Bob Huggins

The West Virginia Mountaineers may be the No. 9 team in the nation with a 17-3 record and a 6-2 record in the Big East, but this success hasn’t been nearly as pretty as coach Bob Huggins would like it to be, that’s for sure.

They’ve been able to squeak out games against Cleveland State and Marquette thanks to two shots in the closing seconds by senior Da’Sean Butler, and on Saturday, they fought back from a deficit to beat another unranked opponent, this time it was conference foe Louisville by a final score of 77-74.

WVU also got off to bad starts against Notre Dame, Purdue, and Syracuse that ended up resulting in their three losses of the season. It seems that even in the games that they end up winning, there always is a stretch where they let the opponent either extend their lead, get back into the game to make it close, or sometimes even take back the lead.

Two examples of this would be Saturday’s win over the Cardinals and their second conference game of the season against Seton Hall.

Against the Pirates, heading into the final minutes of the game West Virginia held a 10-point lead and the game looked to be over.

That was until their minute of self-destruction and the Hall’s Jeremy Hazell decided to turn into Stephen Curry and they ended up tying the game. Up 10 with one minute left and they come back and send it to overtime, that’s the kind of stuff that Mountaineer fans have had to go through.

Then on Saturday, ESPN’s Mike Patrick and Doris Burke, who were covering the game for the network, continually brought up in the pregame show how important it was for West Virginia to come out strong at the beginning of the first half to keep the momentum in their favor.

Out of the gates, it looked like they got the broadcasters message loud and clear, starting the game on a 13-0 run. Somehow by halftime, we had managed to lose the lead and not get it back until the final minutes of the game. Two controversial calls that prompted Louisville head coach Rick Pitino to criticize officials afterward and Huggins’ boys came out with another close win.

If the Mountaineers are ever going to get things straightened out and start playing 40 solid minutes of basketball instead of the 20 or 25 that they have been playing as of late, now is the perfect time.

West Virginia has the first of two huge matchups with No. 22 Pitt on Wednesday at the Coliseum and will be getting an added boost in the frontcourt as freshman Deniz Kilicli (pronounced Kill-itch-la) will be making his first appearance of his Mountaineer career after serving a 20-game suspension.

Then next week brings a Big Monday faceoff between West Virginia and No. 2 Villanova before the Mountaineers travel to the Petersen Event Center for their second game against Pitt.

From there, I don’t really need to tell you that the schedule remains hard, after all it’s the Big East, the conference where you can’t afford to take a night off...blah, blah, blah all the other things you’ve heard said night after night by the experts.

But it is true, the conference has become one of the best all-around conferences, maybe even the best, in all of America. I’m sure that Bob Huggins knows that his team can’t go out and play one good half of basketball and expect to win a lot of games down the stretch and in the Big East Tournament.

Over the course of the season, we’ve seen the Mountaineers take a half or so off against teams like South Florida, Notre Dame, DePaul, and Cleveland State; and they’ve paid for it.

Now DePaul and Providence may not be up to par with the Syracuse and Villanova’s of the world, but they aren’t Loyola or The Citadel either.

Like it’s been played out on ESPN over and over, any team can win any game in the Big East and 40 minutes of mediocre basketball might be able to sneak up and upset 20 minutes of great basketball on some nights.

We waited outside in the cold for three and a half hours, raced through the concourse with about a thousand other sprinting students frantically trying to get a seat, and by 10:45, I had found my seat in the second row of the West Virginia student section (called the "Mountaineer Madhouse") for the most hyped regular season game in recent memory on Saturday against Syracuse.

As I was sitting before the game, taking some time to rest my legs and to let my toes thaw out a little bit, I couldn't help but think, "this game better be worth it."

And was it ever.

It was the first time in 50 years that two top 10 teams squared off in Morgantown, but it was the second time this year that the Mountaineers had faced a top 10 team. In their New Year's Day game against Purdue, WVU came out flat and got beat in a game that ESPN's Jay Bilas described as "a lot worse than the score indicates" by a score of 77-62.

That was definitely not the phrase that would have been used to describe Saturday's contest with the Orange.

It was back and forth the whole way between two of the best teams that the Big East Conference has to offer. Syracuse ended the first half up one, then early in the second half, West Virginia took a six point lead and Syracuse took the momentum back from the Mountaineers and had a ten point lead late in the game, and it appeared to be over.

