http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/ WVU Football | WVU Fan Site Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:41:20 -0500 http://backend.userland.com/rss/ Articles weBLog en http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/images/logo.gif http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/ 88 31 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=286 I guess the real title of this article could be, "Why do we care so much about the Mountaineers?" Speaking personally and as a native West Virginian (with a slight detour to the Carolinas at one point), I can tell you that I'm a certified, life-long sports nut. I've always had vested rooting interests in just about every sport, with favorite teams in every league. But recently I find that my interest in professional athletics dwindles with each passing year, while my affair with the Mountaineers only grows more intense. And that made me stop to wonder... Why?As I thought about it, I realized that the Mountaineers and WVU, on the national stage, are really the only sports entity that represents ME. Part of the allure of sports has always been the pride that comes from your team, from your city (or a city nearby) being your representative in a competitive world. Philly fans identify with the Eagles. "That's MY team. They belong to ME."If you live in New York, you take pride in the fact that the Yankees and/or Mets are tied to your city, to your image. Whatever faults they may have, they don't belong to anyone else the way they do to you. That's the reason Barry Bonds isn't booed in San Francisco- he may be an asshole, but he's THEIR asshole.But as much as I love the Redskins, they don't belong to me the way they do to THREE other states/districts before West Virginia. And the more you look around, you can see that every professional team of West Virginia citizens' interest represents someone else primarily. The Pirates and Steelers belong to Pennsylvania and (ugh) Pittsburgh. The Orioles, Nationals, Redskins, and Ravens are Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia. Sure, they'll take your money when you're buying tickets and jerseys and hot dogs, but they're bloodless corporations, and you're just an outsider with a wallet.True, it might be unfair to compare any professional team's organization with that of an educational institution that you attended, paid tuition, and associate with on broader terms, but I'm still just not as connected to those teams as I was when I was a younger, more idealistic kid. --------------------------------------------------------------------------But when the Mountaineers take the field, with that golden WV emblazoned on their helmets, with the Pride of West Virginia blasting away at "Hail, West Virginia", with Morgantown becoming the most populated city in the State on game day, I feel it.I feel that primal connection to something bigger than myself. When the Pride goes into the shape of the State during "Country Roads," I'm experiencing something legitimately West Virginian. And as someone who loves the State despite its flaws, that really means as much to me as anything.A beautiful thing.And even if Steve Slaton, Pat White, Major Harris, Noel Devine, Da'Sean Butler, Kevin Jones, Joe Mazzulla, or any other number of Mountaineer players aren't actually from the State, there's an acute awareness that they represent the State. Sure, at the end of the day, it's just a game; but it's a chance for the entire nation to see representatives of MY State, from MY university, competing on a national level. And as someone who winces with every redneck joke and every mention of West Virginia's low national rank in such basic areas as unemployment and education, it's nice to have something truly positive that can reflect on us as a whole.And particularly at this point in time, it's nice knowing that we have been and will be good at that something.------------------------------------------------------------------------The best part? I'm not alone.To outsiders, it might seem strange that a state with a little more than 1.8 million residents (spread, for the most part, throughout the entire state with no real population center) would provide a major hub of Division IA collegiate athletics within its borders. Most states with a population that low (Hawaii- 1.3, Idaho-1.4, Nevada-2.3, Maine 1.3, New Mexico-1.9), even if they have a Division IA school, aren't remotely competitive, and certainly don't have problems locating season tickets for interested fans.But somehow, West Virginia University manages not only to regularly compete at a high level on the national stage (in the two major revenue sports, mind you), but to provide one of the best traveling fanbases in the nation, regularly stocking even events as menial as the Continental Tire Bowl with tens of thousands of eager fans.In fact, considering that most football games these days are sellouts, WVU home games attract an astonishing 3% of the entire state to Mountaineer Field on game days. In comparison, the University of Maryland would have to draw around 168,000 fans per game to equal that percentage. While Ohio has a few other teams like Cincinnati and Ohio University, the real state school (and the only one with statewide interest) is Ohio State, who would have to draw almost 344,000 per game to match WVU's rate. Think Florida, Florida State, or Miami have the best fans? Each would have to draw almost 178,000 per game. Wisconsin? Have fun drawing 166,000. (Stats based on state populations found here.)Despite a relatively low home state population, there's nothing like a home game at Mountaineer Field.The only real comparison in terms of statewide population would be Nebraska, who, with about 1.75 million citizens, has managed to create quite a history and atmosphere for college football. And I'd bet, admittedly without actually knowing any native-born Cornhusker fans, that they feel the same way about their team as we do with the Mountaineers. That team is THEIR team, with no questions asked. This connection to something bigger than yourself from your home obviously isn't neutral only to West Virginia (ask fans of European soccer and their intense loyalties to the home squad), but it explains why a State with limited population and resources can manage to support a first-class athletic program.------------------------------------------------------------------------We knew Coach Beilein didn't get it. We really, really thought Coach Rodriguez got it, which made it that much more gut-wrenching when he bolted for another program after our own program's greatest disappointment. Say what you will about Bill Stewart, but he certainly gets it.And you bet your ass that Bob Huggins gets it. Bob Huggins gets it big time."Athletics are everything in our state," Huggins said during WVU's run to the Final Four in this article. "We don't have professional franchises. There's really no one else to root for. I think it's inherent. I think there's such a strong bond between the university and the people of West Virginia and it goes back generations. I can remember sitting on my grandfather's lap listening to West Virginia football and basketball games. I think a large part, if not all of the state of West Virginia, grew up like that."It's unlike any place that I've ever been. I think that once you go to school there, and once you become a part of it, you start to understand. The passion that the people of West Virginia have for Mountaineer athletics is unparalleled."WVU Coach Bob Huggins delivers food and other goods to families affected by the tragedy at the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine------------------------------------------------------------------------So to answer the issue posed by the title of this article, West Virginia University athletics matter because they provide a reflection of the greatness that is possible within this small, big-hearted State. They matter because an alarming portion of American citizens don't realize that West Virginia is actually a State (though that speaks more to individual ignorance than anything). They matter because somewhere, someone is watching as the Mountaineers take the field or court, and they are saying, "Wow, West Virginia is good."They matter. Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:50:00 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=286 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3281 **You have entered the Mountaineer Basketball Chat** its_in_ebanks: Well guys, I decided that I'm going to enter the nba draft. It's time to take my game to the next level. mazzulla_oblongata: dag, man. thats too bad. I thought we could make another run at it next year. with you and dasean leaving now we dont have ANY good small forwards flowers_for_algernon: Ahem. mazzulla_oblongata: what? flowers_for_algernon: I'm standing right here, dude. mazzulla_oblongata: oh, right. my bad. HuggUlongtime: Fellas, I talked to Devin and I think he's making the right decision for him now. The NBA rookie salaries are about to drop with a new collective bargaining agreement, there might be a lockout after next year, and this is his chance to take advantage of the current system. istanbulsh-t: OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! HuggUlongtime: What? What's wrong? istanbulsh-t: I PLAY ON TEEM WITH PROFESSIONAL AGAIN!!! I GET SUSPENDED FOR SURE!!! HuggUlongtime: Relax, Deniz. Devin is only a pro if he leaves this team to go to the NBA. He can't be a pro here.(as far as YOU know.. heh heh) istanbulsh-t: HUGGS MAN. YOU ARE ALWAYS KNOWING WITH THE KNOWLEDGE. istanbulsh-t: YOU COME OVER TO MY DORM. I MAKE YOU HUGE SAUSAGE. HuggUlongtime: Um... that's very nice of you Deniz. I think I'll pass, though. istanbulsh-t: OK BUT ONE DAY I GIVE YOU SAUSAGE flowers_for_algernon: Say, what about the others? What you guys going to do now? sir_wellington: Update my passport. the_butler_did_it: Try to recover the scraps of my knee that are still on the floor in Indianapolis. truck_me?_truck_you: yo the trucks foot is right on schedule for the predraft workouts mazzulla_oblongata: wait. youre going pro? truck_me?_truck_you: haha nah im just playin. I'm gonna be here all four years. jude: /bangs head against table the_butler_did_it: Well, I'm really going to miss my time in Morgantown, but I think with the recruiting class Huggs has coming in, you guys should be able to stay at a high level. the_butler_did_it: Just check out this center Huggs got you for next year, David Nyarsuk:**the_butler_did_it is attempting to directly connect****the_butler_did_it is directly connected** the_butler_did_it: Nyarsuk_on_dis: I PLAY BASKETBALL FOR THE WVU istanbulsh-t: DO YOU LIKE SAUSAGE? Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:41:16 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3281 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3280 One of the great things about a sustained March Madness run is the sudden national interest in the 2009-2010 WVU basketball program that so many of us have followed from the very first exhibition game against Mountain State.You can't swing a dead cat without hitting feature articles about WVU basketball from sources like Fox Sports, Yahoo, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN.Hell, WVU football coach Bill Stewart is even making news singing "Country Roads" in a Myrtle Beach sports bar after the Elite 8 win over Kentucky.With all the sudden attention comes many inaccurate observations about a team many in the national media are just seeing for the first time (if I hear one more commentator say that our primary defense is a 1-3-1, I might drive to Bristol with a set of pliers and a blowtorch, Marcellus-Wallace-style).But one central theme in most of the coverage you'll see and hear over the next few days focuses on what the Final Four and a chance at a national championship means to the State of West Virginia and its citizens. Well, I'll tell you what it means.- It means that something legitimately and purely West Virginian is excellent. It's been said many times that there are no professional teams in West Virginia, so the Mountaineers are both the college and the professional teams for West Virginians.It goes even deeper than that, though. West Virginians are still professional sports fans. Part of the allure of sports has always been the pride that comes from your team, from your city (or a city nearby) being your representative in a competitive world. Philly fans identify with the Eagles. "That's MY team. They belong to ME."But as I first noted in this article called "Why WVU Athletics Matter" from 2007, "every professional team of West Virginia citizens' interest represents someone else primarily. The Pirates and Steelers belong to Pennsylvania and (ugh) Pittsburgh. The Orioles, Nationals, Redskins, and Ravens are Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia. Sure, they'll take your money when you're buying tickets and jerseys and hot dogs, but they're bloodless corporations, and you're just an outsider with a wallet."The Mountaineers are different, though. That's MY state flag at their games. The University is funded in part from MY tax dollars (and more directly, my tuition when getting my degree there a few years ago).A tradition unique to West Virginians.Sure, there are non-West Virginians that are WVU fans. (Morgantown is basically Newark West at this point.) But even those that never set foot in a classroom in Morgantown from this state bleed Blue and Gold, and it's because regardless of your affiliation with the school, the team is representing the entire State, and it's representing the State WELL."That's MY team. They belong to ME."- It means that for once, our state isn't receiving national headlines because of a chemical spill in Nitro or a citation of some statistic indicating that we're among the poorest states in the U.S.Our state is receiving headlines because the team is demonstrating that, contrary to popular belief, you can be excellent in a place like Morgantown, a place like West Virginia, surrounded by some of the most caring, generous people on Earth.- It means that in places like Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Chicago, Illinois, and New York, New York, average citizens are learning that West Virginia is, in fact, its own state and not an extension of Virginia. And I mention those four locales because I've had conversations in each of those cities where I was asked where I was from, responded "West Virginia", and then had to explain to the person that I wasn't telling them I was from Virginia. (Come on people, I know we don't make much news there, but it's one of the 50 you're supposed to learn in the 4th grade. Has its own capital and everything.)- It means that for the first time in 51 years, there are only 4 teams with a chance to win a National Championship in college basketball, and WVU is one of those teams. In places like Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Lexington, Kentucky, and Los Angeles, California, maybe that doesn't mean that much.But West Virginia University is without a championship in either of its two revenue generating sports despite being competitive in both more so than most other places enduring such droughts. (An oft-cited statistic is the fact that WVU Football is the winningest program in the history of Division I to never win a championship.) And the best player on the last Mountaineer team to make the Final Four is seventy-one years old.It's been a loooooong time since we've been here.When the last guy to take a shot for you in the Final Four is the NBA Logo, you don't go to the Final Four very often.