Georgetown - WVU Pre-Game Discussion

[DanMcQ]

HoyaSaxa.com Pre-Game Report



GUHoyas.com Game Notes



WVU Game Notes



Wash Post - Camille Powell: Hoyas' Combination Finally Is Revealed

"You go into the year, look at Roy, Jeff and Jon, you're looking at the only guys with experience," Thompson III said. "Early on in the year, all of us, there was a lot of teaching, a lot of helping, maybe too much on the court. Now they have settled in. It's not so much [that Green and Hibbert are] saying, 'Now I need to play.' Everyone else has matured, everyone else has improved, everyone else understands what we're trying to do, which allows them to go and play."

Wash Times - Barker Davis: Hibbert, Green key Hoyas' revival

"West Virginia is a good team and a tough one to prepare for in a quick turnaround," Green said. "But they got us twice last year, so there won't be any problem getting ready for this one."

[daytonahoya31]

I think west virginia's win over UCLA is the best thing that could've happened to us. I'm sure it got the guys attention's and hopefully there will be no hangover. This is a great chance to get another "quality" win.

On a bright note, there will be no Pittsnogle to torment Roy and pull him out on the perimeter where he's not used to defending. That's a big reason the neers were able to beat us twice last season.

Time for some payback

[PopeJohn2]

my hesistant catious predicition is that we should win this game. im seriously.

[RockawayHoya]

daytonahoya31 said:

I think west virginia's win over UCLA is the best thing that could've happened to us. I'm sure it got the guys attention's and hopefully there will be no hangover. This is a great chance to get another "quality" win.

On a bright note, there will be no Pittsnogle to torment Roy and pull him out on the perimeter where he's not used to defending. That's a big reason the neers were able to beat us twice last season.

Time for some payback

In his place, they've got Joe Alexander and Jamie Smalligan, who are no slouches from 3. Roy will still get burned at least a few times by their big men getting open looks from 3. Alexander in particular has been very impressive the few times I've caught WVU on TV this year.

This game will be far more difficult than the last 2 games for us, not necessarily because WVU is better than Marquette for example, but because even during our winning streak, our most glaring weakness has been 3pt. defense, especially early in games. And that is a strength of WVU. How well our perimeter defenders are able to recover and close out to contest shots is going to determine the winner on Monday night.

[HoyaFanNY]

i agree on wvu beating ucla being a good thing for us, preventing any over confidence we might have. the 1-3-1 always gives us problems and alexander is very disruptive at the top of it for wvu. i, for one, don't want us to play any zone. it seems everytime we go to zone we give up open 3's and tons of offensive boards. attack the 1-3-1 on offense and play tight man to man on defense.

[GIGAFAN99]

rockawayhoya said:

daytonahoya31 said:

I think west virginia's win over UCLA is the best thing that could've happened to us. I'm sure it got the guys attention's and hopefully there will be no hangover. This is a great chance to get another "quality" win.

On a bright note, there will be no Pittsnogle to torment Roy and pull him out on the perimeter where he's not used to defending. That's a big reason the neers were able to beat us twice last season.

Time for some payback

In his place, they've got Joe Alexander and Jamie Smalligan, who are no slouches from 3. Roy will still get burned at least a few times by their big men getting open looks from 3. Alexander in particular has been very impressive the few times I've caught WVU on TV this year.

This game will be far more difficult than the last 2 games for us, not necessarily because WVU is better than Marquette for example, but because even during our winning streak, our most glaring weakness has been 3pt. defense, especially early in games. And that is a strength of WVU. How well our perimeter defenders are able to recover and close out to contest shots is going to determine the winner on Monday night.

I continue to be amazed by this assumption:

49-156 (31.4%) is our 3-pt FG% over our streak and that INCLUDES the 14-24 aberration versus Cincy. Otherwise, we're talking about 26.5% 3-pt FG defense. And for the season we're second in the Big East in perimeter D at 29.6%. Second in the Big East!

But wait there's more, we're top 25 in the NATION in 3-pt D!

This was said last year as well when we were 4th I think in the Big East in 3-pt D. The three point line is close in college. That's why it seems like teams hit a few on us. But they hit far fewer than they do versus other teams.

The issue with WVU is the issue every year. They play a style you don't see often on both ends of the floor so it's quirky. The good news is we saw them twice last year and 4 of our starting 5 are familiar with them. Hopefully that eases the pain of the quick turnaround.

I actually think we should press them more than we usually do and push the pace. And in the halfcourt, we have to rebound and take care of the ball as always and probably more than usual.

[RockawayHoya]

gigafan99 said:

rockawayhoya said:

In his place, they've got Joe Alexander and Jamie Smalligan, who are no slouches from 3. Roy will still get burned at least a few times by their big men getting open looks from 3. Alexander in particular has been very impressive the few times I've caught WVU on TV this year.