But then, the Mountaineers decided to start making shots and brought it back to the one point deficit that they would end up losing by.

After a game like that, all Mountaineer fans should have come away thinking a lot of positive things, as well as some negatives that will always lurk their head after a loss.

I guess we'll go ahead and get the griping out of the way so we can just get done with it.

How a team starts a game can sometimes indicate how they are going to finish it.

Like in their games against Notre Dame and South Florida, West Virginia stumbled out of the gates. The only difference on Saturday was that they were able to keep the Orange in check and not let them jump out to a big first half lead like they did in the other two games.

WVU came out of the gates shooting 3-15 in the first few minutes, and a lot of those misses came on layups and short range jumpers that if they had gone in, could've allowed the Mountaineers to put an early chokehold on the Orange and possibly change the outcome of the game. Of these 15 shots, 14 were taken by Devin Ebanks, Kevin Jones, Da'Sean Butler, and Wellington Smith with the other one taken by Truck Bryant.

Of the 14 shots that those four took (they went 3-14), they had six opportunities to get second chance points and only came away with points on one of those occasions when Butler pulled down a rebound and kicked out to Smith for a jumper.

Speaking of players who are struggling, I think it's safe to say that Casey Mitchell has officially won the Dee Proby Award given to the player with the most hype that he couldn't live up to when the season came around. The former junior college Player of the Year started the season off with a bang, but after three straight double digit games, Mitchell has failed to reach that plateau and has ended up falling below freshman Dalton Pepper, who looked very good against Syracuse.

The thing that he was touted for when he committed to Morgantown was his top-notch shooting ability and his shots are just not falling up to this point. While for some reason I'm still holding out hope that the shooting will come back around for him, that's not his only problem.

The major staple on every Bob Huggins' team in his coaching career has been the tough man-to-man defense that they play. This is not one of Casey Mitchell's strong points. More than once on Saturday, Mitchell got abused by Syracuse guards on defense, making him even more of a liability on the floor.

It was like in high school when the bench warming backup point guard on the JV team has to go up against the starter on the varsity team in practice and the starter can just do whatever he wants to do with the ball. Take a guess at which one Mitchell is.

Until he gets this stuff straightened out, I can't see him, or even Jonnie West for that matter, getting off the bench unless it's a mop up situation.

Who could benefit the most from Mitchell not playing well?

In the past couple of games, it's been freshman Dalton Pepper, who I mentioned a little bit earlier. While Mountaineer fans thought originally that Mitchell would be the one to step in for Alex Ruoff this year, but over the past couple of weeks, Pepper has started to look more and more like the shooting guard who graduated last year.

Pepper has been shooting lights out, and has game that goes above the rim (he's deceptively much more athletic than you would think).

But enough of that, back to talking a little more about things that went on during the game.

I'm not one of those fans that is going to blame the loss on the officiating, because if you watched it you would know that it was equally bad on both sides, but the foul that was called on Joe Mazzulla with seven seconds left in the game was awful. 

In case you didn't see it, after Truck Bryant made a free throw Syracuse was inbounding the ball with WVU in a full-court press. The Orange's Scoop Jardine, in an attempt to free himself from the fierce defense of Mazzulla hit him with a forearm and the two of them ended up on the ground, with Jardine on top.

Whistles blew and the student section erupted because, well, it had to be on Jardine. That was when Wally Rutecki, one of the officials, ran from across pointing at Mazzulla .

Just something I didn't quite understand about that was how in the world Mazzulla was the one that was pushed over, but was still called for the foul. That call changed the possible outcome of the game (Jardine hit one of the two free throws, making it a four-point game).

Another puzzling thing to me was the fact that once again, West Virginia had a ton of trouble solving Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone.

The way that the Syracuse defense works is that once that first pass is made, a guard and a forward come to the ball to make the trap. And that's where the Mountaineers would have some trouble, especially at the beginning of the game. 

After making the first pass, we would most of the time look into the high post to Ebanks or Jones and Onuaku would be there to guard them and a few times they would end up just forcing one up, which is partly why they struggled so much to start it off.

With them coming over to make the trap right off the bat, it seems that it wouldn't be that tough to reverse to the other side where there would be openings because of where the rest of the defense has to move when they try to trap. But, we aren't the only teams that have had trouble stopping it, I mean it helped Boeheim win a national title and a lot of other great seasons.