- It means that some of us can finally recover from a cold night in December, 2007 when the Mountaineer football team endured one of the most stunning upsets in the history of college football when it lost, at home, 13-9, to blood rival Pitt, who was 4-7 going into the game, with a berth in the BCS National Championship Game on the line.WVU's head football coach would soon leave for Michigan (as its basketball coach did a season before), but on that night, described the events as "a nightmare."Many WVU fans wondered openly if we'd ever come that close to a championship again.- It means that from Bluefield to Ripley to War to Charles Town, regular West Virginians are looking long and hard at their bank accounts and Yahoo driving directions to Indianapolis, Indiana, wondering if they can afford to miss what seems like a once-in-a-lifetime event. And if you think that there won't be a sizable contingent of us at the game on Saturday night, well, you don't know us very well.The road to Indianapolis will be well-worn by West Virginians. (Beware Ohio drivers.)For his part, no one seems to "get" what a title would mean to this State more than the man at the helm of the Mountaineer basketball team, Coach Bob Huggins. Huggins indicated that understanding in his quote from this USA Today article:"They piped in to all the factories and all the mines and everything, the play-by-play, because otherwise guys were trying to get off their shift because they wanted to watch the game," Huggins said after WVU had secured a spot in the Elite 8."Everybody in West Virginia is listening to the game or watching the game. That's how much it means to our state. There's such great pride there. And for me, having played there and being born there, I understand how much it means. And I think the great thing is these guys understand how much it means to the people."And believe me when I tell you that it means more to us because we know it means more to them.Regardless of whether or not the pundits on "Around the Horn" or "Pardon the Interruption" know what kind of defense WVU runs or how they get their scoring, they know that with each win, the State of West Virginia gets closer to a state of euphoria.Point them here if they want to know why. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:55:54 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3280 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3279 The Truck is off the road for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament.Early Tuesday evening, Mountaineer fans began receiving texts and notification on message boards (like the one on this site) that Truck Bryant had suffered a serious injury to his foot in practice leading up to Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup against the #11-seed Washington Huskies.Eventually, those rumors were verified by various news outlets, including this espn.com article. That report indicated that school officials confirmed that Truck "fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot," and that Coach Bob Huggins was uncertain if it was an injury that occurred during practice or during WVU's second-round game against Missouri."He thinks he did it in the game Sunday (against Missouri)," Huggins said Tuesday night as reported in this Charleston Daily Mail article. "He said it was sore Sunday. He got treatment Monday and we didn't do much other than watch a whole lot of (Washington's) film Monday. He was backpedaling (Tuesday) and he said he felt something snap."Obviously, the hearts of Mountaineer fans all around the nation go out to Truck as he's forced to watch his team proceed in the NCAA Tournament without him."I feel sorry for Truck that this injury happened during this time of the season,'' coach Bob Huggins said in a statement released by the school Tuesday night.Bryant played arguably his best game of the season against Missouri (even earning high praise from a frequent critic- me- in this article from Monday) despite only scoring 4 points on 2-3 shooting.To quote myself (don't mind if I do):Quote:[Truck's] ballhandling in the face of Missouri pressure that forced an average of over 20 turnovers a game during the regular season (best in the nation) proved to be the key to the Mountaineers' success in slowing down the pace of the game and running their offensive sets patiently. And this against a team that was known to produce "The Fastest 40 Minutes In Basketball."After beginning to show serious signs of improvement as a pure point guard, Truck Bryant will have to watch the rest of the NCAA Tournament from the sidelines. (Photo by Howard Smith/US Presswire)Fortunately for the Mountaineers, while Truck Bryant was officially listed as the starting point guard for the Mountaineers, "backup" PG Joe Mazzulla has seen the majority of the playing time in the backcourt for WVU since the Big East Tournament. Mazzulla's health improved just as Truck's play became more erratic than usual, and Coach Huggins has given the redshirt junior Mazzulla significantly more minutes since Truck went 1-10 against Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament quarterfinal game against Cincinnati. Here's the minutes played breakdown by game:Missouri- Mazzulla 24, Truck 16Morgan State (an outlier since backups were in the game with 10 minutes left)- Mazzulla 22, Truck 22Big East Championship vs. Georgetown- Mazzulla 29, Truck 10Big East Semis vs. Notre Dame- Mazzulla 23, Truck 17Truck's injury will hurt in terms of depth, but it's obvious by the minutes he's been playing that Coach Huggins has felt more comfortable lately giving Mazzulla the lion's share of the playing time.And not to kick a man when he's down, but Mazzulla is clearly the better pure point guard at this point despite the fact that his outside shooting game is virtually non-existent since his shoulder injury last season. He's a better defender, a better passer, makes better open-floor decisions, and is a better floor general than Bryant.Ask the Dukies about Joe Mazzulla in March. 13/11/8 sound about right?So while WVU will still have its primary point guard of late against Washington and any other potential opponent if WVU should advance, the team will have a depth issue when it's time to spell Mazzulla or if he should find himself in foul trouble. (Which wouldn't be unusual for Joe- he averages 6.22 fouls per 40 minutes, second on the team only to Cam Thoroughman's 7.15 fouls/40. And in case you're wondering, yes, that's higher than Wellington Smith's 5.47.)The Mountaineers will most likely once again rely on the broad shoulders of Da'Sean Butler if Mazzulla needs to spend time on the bench. WVU played 4 games earlier this season with an all-forward starting lineup that saw Butler and Devin Ebanks serving as point-forwards, bringing the ball up the floor and setting up the Mountaineer offensive set.The trouble with such an arrangement is that it forces Butler to expend energy as the primary ballhandler that takes away from his ability to also serve as the primary scorer for the Mountaineers. As Coach Huggins noted earlier in the year when this style was a necessity as opposed to a luxury, Da'Sean can't pass it to himself.Into this void must step freshman guard Dalton Pepper or junior guard Casey Mitchell. Neither will see time as a primary ballhandler for the Mountaineers any time soon (those responsibilities will belong exclusively to Mazzulla, Butler, and Ebanks), but they may provide an opportunity to spell some of the responsibilities borne by the other overburdened Mountaineers, including defending the dynamic guard combo of the Huskies.The majority of the needs created by Truck's absence will be ably handled by Joe Mazzulla, but the Mountaineers have other capable players to pick up the slack as well. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:18:54 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3279 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3278 The first frenetic weekend of the NCAA Tournament is over, and the West Virginia Mountaineers are still standing after games against #15-seed Morgan State and a very frisky #10-seed Missouri Tigers squad.The Mountaineers advance despite facing a Missouri team that was seemingly tailor-made to beat them with intense full-court pressure (and staggeringly ugly uniforms). Mountaineer fans certainly recalled previous games this season such as the game against Cleveland State in late December in which opposing teams gave the Mountaineers fits when pressing.That trepidation was largely based on the fact that the Mountaineers' two primary guards, Joe Mazzulla and Truck Bryant, hadn't performed very well in those games.That worry was ultimately put to rest by those same two players on Sunday.Truck Bryant played one of his best games as a Mountaineer despite scoring only 4 points on 2-3 shooting. His ballhandling in the face of Missouri pressure that forced an average of over 20 turnovers a game during the regular season (best in the nation) proved to be the key to the Mountaineers' success in slowing down the pace of the game and running their offensive sets patiently. And this against a team that was known to produce "The Fastest 40 Minutes In Basketball."The Mountaineers relied on solid play from their maligned guards to defeat Missouri. (AP Photo/David Duprey) Truck turned the ball over once in 16 minutes of floor time, while Mazzulla turned it over only twice in 24 minutes. The Mountaineer team finished with 10 turnovers, the lowest total allowed by Missouri all season.For their part, Mazzulla and Bryant understood what the perceived weakness was on their team:“All we’ve been hearing about all year is how West Virginia doesn’t have any point guards,’’ Bryant said in this espn.com article. “All I can say is we’re winning, we’re No. 6 in the country, the No. 2 seed and we’re in the Sweet 16. We can’t be that bad.’’ Da'Sean Butler's ability to handle the ball certainly helped the Mountaineers break the Missouri press to the extent that they eventually backed out of it for large segments of the game. (I got a text from one friend saying, "28 minutes of hell?") Da'Sean complimented his ballhandling by also dropping 28 points on the Tigers and stepping up with clutch 12-13 shooting from the free throw line (despite the fact that he was probably exhausted from handling the ball so much while playing 38 minutes).Go to the 1:25 mark to see Da'Sean drop it like it's hot.The Mountaineers advanced to the second round by overcoming a heart-attack-inducing 10-0 early deficit to first round opponent Morgan State en route to a 79-60 win. Under normal conditions, WVU fans would've expected that a comeback was imminent and the team just needed to settle in, but after watching #2-seed Villanova need serious help from the refs just to advance past #15-seed Robert Morris and #3-seed Georgetown get run out of the building by lowly Ohio, everyone was certainly aware of the consequences of failure.That game largely relied upon contributions from Kevin Jones (17 points, 8 rebounds, and still the Mountaineers' most consistent player from game to game) and Devin Ebanks (16 points, 13 rebounds) to pull away from the Bears.After the weekends' games were finished, only two Big East teams (WVU and #1-seed Syracuse) remained of the 8 conference teams that received bids. But don't try to tell Bob Huggins that the Big East is down:"Whoever doesn't think the Big East is a great league really shouldn't write sports,'' said Huggins in this article from USA Today. "They ought to do something else. Do cooking, or something. And by the way, you all are the ones who voted four of us in the Top 10 for the majority of the year."Huggins went on to argue that the reason for parity between teams like Northern Iowa and teams from conferences like the Big East is due to the cyclical nature of college basketball as it relates to players from big time schools leaving early for the pros. While teams like UConn, Louisville, and Pitt lose guys to the NBA in droves like they did this offseason, teams like Northern Iowa keep their guys for 4 or 5 years and the team has a chance to gel together.The Mountaineers now carry the Big East banner into the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years as they face the #11-seed Washington Huskies, who are coming off of upset wins over Marquette and New Mexico (as well as the Pac-10 Tournament Championship).The Huskies destroyed the #3-seed New Mexico Lobos, 82-64 behind very solid play from swingman Quincy Pondexter and point guard Isaiah Thomas. (Interesting note- his father, a Lakers fan, named him after the Pistons' PG after losing a bet on the NBA Finals in 1989).The Huskies look for any chance they can find to run and let their athleticism take over the game. They have high intensity on the defensive end and will run teams out of the building if given too many chances on the fast break.The Mountaineers will need to be every bit as stingy with turnovers against UW as they were in the Missouri game to ensure a chance to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2005. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:39:20 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3278 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3277 (Click here for Part I.)West Region1) SyracuseThe Orange outperformed all expectations this year, ascending to the #1 spot in late February before falling to Louisville for the second time this year, then going one-and-done in the Big East Tournament as Georgetown ate Syracuse's patented 2-3 zone for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Despite closing the season on a 2 game losing streak, the Orange still earned their #1 seed as the outright regular season champs of the Big East, and still present a serious challenge to any team that isn't quite as familiar with their fierce 2-3 zone as the aforementioned Big East teams are.Arinze Onuaku's health is in question for Syracuse in the tournament after suffering a strained knee in the Big East opener against GTown, and if he misses much time, that injury severely weakens the Orange in the frontcourt. Jim Boeheim has already indicated that Onuaku probably won't play during the opening weekend ("We're not counting on him this weekend," Boeheim said on ESPN's First Take on Monday. "He's made good progress, but I'm not overly optimistic.")That shouldn't present too much of a problem for the Orange against Vermont or Gonzaga/Florida State, but his absence would be seriously felt beyond that point. Big East Player of the Year Wes Johnson is a potential top 5 NBA draft pick, and can explode at any time along with sharpshooter Andy Rautins. Those two may be enough to carry the Orange to the Elite 8, but they'll need a full complement to be able to advance beyond likely opponent KState.