This game will be far more difficult than the last 2 games for us, not necessarily because WVU is better than Marquette for example, but because even during our winning streak, our most glaring weakness has been 3pt. defense, especially early in games. And that is a strength of WVU. How well our perimeter defenders are able to recover and close out to contest shots is going to determine the winner on Monday night.

I continue to be amazed by this assumption:

49-156 (31.4%) is our 3-pt FG% over our streak and that INCLUDES the 14-24 aberration versus Cincy. Otherwise, we're talking about 26.5% 3-pt FG defense. And for the season we're second in the Big East in perimeter D at 29.6%. Second in the Big East!

But wait there's more, we're top 25 in the NATION in 3-pt D!

This was said last year as well when we were 4th I think in the Big East in 3-pt D. The three point line is close in college. That's why it seems like teams hit a few on us. But they hit far fewer than they do versus other teams.

The issue with WVU is the issue every year. They play a style you don't see often on both ends of the floor so it's quirky. The good news is we saw them twice last year and 4 of our starting 5 are familiar with them. Hopefully that eases the pain of the quick turnaround.

I actually think we should press them more than we usually do and push the pace. And in the halfcourt, we have to rebound and take care of the ball as always and probably more than usual.

Well, my point was that in all the facets of the game, I think 3 point FG% defense was our worst over our winning streak. We've cut down on turnovers, our big men are getting far more touches and opportunities to score, and we've basically been impossible to score against in the paint (at least on first chance opportunities). What does that leave as our weakest area? 3 point defense.

Look, I'm not saying we haven't done a good job guarding the 3 this year. Of course we're still better than a lot of other teams. But (and I'm not sure there is a stat for this somewhere), I'd still like to see what our opponent is shooting against us from 3 in the first 10 minutes of the game. I would wager it's far higher than 31.5%. Getting into a early hole against this team because they go on an early 3 point barrage would be disastrous, and this is a team that is highly capable of doing just that. This isn't Cincinatti or Depaul where we can just eventually overwhelm them with our size and depth. Digging an early hole against them is something we'll have enormous difficulty overcoming, and that's why I believe avoiding that is a key to the game.

[PopeJohn2]

gigafan99 said:

rockawayhoya said:

In his place, they've got Joe Alexander and Jamie Smalligan, who are no slouches from 3. Roy will still get burned at least a few times by their big men getting open looks from 3. Alexander in particular has been very impressive the few times I've caught WVU on TV this year.

This game will be far more difficult than the last 2 games for us, not necessarily because WVU is better than Marquette for example, but because even during our winning streak, our most glaring weakness has been 3pt. defense, especially early in games. And that is a strength of WVU. How well our perimeter defenders are able to recover and close out to contest shots is going to determine the winner on Monday night.

I continue to be amazed by this assumption:

49-156 (31.4%) is our 3-pt FG% over our streak and that INCLUDES the 14-24 aberration versus Cincy. Otherwise, we're talking about 26.5% 3-pt FG defense. And for the season we're second in the Big East in perimeter D at 29.6%. Second in the Big East!

i cant argue the stats as i dont feel like looking them up. but i bet those stats understate the problem given that they include a ton of end of game heaves as teams tried to catch up. if you were to look at our 3pt defense in the 1st half, i think it would tell a far different story. a number of teams (cincy, sju, louisville) were on fire against us from 3 when they werent desperation shots. im seriously.

[edstimes]

I've never been impressed by West Virginia's academics. In fact, in an effort to get on ESPN so all my friends can see me, I may bring a sign to the game that reads:

We go to a school that is
Very
Unimpressive academically

[Big Dog]

We have the advantage because their game finished later than ours on Saturday and they're coming to our place. Keep in mind that WVU is only 2-3 on the road in Big East play. In fact, they are only 3-3 on the road for the season. Here's the breakdown

12/9: W @ Duquesne, 85-54
1/9: L @ Notre Dame, 61-58
1/13: L @ Marquette, 81-63
1/20: L @ Cincinnati, 96-83 (OT)
1/31: W @ Rutgers, 89-83
2/3: W @ Seton Hall, 81-70

Now, I'm not foolish enough to think that a team can't improve over the course of the season (because we obviously have), but just last week they got wiped off the floor in Morgantown by Pittsburgh. Until Saturday, they had no wins over sure tourney teams (they did beat Nova, which we didn't).

Certainly we could be in for a letdown, but surely so could they, and again, this game is at our place. We are better than they are, and there don't seem to be enough circumstances surrounding this to suggest they could pull the upset. I'll be much more anxious about traveling to Nova on Saturday.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

i'm fairly nervous about this game for superstitious reasons. this year and last year we had 7 game win streaks but lost the 8th. also last time we had a win over a ranked opponent (ND) we let down during the next game(Nova) and we lost twice to the mountaineers last year.