But even with that suspect call at the end and all the trouble that they had solving the 2-3, the Mountaineers still had a great shot to win it, thanks to Truck Bryant.

Down 67-59, Bryant completely went off, scoring nine of his 18 points in the final 34 seconds of the game. It was the fourth straight game that Truck played well in, as it appears that he's getting back where he left off at the end of his freshman year when he was leading this team very well in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.

Part of the reason that he's playing better I think is the increased role of Mazzulla. Since he's been playing more and more at the point, it gives Truck a chance to move over to the two, where with his shooting ability, he's able to make more of an impact in the game from a scoring standpoint, but it also doesn't make him have to make as many decisions that caused him to make a lot of mistakes and turnovers early in the year.

So, was it worth standing out there for as long as I did, definitely. Did the game end the way it should have? Well, based on the way WVU played, then yes. Like Purdue and Notre Dame, do I think the Mountaineers can beat the Orange if they have to play again come March?

You bet.

The athleticism is second to none, the length fills the court like few teams in the country, but the results have been less than great.  The West Virginia Mountaineers rolled into West Lafayette on New Years Day with an undefeated record.  They left with a tarnished reputation--perhaps it was too early to anoint the 'Eers.

Then there was a two point loss at Notre Dame.  Exactly the kind of loss that makes any hoops fan wonder if Dub-V has the focus to contend like an elite team.  The Fighting Irish shot 53.5% from the field against the notoriously "long" West Virginia squad.

A creative man could put together a nice reality show with Bob Huggins and Jim Boeheim spending an offseason together.  One, Huggins, a big sloppy guy with coaching stops at blue collar programs--Cinci, K-State, and now West Virginia.  You can almost see sweat dripping down his brow as he devours a Big Mac on the beach. 

Boeheim is the neurotic, professorial type with a career spent at the country club of the Big East.  I can see the vintage Boeheim 'squint of disbelief'--the same one that comes out every time a call goes the other--making an appearance when a greased up Huggins tracks sand across the carpet and drinks milk straight from Boeheim's carton before returning to the beach.   

Both coaches know how to win big games, but I think Huggins lives for a game like today's. A chance for his group of athletes to let it all hang out in their own arena against college basketball's establishment.

Much like the state and school Huggins represents, the big coach walks with a chip on his shoulder.  He gets knocked for being 'dirty,' a reputation that can be impossible to shed.  His teams have been labeled "Huggs Thugs," and he's produced a few guys as known for their personality as their skill: Kenyon Martin and Michael Beasley, for example. 

The Coliseum in Morgantown will be rocking today.  Thousands of West Virginians will be looking to send the country club contingent back to upstate New York--and good ol' Huggs? He'll be sweating up a storm on the sidelines, waiting to steal a sip from the Big East's best program.

Streak for the Cast pick of the Day: I took the Mountaineer's at home against the Cuse.  My streak is up to four after the Bobcats took down San Antonio last night.

West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins has never been one to take losing too well. But the Mountaineers’ 77-62 loss to No. 4 Purdue on New Year’s Day was an especially tough one to swallow when one of the Boilermaker fans came up to him after the game and told him how much they enjoyed playing Huggins’ team.

The third-year coach, who ranks fourth among active coaches in wins responded, “Well, I hope we really enjoy playing you all in March.”

It seems a bit cliché by now, but losses like the one that WVU suffered last Saturday in West Lafayette can expose big weaknesses that can come back to hurt you come March, when they matter the most.

In West Virginia’s case, one big weakness that was not only shown in the Purdue game, but in most of the games up to this point in the season, was the underachieving play of the backcourt.

And as with any teams guard play, it all starts at the point. Which for the No. 8 WVU squad means sophomore Darryl “Truck” Bryant.

The Brooklyn native started most of his freshman season when junior Joe Mazzulla went down for the season with a shoulder injury and quickly became known as an exciting playmaker who kept the crowd on the edge of their seat—whether that was a good thing or bad thing, evident by Truck’s 72 turnovers last year—nearly every trip down the floor.

But by the time the Big East and NCAA Tournaments rolled around, Bryant had started to calm down and turn the ball over less, as shown by his 2.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in postseason play last year (14 assists, 6 turnovers in four games).