(Boeheim gets extra points for referring to WVU as a real threat to win the title on PTI as well.)2) Kansas StateBob Huggins' former school had a very solid season, and it probably wouldn't surprise you readers to know that most of the season when I researched offensive rebounding statistics for WVU, I found that KState was usually prominently placed alongside the Mountaineers towards the top of the list.KState is a very intense team that plays hard, hustles on defense, and moves like hell in transition to get easy baskets.They have a negative turnover margin on the season (-0.9), so beware of the turnover, but their quick pace probably has as much to do with that as anything. They're 4-3 against the top 25 ESPN RPI teams, but all three of those loses came to Kansas. (Can't really fault KState for failing to beat the prohibitive Tournament favorite.)It's very possible that the Wildcats will be in the Final Four with a little luck. And if they were to play the Jayhawks again, you would have to think that it'd be hard for one team to beat another solid team 4 times in one season.This is, of course, assuming that the Wildcats make it past the North Texas Mean Green in Round 1, winners of the Wemustignitethiscouch.com Award for Best Team Name.Do not trifle with green that is mean, that's all I'm saying.3) PittEat s--- Pitt.Oh, you want more?F--- Pitt.There, that's some hardcore analysis.Oh, alright, here's some more.Expect them to lose to Xavier in the second round. Pitt sucks. 4) VanderbiltVandy is a team that could give Syracuse real trouble in the Sweet 16, particularly if Onuaku isn't healthy. Vandy has the guards to handle the 2-3 and shoot over it (37% on the year as a team, but freshman phenom John Jenkins does... not... miss... shooting 47% from 3), and their only real weakness is rebounding the ball. Without Onuaku, 'Cuse will be left weaker on the boards.On the other hand, Vandy is 8-5 since January 30, and two of those losses (Georgia and South Carolina) came to teams that didn't even make the NCAA Tournament. And their only marquee win this year came over a schizophrenic Tennessee team in February.So on the surface, Vandy doesn't have the pedigree to hang with Cuse. But if Cuse can't dominate the boards b/c Onuaku isn't there, that could be a very competitive game.5) ButlerNearly every single Tournament prognosticator is picking Butler to get upset by UTEP. Common logic- UTEP was way under-seeded, they're very talented, some 12 always knocks off a 5.If we've learned anything at this point, it's this: where there is conventional wisdom and a pile of experts all picking the same upset, GO THE OTHER WAY!!Butler is 28-4 this season, with all 4 of those losses coming before Christmas. That's right- they've won 20 games in a row. Now granted, they weren't exactly playing a slate of games against Big East talent, but they won't be playing major conference talent- they'll be playing UTEP.Fun fact: According to espn.com, Butler "head coach Brad Stevens' 84-14 record heading into the NCAA tournament gives him more wins in three seasons than any previous coach in NCAA Division I history". Chalk that up to longer seasons and weak in-conference play, but that accomplishment has to count for something."I pity the fool that goes with experts picking upsets!"6) XavierThe probable putter-outter of Pitt, Xavier can shoot, rebound, and control the ball. That Lavender dude finally graduated after a seeming 10-year stay, and they aren't all that experienced up and down their roster.But hey, at least their sophomore small forward Jordan Crawford already has widespread internet notoriety- he's the guy that dunked on Lebron James last summer leading Nike to try to seize the tape after the practice. Behold:7) BYUYou want to talk about a low seed getting some love? Joe Lunardi has BYU in the Elite 8. And Stewart Mandel predicted they'd make it to the Final Four, beating Syracuse in the process.Say whaaaaa?A team that's dropped two games to UNLV and two games to New Mexico since January 27 is going to go to the Final Four? Over Syracuse? And KState? Please.Now don't get me wrong, BYU is a strong team and should have no problem dispatching a Florida team that had no business being in the NCAA Tournament in the first place, but if they couldn't handle UNLV a few days ago, what on earth makes them capable of handling KState?Maybe it's coaching pedigree./researchingNope, their coach is 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament in his career.The guys in the cnnsi.com office pool are going to be laughing their asses off as they collect points from this region from the second round on.8) GonzagaRemember when it was fun to pick Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament? You could usually pencil them in for a few upsets, they were that school that no one ever heard of until Tourney Time that would routinely upset a major program or two, culminating in an Elite 8 appearance in 1999.That was a long time ago.In recent years, the Zags have bowed out relatively early. In their last seven appearances, Gonzaga has lost in the first or second round six times.And this year doesn't look too promising either, as the Zags blew a chance to win their conference tournament by losing to St. Mary's and were 3-4 against teams in ESPN's top 50 RPI.They may win a first round matchup against Florida State (who, like the Zags, also hail from a crappy basketball conference), but that just earns them the right to get steamrolled by Syracuse (with or without Onuaku) in the second round.9) Florida StateWhile I do make snarky remarks about FSU and the strength of the ACC, I can honestly say that the Seminoles are a team that I wouldn't want to face if I were Syracuse and I didn't have Onuaku. FSU plays very physical, very hard defense, and led the nation in field goal percentage defense at a stunning 37.4%.They probably don't have the consistent guard play or outside shooting needed to beat Syracuse down the stretch, but their stifling D makes it possible for opposing teams to go on prolonged stretches without scoring.Granted, one shouldn't be too terribly afraid of any team that's lost to NC State twice in the last 2 months, but don't be surprised if FSU uglies the game up to the extent that they have a chance to win it late.(I'll still be rooting against them, though. That whole Gator Bowl thing is still stuck in my craw.)Ugh. I think I just vurped a little bit.10) FloridaWhat a joke of an at-large bid. Far be it from me to agree with just about anything Jay Bilas says, but you have to agree with his point that the NCAA Tournament bubble this year was as weak as it might've ever been. If Florida's getting in with an at-large bid despite a 21-12 record and losses in 4 out of their last 5 games (including one loss to Georgia), how on earth can anyone honestly justify expanding this Tournament to include 32 more teams?Florida had the chance to make a statement about its status as a legitimate NCAA Tourney participant, then left a stench on the court resembling bad farts and rotten eggs as Mississippi State wiped the floor with them in the in the SEC quarterfinals.Let's just say I'm not sold on the Gators.11) MinnesotaAnother stinky at-large team, Minnesota cruised to a bid on the wings of a stirring overtime victory over Michigan State in the Big 10 Finals, evidently giving the Selection Committee enough of a recent memory to overcome their extremely mediocre 21-13 (9-9 in the Big 10) record which featured losses to non-tournament teams like Michigan (twice), Northwestern, Indiana, Miami, and Portland.Tubby Smith seems like a nice guy, and it's hard to dislike any school named the Gophers, but if