pretty well for them but I don’t know what Bobby (Gonzalez) will do.”
It will be important for West Virginia to handle the basketball on offense and get back in transition on defense. It will also be important for the Mountaineers to stop dribble penetration and cover the wings.
“You have to pick your poison because three is more than two,” said center Wellington Smith. “With those guys you have to stop the ball and then get to their 3-point shooters. (Jeremy) Hazell is a really good 3-point shooter and so is (Robert) Mitchell.”
Hazell, a 6-5 guard, is averaging 22.5 points per game and has made a team-best 40 3s. The next closest player is Mitchell, a 6-6 transfer from Duquesne, who has made 12 3s and is averaging 16.2 points per game.
“He gets a lot of stuff done,” Huggins said of Mitchell. “He’s averaging eight rebounds per game. He’s not a lot thicker than Devin (Ebanks) is. He handles the ball and he can shoot the 3. He’s been really good for them.”
Six-foot guard Eugene Harvey shows averages of 12.8 points and 4.7 assists per game.
“He was the guy I looked up to when I was younger,” said WVU’s freshman point guard Truck Bryant. “He’s a good player and I’ve got a big task on my hands.”
Bryant is one of five players from the New York City metropolitan area returning home on Saturday. Da’Sean Butler and Wellington Smith have both had strong performances there in the past and Smith said it’s simply a case of not trying to do too much in front of friends and family.
“When it comes down to it if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do then you’re coming out of the game,” Smith explained. “You learn quickly.”
“Since our freshmen year we’ve always worried about the team first when we go home,” added Butler. “People are always telling you do this and do that and they don’t even know how to play. They are just throwing information at you. They don’t know the schemes or anything.
“We’ve just got to stay focused for the game because that’s the most important thing right now.”
Huggins said he’s not worried about the younger guys returning to New York. Earlier this year the freshmen had an opportunity to play Davidson at Madison Square Garden.
“That’s a huge reason why they want to play in the Big East is to be able to get back home and play,” Huggins said.
West Virginia (10-2) is heading to Seton Hall with some momentum. The Mountaineers knocked off then-15th-ranked Ohio State 76-48 in Columbus and have won four in a row since a 68-65 loss to Davidson in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 9.
Alex Ruoff scored 17 points against Ohio State to lead four double-digit scorers. Ruoff leads the team with a 17- points-per-game average. Butler is averaging 15.6 points per game while Bryant is scoring at an 11.3 clip.
West Virginia is averaging 74.8 points per game and is holding its opponents to 55.4 points and 39.2 percent shooting. Teams are shooting just 27.4 percent against the Mountaineers from behind the 3-point arc.
“We’ve had a week to work,” said Huggins. “It’s not like a regular week with the holiday and everything, but I think we’re fine. We’ll be ready to go.”
West Virginia has won three out of its last four games played in New Jersey. The Mountaineers have not faced the Pirates in the Prudential Center, although West Virginia played a pair of games in the arena last year in the Legends Classic.
Tip off is set for 4 pm and the game will be televised on the Big East Network locally on FSN Pittsburgh.