However, by the time that their nationally ranked game against Purdue came up, it looked like the Truck that was supposed to help lead this team on the road to the Final Four had pulled a U-turn and was digressing back to the way he played early in his freshman season, committing a lot of turnovers and forcing too many shots.

In fact, the team went with their “big” lineup, starting five forwards and no guards against the Boilermakers, instead of letting Bryant get the nod.

The game ended, the Mountaineers took a day off, and by Wednesday when they returned home to continue Big East play against Rutgers, Truck was back in the lineup, with the full faith of his head coach.

“With each practice, I think he understands better. I think his play is better.” Huggins said. “His attitude’s really been good in terms of accepting what we’re trying to have him do and ask him to do—and nobody’s telling him don’t score. I’m the same guy who coached (Nick) Van Exel. I’m the same guy who coached (Steve) Logan. So, I don’t have a problem with point guards scoring.”

Bryant used that confidence that Huggins had in him to have a performance that could have turned his season around, with 15 points, two assists, and only one turnover.

You might look at that line and say that two assists isn’t that great, but with the way that he was running the offense that made the most difference in the Mountaineers’ 34-point win over the Scarlet Knights.

Instead of being the guy who was just running and gunning and making mistakes along the way, he turned into a floor general in the textbook definition of the phrase—using smart passes to set up his teammates, and eventually himself, for multiple scoring opportunities.

Besides Bryant, two other guards made a nice impact on the game.

After having season-ending surgery on his shooting shoulder, let’s just say that playing offense has been a little tougher than usual for junior Joe Mazzulla. West Virginia’s backup point guard has made his name known over the past three years on his intensity on the defensive side of the ball, as the most tenacious defender on the team.

While the defense has still been there so far this year, Mazzulla has been stuck not taking very many shots (just nine heading into the Rutgers game) and shooting all foul shots with his right hand. But against Rutgers, the Johnston, Rhode Island native made huge strides towards making his way back to full strength, scoring four points on two great drives through the lane.

“It’s getting easier to cope with.” Mazzulla said. “I kind of know that it’s there, so I kind of just deal with it and just take care of it after the game and just try not to worry about it during the game.”

Also making a big contribution from the shooting guard position was freshman Dalton Pepper, who finished with six points.

Pepper, who reminds me of former WVU standout Alex Ruoff, just a little more athletic and aggressive going to the basket, played just nine minutes, but showed that he is able to do a lot of things that will come in handy for this team come later on in the Big East schedule, as well as in postseason play.

But one guy who came into the year with great expectations, but has yet to meet what everyone thought he should be doing, has been Casey Mitchell. The reigning Junior College Player of the Year made many West Virginia faithful (or at least my friend Jakob) scream like little schoolgirls when they saw the tape on Mitchell after he committed to Bob Huggins.

Everything looked like he was meant to be something special , armed with great ability handling the ball, a lightning fast release, silky smooth shooting stroke (say that five times fast), and a game that goes above the rim, it looked as if the Mountaineers had found their replacement for the scoring void left by the graduation of Alex Ruoff.

Maybe he's still not comfortable yet, maybe it's the knee injury that's been bugging him all season, or maybe the D-1 game is just too fast for him.

But fast forward to now, and Mitchell has dropped from being in the starting lineup in the first couple games to being completely outplayed by the before-mentioned Dalton Pepper on Wednesday night, only scoring 6.8 points per game, shooting a lousy 36 percent from three-point range (should be better for all the hype surrounding him), and has committed more turnovers than assists.

Mix those offensive struggles with a lack of intensity on the defensive end, and there you have a combination that will always lead you to a nice comfy seat on the end of the bench on a Bob Huggins’ team.

With the exception of Mitchell, the other backcourt players looked much improved in the Rutgers game. This could be because there is quite a nice step down between Purdue and Rutgers, but the true test for this group of talented guards will be tonight as they head to Notre Dame to try earning their first win in South Bend since 1996.

More to come on that game a little later.

At the end of the WVU/Texas 2006 NCAA tournament game, one of the announcers made a statement about the WVU team, “Take a good look WVU fans, it will be a long time before you see another team like this one." Certainly the announcer was paying tribute to Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle, and the way the team played, as a team. Yet, there was an undertone to that statement, WVU wouldn’t have a team that good for some time.