That being said i still beleive we'll win this as long as we play the way we've been playing the last couple of years.

I would ask for a link to the WV talk board but then i realized most of them probably can't work a computer so it probably gets very little action.

[hoyalove4ever]

We need to keep up the intensity. It's easy to do on 100th anniversary day, but not always easy on Monday night, although I think that our guys know this game is a big one.

Unless we let WVU out to a big (10 point+) lead early, I feel pretty good.

[hoyatables]

I think we'll beat WVU tomorrow, so that students and fans alike can go home happy and fall asleep with dreams of a snow day dancing in their heads . . . .

[vcjack]

hoyatables said:

I think we'll beat WVU tomorrow, so that students and fans alike can go home happy and fall asleep with dreams of a snow day dancing in their heads . . . .

Snow Day?? Prove your unverified rumors or some of us might have a heart attack

[jerseyhoya34]

The WVU game is one I rue every year because of my appreciation for the approach that the WVU team takes. Mind you, I still hate their fans, but their basketball team is a pleasure to watch.

We're going to need the students to be vocal and to be into it from start to finish. Big Dog raises the key point about WVU's road games this year, and it should be added that their team is still young.

Key to the game for us is to find a way to keep Roy on the floor. Last year, we couldn't do so against WVU because of their perimeter style. I almost think we need to throw some kind of perimeter zone, be it a 3-2 or box and 1 at them to disrupt the perimeter play and to shield Roy from having to defend it.

Offensively, we have to keep our wits about us despite the Beilein "novelty" zone. They see our motion offense every day in practice, but they don't see a 7 footer. We have to make them defend the paint seriously using Roy near the tin and Jeff at the high post.

[Cambridge]

SFOHoya, McBricks, Ms McBricks, SFHoya and myself stopped by Morgantown on our drive from Louisville to DC. We swung by the arena late on Friday afternoon. A few notes.

1) There were about a dozen students camping out for the UCLA game. When we asked what one of them thought about WVU's chances against UCLA he started his answer "I don't even really like basketball..." Now I need to point out that it was about 18 hours to game time, he had been there for 12 hours already and it was 18 degrees and getting colder by the minute...and he doesn't even really like basketball? We had to give it up for the fans, that is dedication. What would he do for something he was excited about?

2) The arena was open to the public so we walked around and checked it out. It is amazing. Great Hall of Fame displays, great seating, etc. Basically, perfect arena.

3) To make the trip worth while we planted Georgetown memorabilia in various sections around the arena. There is buttons, bumper stickers and pompoms hidden in section 32 (right behind one basket), section 55 (behind the other basket) and various other parts of the arena. Hopefully, we will have created enough bad voodoo for WVU that we can make Morgantown an easier place to play in the future.

4) There is nothing else in Morgantown...except an insanely modern tram/monorail type system that links the campus to the town. It is insanely out of place but awesome.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I think #4 explains #1 just a hunch

[FLHoya]

hoyasincebirth said:

i'm fairly nervous about this game for superstitious reasons. this year and last year we had 7 game win streaks but lost the 8th.

And you know who broke both of those streaks?

West Virginia.

The second time they did it was in DC...

Exactly one year ago Monday.

[kchoya]

jerseyhoya34 said:

The WVU game is one I rue every year because of my appreciation for the approach that the WVU team takes. Mind you, I still hate their fans, but their basketball team is a pleasure to watch.

We're going to need the students to be vocal and to be into it from start to finish. Big Dog raises the key point about WVU's road games this year, and it should be added that their team is still young.

Key to the game for us is to find a way to keep Roy on the floor. Last year, we couldn't do so against WVU because of their perimeter style. I almost think we need to throw some kind of perimeter zone, be it a 3-2 or box and 1 at them to disrupt the perimeter play and to shield Roy from having to defend it.

Offensively, we have to keep our wits about us despite the Beilein "novelty" zone. They see our motion offense every day in practice, but they don't see a 7 footer. We have to make them defend the paint seriously using Roy near the tin and Jeff at the high post.

How did Pitt, and their 7-footer, go into WV and beat them 60-47? Is there something we can use from Pitt's gameplan?

[wildhoya]

Camille

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/11/AR2007021101570.html

"We just work inside out," Green said. When Marquette "single-covered Roy, he got easy layups. When they doubled some times, I was out there on the perimeter knocking down shots. That's the way we've got to play. We've got to start with Roy and work our way out. He's the leader of this team and we go through him. If we get him involved early in the game, that works out for us in the end."