they're giving away bids to teams this mediocre, it's hard to imagine how any team left out has a legitimate gripe.And in case you couldn't tell, I expect them to get hammered by Xavier.12) UTEPIt's probably a sign of my age that the main thing I know about UTEP is that Tim Hardaway used to have the "UTEP Two Step" crossover move on the "Bulls vs. Blazers" Sega Genesis game.As I previously mentioned though, nearly every prognosticator is pointing to UTEP's matchup with Butler as the most likely 12-seed to take down a 5, so that's a pretty good indicator that this upset won't happen.They do have pretty good guard play in juniors Randy Culpepper and Julyan Stone. But are you really going to be confident picking any team that lost to Houston twice?Sure, their 26-6 record looks enticing, but Conference USA might've been at its weakest point in history this season.Do yourself a favor: just say no to Digger.Does this look like a man you can trust?13) Murray StateMurray State won 30 games this year. This statement will be just as true Monday as it is now.And since I usually check out on these previews once we get to 13 seed or beyond, I will now quote from Murray State's wikipedia page:"The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S. News & World Report top tier for past 18 consecutive years."Ouch. Eat s---, UK.14) OaklandFROM OAKLAND TO SACKTOWNTHE BAY AREA AND BACK DOWN,CALI IS WHERE THEY PUT THEY MACK DOWN!GIVE ME LOVE!!!Wait, what? This school isn't from Oakland, California?How lame.Oakland is not located in Southern California, but in fact refers to the county in which this school is located, Oakland County, Michigan.What a letdown. Too bad they couldn't have been replaced in this tournament by Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which is a school that I'm fairly certain is located in Arkansas.Either way, they're getting creamed by Pitt (unfortunately), though I'd be glad to be wrong about these Oaktown pretenders.15) North Texas MEAN GREENHell yeah! Now we're talkin! 'MON MEAN GREEN!!!With a staggering 36,000 students enrolled, you'd think the Mean Green would be a more formidable athletic school. By the way, their actual mascot is an eagle named Scrappy. Although I say if you're going with a name like Scrappy, you might as well go all the way:16) VermontMore than one commentator this week has suggested that Syracuse shouldn't be so casual about playing without Onuaku this weekend due to their first round matchup with the Vermont Catamounts. More than one commentator is stupid.When your best player is a post player that's 6'5'' in Marqus Blakely, um, Syracuse doesn't need to worry about you.IntermissionAnd since we've got some time in between regions, this seems like a good spot to note my hatred for the dumbest commercial of all time- the Buffalo Wild Wings ad where the customers ask the bartender to force the game into overtime.Here's the premise- guy in the white jersey supports "Boston". He joins in the request of a fan of the other team to "send it into overtime" because he's having such a good time at BW3. Then the bartender calls someone who blinds a player from "Boston" in the process of hitting what would be a game-winning layup, and the "Boston" fan cheers uproariously. My problem- WHAT FAN ROOTS FOR THEIR OWN TEAM TO LOSE A GAME?Conceivably this guy likes "Boston" to the extent that he bought a jersey, and went out to watch the game with friends. But he wants someone to blind his team's player with a chance to hit a game-winning layup?Ladies and gentlemen- the dumbest commercial of all time. East Region1) KentuckyIf 85% of your bracket is picking Kansas to win the Tournament, the other 15% is probably going to pick Kentucky.The Wildcats have as much if not more talent than any other team in the nation, but there are legitimate concerns about whether or not their age and immaturity might cause them to stumble on the way to Indianapolis.Freshman John Wall was the SEC Player of the Year and will most likely be named Player of the Year for all of Division I, and will probably also be the #1 draft pick in the NBA draft. He's explosive, he's a playmaker, and he might be capable of winning the entire damn thing by himself. He's not that great of a shooter at this point, though, and decent zone may pose some problems for him. Wall's got two front-court mates in DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson that will probably both go in the top 10 of that draft as well. Cousins is a serious hothead that can be tricked into blowing his stack at times and was even thrown out of a team huddle during Kentucky's SEC Championship win, but these two big guys are exactly the sort of interior bangers that WVU needed to avoid to make a run at the Final Four. That's assuming both teams make it to the Elite 8, though. Kentucky really hasn't faced elite talent yet this season, playing only 6 games against teams in the top 50 of ESPN's RPI, going 5-1. (By way of comparison, WVU and Kansas both played 14 of those teams and went 9-5 and 12-2 respectively.) The biggest wins on UK's resume are their games vs. Vanderbilt. Do you really trust them to win a national championship when they haven't beaten anyone all year that's higher than a 4 seed in this Tournament?Coach John Calipari certainly has the talent on his squad to win it all, and he's shown in the past he's capable of getting teams like this to the Final Four (even if those wins have to be vacated later). But if UK finds itself in a tough game against a team with equal pedigree, they could fold under the pressure.I saw this dunk live and jumped out of my chair.2) Big East Champion West Virginia MountaineersWVU is coming off an emotional Big East Championship win over Georgetown on Saturday and finds itself with the highest seed in school history. Anyone that's gotten this far in this preview and is perusing this website for information on the Mountaineers already probably knows everything they need to know about the strengths and weaknesses of this team. (I'm guessing there aren't too many casual WVU basketball fans that made it to this point.)So while there's absolutely nothing in the world I would savor more than a prolonged run in March for the Mountaineers, let me take off my blue-and-gold colored glasses and tell you some concerns I'd have about this team as an outside, unbiased observer looking at the same research I've done for every other team. Here's some legitimate concerns:- Yes, WVU won the Big East Championship, but they didn't face any of the other top 3 teams (Syracuse, Nova, Pitt) in that run, though they did beat Nova in Philly the week before the tourney. And the highest seeded team they beat was #3-seed Georgetown. - While Bob Huggins is the 4th winningest active coach, he's still known nationally as the guy that gets teams to the dance as high seeds, then flames out early. Look no further than last year's distressing first round loss to #11-seed Dayton. According to ESPN.com, "Bob Huggins has made the NCAA tournament 11 times since he last took a team past the Sweet 16."- WVU faces a potential opponent in round 2 in Clemson that is the IDEAL opponent to pull off an upset given WVU's weaknesses (weak guard play against pressure and inability to contain interior scorers). Clemson has a smothering full-court press and a dominant, All-ACC post player in Trevor Booker. The scouting report on espn.com for Clemson states that they'll lose when "gifted guards from an opposing team have the skill and composure not only to handle Clemson's pressure defense but also to attack it for easy buckets."Anyone getting nervous yet?