The way John Beilein’s Mike Gansey, Kevin Pittsnogle led teams played, was a thing of beauty. The national attention their play garnered, was as well. For a time, teams were “Pittsnogled”, and not just against WVU, but nationally. Talk radio shows across the land referenced teams being “Pittsnogled”.

The 2009-10 Bob Huggins coached team is void of such a national moniker. The current team still boasts two players in the national spotlight, Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks, with Kevin Jones steadily increasing his national visibility.

It doesn’t take long, for even the average fan, to point out the differences between John Beilein and Bob Huggins. Beilein was reserved, methodical, and together at all times. Huggins is in your face, intense, and unafraid to show it. Beilein’s cerebral style, to Huggins’ physical take no prisoners approach.

John Beilein’s teams used fewer players than Bob Huggins’ current team.

This year’s supporting cast is more talented and larger in number. On any given night, both Butler and Ebanks can have an off night offensively, and WVU can still win. That wasn’t the case when Gansey and Pittsnogle wore the old Gold and Blue.

Offensively, Beilein coached the Princeton offense, which is as precise an offense as there is in all of basketball. WVU lived and died on the three-point line, rarely winning the second chance points battle.

Huggins coaches a motion offense, allowing the athletic ability of his players to dictate the progression. WVU still shoots the three ball. Should WVU miss now, it is considered an opportunity. Second chance points are a staple of the current team.

Beilein’s and Huggins’ differences don’t stop on the offensive end. Beilein preached a trapping zone defense, attempting to negate the lack of athleticism his team had.

Huggins preaches a switching man to man, attempting to accentuate the athleticism his team possesses. The length of the current WVU basketball team is mentioned often. Opposing teams continually demonstrate problems solving that length.

John Beilein’s teams rarely held the rebounding advantage, while Bob Huggins’ team is expected to own the rebounding advantage. This widens the gap between the two teams athleticism and further solidifies the differences in coaching philosophy.

As a life long WVU fan, I am proud of the accomplishments of the John Beilein coached teams. The memories those teams provided will always bring a smile to my face. John Beilein brought national prominence to the WVU Basketball program. Yet, those teams didn’t reach the level of play that WVU enjoyed in Jerry West’s day.

The 2009-10 Men’s Basketball team could turn out to be the best that has ever played at WVU. At the very least the current team may be the best since the WVU basketball teams of the late fifties, early sixties.

Bob Huggins has put together a team that is currently 10-0, and ranked 6^th nationally. One of only six unbeaten teams remaining. All of this having been accomplished without playing their best basketball.

It is becoming more and more apparent that Joe Mazzulla will not return to form. Mazzulla’s surgically repaired shoulder simply won’t let him. Currently, that leaves one true point guard in the rotation, Truck Bryant. Bryant is currently battling an ankle injury of his own.

Highly touted Casey Mitchell has been hampered by a knee injury, slowing his progress. Dalton Pepper, a true freshman, has been getting considerable minutes. Deniz Kilicli, won’t be eligible until the Pitt game, February 3rd.

What contribution will these three players make late in the season, and into the post season? Are there others on the roster that will develop as the season progresses?

It is often stated that early season accomplishments mean nothing in March. Bob Huggins, and his staff, are proven basketball coaches. Inconsistencies of today will materialize into consistencies. The potential exhibited currently, will be realized in March. Huggins’ tenacity will translate to the teams court performance.

Time will tell the 2009-10 team’s place in WVU lore. The ride we take with this team, as fans, certainly will be enjoyable. The long wait, referenced by the announcer, is over.

If we could just find that allusive label. Possibly, National Champions, now that would be memorable!

Coming out of high school, Greg Monroe and Devin Ebanks (Louisiana and New York, respectively) were two of the best forward prospects in the 2008 Class.

Monroe, who turned down Coach K and Duke along with Uconn was quite the missing piece for a contender. He opted for Georgetown and left Jim Calhoun and Coach K in a ditch.

However, Ebanks is a bit smaller at 6'8, and he chose West Virginia over Texas and Memphis.

Monroe came into a situation trying to replace Roy Hibbert who graduated.

Having chosen to play in the Big East, Monroe and Ebanks thought they'd clash quite a bit in the powerhouse league.

