BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WVU HOSTS USF

January 17, 2009


West Virginia will look to get their offense in order in conference play on Saturday afternoon when the South Florida Bulls come to Morgantown. WVU is 1-2 in Big East play, suffering a pair of losses last week to UConn and Marquette where they struggled mightily in putting the ball in the basket. On Wednesday, WVU had their annual Capital Classic showdown with in-state rival Marshall and scored an 87-76 victory.

The Bulls have stayed up north following Wednesday’s contest at Pittsburgh and finish a three-game Big East road swing Saturday with their meeting against the Mountaineers. USF started the three-game run off with a surprisingly easy win at DePaul, 80-58. The Bulls also looked pretty good in stretches at Pitt on Wednesday, despite travel problems within the city of Pittsburgh which delayed the start of the game 25 minutes.

Mountaineers Turn their Attention to South Florida (Daily Mail)
Striving for Consistency (Charleston Gazette)
WVU Resumes Big East Slate (Register-Herald)

Bob Huggins’ squad is long on athleticism but short on size and shooting ability. The Mountaineers have a plethora of 6’7 combo forwards that can get up and down the court and crash the boards. They have overwhelmed many lesser teams on their schedule but are still trying to find the right formula for the top teams of the Big East. The Mountaineers have had a tough time scoring against the size and comparable athleticism of Big East teams.

South Florida is a match-up the Mountaineers should find a little more to their liking. The Bulls are not overly athletic in the backcourt and will not likely be able to take advantage of a freshman point guard (Darryl Bryant) used by WVU like a Marquette squad did. The Bulls have some height in the paint, but they are not a very strong team on the boards.

All in all, this is a game that WVU should win and win handily. The Bulls are bound to be weary with their third road game in a week and having spent the last several days away from home. The line for this game has been set at 16 1/2 points by the oddsmakers, and it is one in which WVU should roll.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 74
South Florida 57