- WVU had a distressing knack all season long for allowing teams to hang around in games that had no business being on the same court as the Mountaineers.All this said, WVU does have a few things going for it now that it didn't have earlier in the season- a healthy(er) Joe Mazzulla running the point while the struggling Truck Bryant watches from the pine (Truck played just 10 minutes in the BE Championship game), a healthy Devin Ebanks (even though he's still prone to disappearing from game to game- see his 2 points in the BE Championship game), and a genuine go-to-guy in senior Da'Sean Butler, who has made it his business to be the best clutch shooter in the nation with no less than 6 game-winning shots on the season.If Da'Sean is on his game, the Mountaineers can get to Indianapolis. If not, people may wonder what went wrong. Don't say I was too homerific to point out the reasons why that could happen.(NOW LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERS! CHAMPIONSHIP TIME, BABY!)In Da we trust.3) New MexicoEveryone keeps telling me to watch out for New Mexico, but once again I'm skeptical. (Surprised?) New Mexico has an impressive 5-1 record against the top 25 of ESPN's RPI, but I'm supposed to be scared of a team that lost to Oral Roberts, San Diego State (twice), and UNLV?New Mexico did post two wins over BYU (suck on it Mandell), so I guess they have that going for them.The Lobos play man-to-man defense and try to run on opponents, but don't be at all shocked to see them drop their second round matchup to Marquette- they haven't played a team from a power conference of Marquette's skill all year.4) WisconsinThis Wisconsin team resembles past teams under Bo Ryan- tough, smart, very strong on defense. The Badgers allowed only 56.1 points per game to their opponents this year and could give Kentucky some problems in the Sweet 16. (Seriously.) Unfortunately, they aren't that strong down low and DeMarcus Cousins could single-handedly sweep them out of the tournament.Wisconsin is 3-1 against the top 25 in ESPN's RPI, so it's reasonable that they can give anyone in the tournament a tough test. The Badgers certainly don't have the athletes of a Kentucky or even a West Virginia, but they're coached well enough to stay in every game.UHF clips are strongly encouraged here at the Couch.5) TempleTemple seems like the most likely 5 seed to get upset by a 12 in this Tournament, as they face a scrappy Cornell team in the first round. Most prognosticators think that Temple was far better than a 5 seed and should've been as high as even a 3, but that's just silly talk.I'm not crying for any team that lost to St. John's this year, but Temple did play Georgetown to a 1-point loss and actually beat Villanova.Point guard Juan Fernandez (every bit as Spanish as he sounds) is an exciting guy to watch and has the ability to both score and dish from the point.Still though, the Owls are precisely the sort of team that smarts from their seed in the Tournament to the extent that they wind up looking past a hungry Ivy League champ in Cornell.And since we're talking about Temple, this gives me a good excuse to run one of my favorite post-game rant clips ever.It's a good time any time someone threatens to kill John Calipari at a press conference.6) MarquetteWVU fans know just how pesky Marquette can be after the Mountaineers required a Da'Sean Butler buzzer-beater to beat the Golden Eagles in Morgantown.A small, guard-oriented team, Marquette is fast, sharp, and can shoot the hell out of the ball from downtown. (Over 40% on the year.)I've got the Golden Eagles taking down New Mexico in the second round before moving on to a sound defeat by the Big East Champion West Virginia Mountaineers, but given the way they played in Morgantown and the Big East Tournament (they won two games, including a win over 'Nova before bowing out to Georgetown), it wouldn't be surprising to see Marquette put on a serious run in the Big Dance.7) ClemsonI already covered the degree to which the Tigers scare me as a potential second round matchup. Their coach has a penchant for choking and they haven't won a single game in the Tournament since 2007 despite usually having a relatively decent seed, so maybe I'm just Nervous Nancy over here.But a team that lives on their press playing a team with problems against pressure scares me. If you're playing in a pool with a bunch of WVU fans and this shocking outcome actually happens, you can rack up a ton of points if everyone has WVU going to the Final 4 but you. Just sayin'.8) TexasTexas certainly has the pedigree to hang with Kentucky, but they've played like complete basketcases for much of the second half of the season, going from #1 in the nation to a string of losses to nearly every decent team in the Big 12. (Including 3 losses to Baylor, who has to be loving the hell out of finally getting the chance to pound on their in-state rival.)To their credit, Texas has a swingman in Damion James that Kentucky won't have anyone to check, so that could be a factor. But their shaky situation in the backcourt probably means that John Wall is going to make NBA scouts in attendance drool for a solid two hours if and when those teams meet.Don't expect a return to #1 form against UK, but stranger things have happened, I suppose.9) Wake ForestWake Forest got the majority of the criticism for their inclusion as an at-large during the bracketology shows on Selection Sunday- and deservedly so- but there are other worse at-large bid resumes in the Tournament, I think, than the Demon Deacons.Still, they're pretty damn weak.They lost 5 of their last 6 games and finished the season 19-11. Not exactly a resounding bid for inclusion in a national championship tournament.Texas would really have to butcher their opening round game to manage to lose to this sad sack team from the sad sack ACC.This seems like a good time to remind Wake Forest fans of their loss to WVU in 2005.10) MissouriAnother fairly weak at-large resume in hand, Missouri lost its opening round game at the Big 12 Tournament to Nebraska, and also lost to Oral Roberts (my favorite school dedicated to a televangelist) earlier in the year.The first round matchup with Clemson could be an entertaining one, as both teams rely heavily on pressing to create offensive opportunities, and it could be a wild up-and-down the floor type of game. Clemson probably wins, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Missouri play WVU in the second round.(My previous reservations would still apply though, due to Missouri's pressure defense.)11) WashingtonThe Huskies probably would've been on the outside looking in at the Tournament field if not for their PAC-10/Junior High School Tournament Championship game win over Cal.They might be able to give Marquette a game, as they allowed opposing teams to shoot only 31% from 3-point range on the season. But since Washington relies on a press to create offensive opportunities and primarily eats up teams without solid guards, they'll run into a buzzsaw when Marquette throws their 4-guard look at them.Hey, at least they had one of the most filthiest dunks I've ever seen earlier this week against Stanford in the PAC-10 semis:Don't fake the funk.12) CornellCornell was the darling of the Ivy League, and many prognosticators feel that they got hosed with a 12-seed, though they match up very well with their 5-seed counterpart, Temple. Jay Bilas of ESPN even went so far as to predict Cornell to the Elite 8, beating Kentucky and Wisconsin in the process.While I wouldn't go that far (nor would any sane human being paid to analyze basketball), Cornell does definitely have a shot to be this year's 