The two freshman only met once in the Big East, which was at the Verizon Center in January. Georgetown took a whopping 75-58 beatdown at the hands of West Virginia. Monroe, the focal point of the frontcourt scored 11 points and grabbed 8 boards and dished four assists. Ebanks only scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds in the matchup. Both players combined for eight turnovers.

As the season grew old Ebanks matured as the frontcourt leader under Bob Huggins. After the Georgetown win he scored in double digits 13 out of the next 16 games.

Ebanks led West Virginia's frontcourt in Morgantown and dropped 16 points along with 10 rebounds while De'Sean Butler torched Scottie Reynolds and Villanova for 43 points. The Mountaineers rolled 93-72, and Ebanks flew onto the national radar...

Greg Monroe, not to be outdone, scored in double figures in 26 games his freshman year. However, his Hoyas struggled severly and were constantly thrown under the bus.

The Mountaineers finished 21-10(10-8) in the Big East. Ebanks led his team to a win over Luke Harangody in the Big East Tournament followed by a 74-60 whipping of Pittsburgh who was labeled a Final Four team. They eventually lost to Syracuse in overtime despite 22 points from Ebanks.

Monroe only experienced five wins in the final 15 regular season games, with two key wins over Villanova ans Syracuse. Georgetown qualified for the Big East Tournament and blew their opportunities in Madison Square Garden against St. John's in the opening round.

Suprisingly, the Hoyas were invited to the NIT where they layed an egg against Baylor who only had 3 bench points...pathetic right?

On the brink of a fresh start, Monroe and Ebanks find their teams ranked in every top 25 poll. West Virginia's ranked in the top 10 of most polls.

Both sophomores are on many All-America ballots. Ebanks is a favorite along with teammate De'Sean Butler for the Big East Player of the Year honor. I expect each to improve their scoring average at least 6.0 ppg.

Monroe is ultimately playing for stock, as in NBA Draft language. A projected lottery lock and possibly a top 10 pick, Monroe will be on a mission like never before. Scouts will travel to every game of his just watch him progress as a player.

If Monroe toots his hat too much, he may find his team in the garbage can all over again.

Ed Davis will be another top forward in the same boat.

Ebanks and Monroe are unquestionably gifted players with the sky as their potential.

Not everyone loves Stew, but everyone loves Huggs.

With midnight madness behind us, practice underway, and the first public scrimmage passed, it is basketball time in Morgantown. 

West Virginia University has always been considered a football school.  No doubt for many years the football team was a better draw, and a better team, and was far more exciting than the basketball team. 

The Gale Catlett years, despite a few bright spots, brought little more than pain, despair and underachieving. 

In recent years, heroes with names like Pittsnogle and Gansey have made the most casual ‘Eer hoop fans turn and pay attention.  Over the last several years, the Mountaineers have played the role of a cinderella and been an underdog making their way to the Sweet 16 numerous times.

The Mountaineers are the underdog no more.

After two seasons of great success with players he did not recruit, Bob Huggins has a team of his choosing on the floor for this season.  Tall, long, athletic, and lanky are all words that can be used to describe many of the players on the WVU roster, exactly what is called for when it comes to playing Huggy-ball.  Fastbreak and press will be two things that Mountaineer fans will be very familiar with by season’s end.

Picked by the Big East coaches to finish second this season, expectations are high that this team will be one to rival the great 1959 Jerry West-led team that made it to the final four and national championship game.  Ideas that this could be one of the best teams ever to don the old gold and blue are swirling. 

The Mountaineers sport a roster that boasts only two seniors, but they are two seniors that pack a powerful, experience-laden punch.

Da' Sean Butler returns as the leading scorer from last season at 17.1 points per clip.  Add to that almost six rebounds, two assists, and a steal per game and it is no wonder Butler, who spent the summer playing for USA basketball, is among those considered for the Naismith Award, given to the best player in the land.

Also returning for his senior season is Wellington Smith, a gritty 6’7” post player who adds hustle and will help add to the depth of the front line.

Expected to be Butler's right hand man is Devin Ebanks.  The sophomore showed great rebounding prowess last season but lacked production on the offensive end.  Reports from Morgantown suggest Ebanks has out on 30 pounds of muscle, which should help him on the boards and scoring inside.  Ebanks' coming out party was last season's Big East Tournament—where he scored 20 points against Pittsburgh and 22 points against Syracuse. 

In the backcourt for the Mountaineers will be Joe Mazzulla and Darryl Bryant at the point and two new comers.

