Post by rainman on Dec 10, 2007 7:00:26 GMT -5
Everhart: WVU better than Pitt
By Mickey Furfari
Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Is West Virginia University better in men’s basketball than old rival Pitt, the nation’s No. 12-ranked team?
Duquesne coach Ron Everhart believes it is.
“I can tell you by far this is the best team we’ve played, and I wish them good luck,” the Fairmont native said after the Mountaineers’ 92-68 victory over the Dukes on Saturday night at the Coliseum.
That’s quite a compliment, inasmuch as Duquesne overcame a 14-0 deficit and battled the Panthers down to the wire before bowing by just 73-68 three days earlier in Pittsburgh’s A.J. Palumbo Center.
“Even on film, I thought (the Mountaineers) were a much different team than Pitt,” Everhart said. “Their motion, the way they cut, their athleticism. There is no way to keep them around the basketball.”
West Virginia players, off to a 7-1 season’s start under new coach Bob Huggins, will be taking final semester exams this week along with non-athletes. They will resume action at 4 p.m. Saturday against University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the Coliseum.
That shapes up as a much tougher test than buy-in games with other teams that visit Morgantown.
UMBC is vastly improved this season with a 7-2 record. The Retrievers tied a school record with 13 three-point goals Saturday night in an 82-37 blowout of Goucher Md.) College in Baltimore.
They own victories against George Washington at home, 89-79, and at LaSalle 76-69, Richmond 70-68 and American 83-68. Other wins were over St, Peter’s 81-78 and Morgan State 84-76.
The lone losses were at Lafayette 87-84 in overtime and at Wichita State 77-68.
West Virginia defeated Duquesne handily, despite 7-0 center Jamie Smalligan’s ejection on a flagrant foul with less than three minutes gone and having Darris Nichols and Joe Mazzulla get into first-half foul trouble.
Nichols, veteran point guard, played just 21 minutes and Mazzulla 16 minutes.
“We aren’t as good as we are with Nichols, but we did well,” Huggins said. “Alex Ruoff can play point guard. But when he is playing the point , it takes away from his ability to score.”
John Flowers, 6-7 freshman forward, played 18 minutes and scored 13 points in a reserve role. “John is getting better and better every game,” Huggins noted. “He gave us some very good minutes (Saturday).”
WVU unveiled a 1-3-1 zone defense for the first time because of early foul trouble, and Everhart admitted that it caught the Dukes by surprise. “We played it well until late in the game,” he said. “The way they play it and their understanding of it is a great tool.”
Huggins said his team has to get better defensively so that it doesn’t get into foul trouble. That has been a concern since the season started.
After playing UMBC, the Mountaineers go on the road for games at Radford and Canisius next week before the Christmas break.
“We haven’t played in a hostile environment yet, Huggins said. “But I imagine we can handle it.
By Mickey Furfari
Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Is West Virginia University better in men’s basketball than old rival Pitt, the nation’s No. 12-ranked team?
Duquesne coach Ron Everhart believes it is.
“I can tell you by far this is the best team we’ve played, and I wish them good luck,” the Fairmont native said after the Mountaineers’ 92-68 victory over the Dukes on Saturday night at the Coliseum.
That’s quite a compliment, inasmuch as Duquesne overcame a 14-0 deficit and battled the Panthers down to the wire before bowing by just 73-68 three days earlier in Pittsburgh’s A.J. Palumbo Center.
“Even on film, I thought (the Mountaineers) were a much different team than Pitt,” Everhart said. “Their motion, the way they cut, their athleticism. There is no way to keep them around the basketball.”
West Virginia players, off to a 7-1 season’s start under new coach Bob Huggins, will be taking final semester exams this week along with non-athletes. They will resume action at 4 p.m. Saturday against University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the Coliseum.
That shapes up as a much tougher test than buy-in games with other teams that visit Morgantown.
UMBC is vastly improved this season with a 7-2 record. The Retrievers tied a school record with 13 three-point goals Saturday night in an 82-37 blowout of Goucher Md.) College in Baltimore.
They own victories against George Washington at home, 89-79, and at LaSalle 76-69, Richmond 70-68 and American 83-68. Other wins were over St, Peter’s 81-78 and Morgan State 84-76.
The lone losses were at Lafayette 87-84 in overtime and at Wichita State 77-68.
West Virginia defeated Duquesne handily, despite 7-0 center Jamie Smalligan’s ejection on a flagrant foul with less than three minutes gone and having Darris Nichols and Joe Mazzulla get into first-half foul trouble.
Nichols, veteran point guard, played just 21 minutes and Mazzulla 16 minutes.
“We aren’t as good as we are with Nichols, but we did well,” Huggins said. “Alex Ruoff can play point guard. But when he is playing the point , it takes away from his ability to score.”
John Flowers, 6-7 freshman forward, played 18 minutes and scored 13 points in a reserve role. “John is getting better and better every game,” Huggins noted. “He gave us some very good minutes (Saturday).”
WVU unveiled a 1-3-1 zone defense for the first time because of early foul trouble, and Everhart admitted that it caught the Dukes by surprise. “We played it well until late in the game,” he said. “The way they play it and their understanding of it is a great tool.”
Huggins said his team has to get better defensively so that it doesn’t get into foul trouble. That has been a concern since the season started.
After playing UMBC, the Mountaineers go on the road for games at Radford and Canisius next week before the Christmas break.
“We haven’t played in a hostile environment yet, Huggins said. “But I imagine we can handle it.