Casey Mitchell, last years junior college player of the year, is expected to start with true freshman Dalton Pepper backing him up.  Big things are expected from Mitchell who could be the best scoring guard that has been seen in Morgantown for some time.  Pepper is a big two guard from Pennsylvania at 6’5”.  A sweet stroke and the ability to get to the basket should be keys to making him a solid backup.

Also being heavily relied upon this season will be sophomore Kevin Jones.  The New York native showed a solid mid range game last season and flashes of greatness as one of the leading sixth men in the Big East. 

Freshman Deniz Kilicli is expected to contribute up front as well.  The 6’9” Turk played at Mountain State Academy in Beckley, West Virginia last season.  Due to complications from a team he previously played on, the promising forward with good hands and a soft touch will be ineligible for the first 20 games of the season. 

All in all, this should be a season that lives up to hype for Mountaineer fans ending with a deep tournament run and a Big East Championship along the way.

See more of Major's work at CollegeHoopsDaily.com and WVFan.com.

Mountaineer History

West Virginia has 12 Big East Championships along with two Elite 8's and a Final Four.

The Mountaineers looked impressive beating Duke in the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago, but had somewhat of a disappointing 08-09' year but they seem hungrier than ever.

With a roster full of talent they may look for a superstar to emerge within. Maybe they'll find another Jerry West on the team. One thing is for certain, coach Huggins has his team ready to make some noise for the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

 

Head Coach Bob Huggins 49-23 in two seasons at West Virginia

Key Departures Alex Ruoff 15.7 ppg.

Arrivals 

•  SG Casey Mitchell-6'4, 215 lbs. JUCO transfer. Chose West Virginia over Kansas and Kentucky.
•  SG Dalton Pepper-6'5, 210 lbs. Undersized at SF but plays big and is  also a solid rebounder.
•  PF Deniz Kilici-6'9, 250 lbs. At his size, he runs the floor extremely well and finishes around the rim strong.
• PF Dan Jennings-6'8, 225 lbs. He overpowers opponents in the paint and is a good offensive rebounder.

 

A Look Back at 2008-09

Record: 23-12 (12-9, Big East)

Coming into last season, West Virginia had a talented freshman in Devin Ebanks along with another one, Darryl Bryant. However they lost junior point guard Joe Mazzulla for an entire season. Coming off 07-08 with a win against Duke and a Sweet 16 appearance, they had extremely high expectations, so each piece of the team was important.

They began last year 11-2, with losses to Kentucky and a Stephon Curry led Davidson squad. They then took a tough loss 55-61 to Uconn which was a big game against a likely Final Four group. Next, Marquette blew them apart by 22 points but they bounced back with a victory over a talented but bad Georgetown team.

When the Big East Tournament arrived they had assured a much needed bye. West Virginia first beat a loaded Notre Dame team followed by a whooping of #2 Pitt. Although they looked poised for a deep run, West Virginia was seeded #6th in the NCAA Tournament and lost to #11 Dayton in the opening round subsequently ending a promising season.

 

Projected Lineup 

PG Joe Muzzulla 6'2 200 lbs. Jr. 08' (18.5, 5.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg) Joe Muzzulla sat most of last season after missing 30 games. If he's healthy, the Mountaineers will need his leadership and presence.

SG Da'Sean Butler 6'7 230 lbs. Sr. (33.1 mpg, 17.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) A potential Player of the Year candidate, Da'Sean can score on any defender in his way. His size at 6'7 makes him a tough cover for guards and forwards.

SF Wellington Smith 6'7 245 lbs. Sr. (21.4 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) Smith is a solid rebounder who grabbed 70 offensive rebounds as a junior. He is a decent shooter and has 124 blocked shots at West Virginia.

 

PF Devin Ebanks So. 6'9  215 lbs. (30.2 mpg, 10.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg) Terrific as a freshman and was also the leader. His skills in the paint and on the perimeter makes him one of the most versatile players in the country.

PF Kevin Jones 6'8 250 lbs. So. (19.3 mpg, 6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) Played very well as a freshman on both ends of the court. He may have a breakout year if he continues to play defense and rebound, however he is a little undersized at center.

6th Man- Darryl Bryant (25.6 mpg, 9.8 ppg, 2.7 apg)  He did a great job in place of Muzzulla last season. He's a combo-guard who can shoot the rock extremely well.

Top Games

• @ Purdue: Jan 1. Could be a top 10 matchup and will feature experienced teams.
• @ Connecticut : Feb 27. Uconn will push West Virginia with their stellar backcourt.
• @Villanova: March 6. a matchup of two possible Elite 8 teams from Big East.

 

Season Outlook

Coach Bob Huggins will look to get his team motivated as they kick-off with Loyola Maryland. West Virginia will look to excel with their experience and leadership.

Da'Sean Butler's ability to create and score should go a long way for Huggins' team. He may become a Big East Player of the Year candidate as the season grows old. Ebanks has All-America potential as long as he plays within the team concept. He's skilled somewhat like Kyle Singler of Duke and he has a great awareness on the court.

Freshman Deniz Kilici may get minutes if he can play defense and rebound. I like Mazzula and Bryant to lead the backcourt. Casey Mitchell is another option off the pine for Huggins.

Huggins will count on Kevin Jones and Wellington Smith to do the dirty work like Ed Davis and Danny Green for the Tar Heels.

If the Mountaineers remain healthy, they will be as good as anyone in Big East.

The strength of the conference should slow down all of the contenders in the league but West Va. may be able to stand out amongst the pack. Look for this team in the Elite 8, perhaps even further.

Last week, we covered the top five overrated college basketball coaches, and today we will look at the top five coaches in college basketball. As a handicapper, Craig looks at it differently than your average fan. Most fans of a school look at the wins and losses, but Craig looks at whether the players are performing above or below their potential. This is a hidden handicapping tool that helps separate between close matchups.

1. Tom Izzo: Best defense-first and rebounding team almost every year. One of the few Big Ten schools that performs very well in the NCAA tournament. You should always feel safe playing Michigan State against the spread, because you know they are going to come to play. Not the most talented basketball team, but they always play hard and smart basketball.
2. Coach K: Well, he does have the most NBA players, but rarely does his team get blown out. Very good defensive team and creative on offense to get his players in the right spot.  Don't forget his three championships in an era where no one else has more than two.
3. Bill Self: Only one championship, but in a short period of time, he has established himself as a big game winner. Kansas had a ton of upset losses under Roy Williams, but now that he is there, they are coming to play every day on both ends of the court. Don't forget he turned around Illinois before leaving for Kansas.
4. Ben Howland: Three Final Fours in the last five years speaks for itself. Best defensive coach in the country, that can get great athletes to play defense. Offense is probably his weakness, but he gets the job done most of the time.
5. Bob Huggins: Everywhere he has been, he has completely turned around the programs. Most think he can't win in the tournament. I think he is normally getting a higher seed than the team deserves, because during the season, he beats so many teams by out-coaching them. Very underrated coach—not many pros have come from his teams—but he is always in the top 20.

Handicapping tools are different for each capper, but for me, coaching is right up there with talent level. Make sure when capping you do not fall in love with just talent, as these coaches and other great ones constantly beat teams with better talent by having their team ready to play.

Get all of Craig's sports articles and official sports picks daily at http://www.CTSportsPicks.com

Lock up the liquor—it was announced yesterday that Bob Huggins and his WVU Mountaineers will visit Value City Arena next year, with a return trip to Morgantown the following season.

I know many in Buckeye country are fond of the old slickster from his days as Eldon Miller’s assistant, but I’ve always found him smug and slimy and hated his UC teams that featured thugs like Danny Fortson, Kenyon Martin, Ruben Patterson, and my personal favorite, Donald Little.

Remember him?  He’s the one who taped his roommate to a chair, burned him with a coat hanger, launched free weights at his dome, and hit him with a whiskey bottle before stabbing him in the leg.  Damn, Capone.

That said, I can’t argue with how Huggy Bear turned around UC, put Kansas State on the map, and now has WVU in the upper tier of the Big East.

Am I in the minority in my feelings towards Chuggins?

In other news, former Cyclone forward Wesley Johnson will visit Ohio State in the coming weeks.  The 6'7" Johnson is also heavily considering Syracuse, WVU, and Pitt and will have two years of eligibility remaining starting with the 2009-10 season.

Matta likes Johnson as a sorta-power forward that can step out on the wing and hit the three.  He averaged over 12 points a game last season despite playing on a bad wheel.