12-over-5-special.They shoot a staggering 43.5% from 3-point range, are loaded with seniors with experience, and gave #1 Kansas all they could handle in a game on January 9 that went down to the last seconds.It's a sign of disrespect that a team that lost 4 games all season (all to respectable opponents except for a loss at Penn on February 12) and was ranked in the top 25 at that point would get a 12-seed, especially given the weakness of many of the at-large teams selected in this field.Cornell can play.13) WoffordWofford won the Southern Conference final against Appy State to reach its first ever NCAA Tournament, and should be satisfied with that accomplishment this season. It's doubtful that they'll be in the game against Wisconsin.On a side note, I grew up in South Carolina and lived on Wofford Road at one point, and my brother played high school football with the most ridiculous athlete I've ever seen named Shawn Graves, who turned down offers to major D-1 powers to go to Wofford because he wanted to play quarterback so badly and Wofford was the only program that would guarantee him that spot.If you're bored, check out this Sports Illustrated article from 1992 on the subject.14) MontanaThe day I spend time researching the basketball prowess of a Big Sky team that's a 14-seed Tournament is the day I kill myself.Because I'm a man of principle, though, I googled "Montana" to find something interesting to post here, and I rejoiced in finding this clip of Eric Cartman doing a Tony Montana impression:15) Robert MorrisRobert Morris used his foreskin as a tarp at Yankee Stadium!Wait, that was Bill Braskie.True fact: The Robert Morris is a drink with lemon-lime soda, grenadine and coconut rum; an alcoholic version of a Shirley Temple.Nope, not picking any teams named after a Shirley Temple with coconut rum.16) East Tenn. StateKentucky could play their backups' backups and win this game by 30. ETSU's wikipedia page boasts that it's listed by The Princeton Review as one of America’s Best Value Colleges. Is there a school in America that doesn't boast of some obscure ranking by The Princeton Review?Now, with a full breakdown of each team in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, go forth and be bold, grasshoppers.LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERS! Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:20:18 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3277 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3276 Following the elation of the Mountaineers winning the Big East Tournament and the let-down once everyone around the nation was reminded of the stranglehold the Duke Blue Devils have on the Selection Committee's collective balls (Jason Whitlock already said exactly what I wanted to say on the subject, so read it here if you're interested), the nation now anxiously awaits the start of the Most Exciting Event In Sports- the NCAA Tournament.Talk of expanding the Tournament to 96 teams is already being heard, so savor the perfection of a 64-team field while you can. The powers that be believe there is more money in a 96-team field, and so shall it be done. It will ruin the product, but since when did that stop the NCAA? (See BCS).As for this year, with the excitement surrounding the highest seed for the Mountaineers in school history, it only seems reasonable to break down the NCAA Tournament on a team-by-team basis in the shallowest examination of the entire field on the entire Internet.Maybe you'll get a few laughs. Maybe you'll get some wisdom. Most likely you'll find yourself wondering how I found anything at all interesting to say about Sienna or Arkansas Pine-Bluff.And just in case you're not in the mood yet...Midwest Region1) Kansas The prohibitive favorite, you will find yourself among about 80% of the rest of your office pool if you pick them as your champion. Fortunately, you'll also probably be right.I actually know a few KU fans that are livid that they were the #1 team all year, were the #1 overall seed, and got placed into the proverbial Region of Death with a 2-seed (Ohio State), 3-seed (Georgetown), and 4-seed (Maryland) that are all stronger than their counterparts in Duke's bracket.So much for working hard to secure that overall spot. Way to reward mediocrity, Committee.Whining aside, KU is loaded across the board with guys that will be getting paid to play basketball next season, and will be more talented than every team they face, with a coach in Bill Self that already has one title to his name (topping John Calipari in the process). Normally this was a recipe for an early upset just to piss everybody off, but the NBA-talent-loaded teams have been winning lately, so KU is probably a safe bet.2) Ohio StateI've heard many refer to Ohio State as a team that could've been a number one seed, but now that the brackets are out, they never really had a chance. They'd have to jump WVU and Syracuse, and there's no way they had a better resume than either of those two teams. They're still a very impressive team, playing much better at this time than when WVU beat them down in the Coliseum earlier this season (when they featured a still-recovering-and-not-quite-healthy-yet Evan Turner). Turner will either be the #1 or #2 pick in the NBA draft, and his heroics against John "Big Time, Daddy" Beilein's Michigan Wolverines in the Big 10 Tournament temporarily took the focus off of how badass Da'Sean Butler was in the Big East Tournament. Turner can win games by himself, but his supporting cast isn't too shabby either. (And if blogging means anything- which it doesn't- OSU can always boast that they have Club Trillion riding the pine.)No big time for you!3) GeorgetownThe Hoyas have everything you want in a college basketball team. They've got a solid point guard in Chris Wright, a talented scoring swingman in Austin Freeman, and an extremely gifted big man in Greg Monroe. To top it off, they're coming off of a fantastic stretch of basketball in the Big East Tournament, where they made it to the championship game before being knocked off by Big East Champion West Virginia. (Damn, that's fun to say.)Were GT in nearly any other region as a 3-seed, they'd probably be a serious threat to win said region.That said, there's probably little to no chance that they'll be able to top KU if they get that far. 4) MarylandGreivis Vasquez is a bad dude who might be just as talented as Evan Turner, and just as capable of carrying the Terps as Turner is the Buckeyes. Then again, the Terps played in the weak ass ACC and their only real marquee win was over the weak ass Blue Devils, so who knows how talented they really are? They'll probably get thumped by the next team mentioned, so I wouldn't go too haywire with them in your bracket.5) Michigan StateRepeat after me: Tom Izzo can coach in March.You don't need to know jack s--- about who's wearing the uniforms. As long as Izzo's there, they will probably outperform their seed in the Tournament. They play stout man-to-man D and hit the glass with abandon- two traits that don't fluctuate game to game. (Sound like anyone you know?)Matched up against a rebounding lightweight like Maryland, the Spartans should advance to the second weekend to have the right to be crushed by Kansas."I DON'T LOSE IN MARCH. UNLESS THERE'S A GOOD REASON."6) TennesseeThe biggest enigma on the board. The Vols are, depending on which day you catch them, either a top 5 team or a bottom 50 team. They're capable of beating a #1 seed or losing to a #11. You get the point.You can count on a brutal press from Bruce Pearl and co, so you'd better have some decent guards if you plan on beating them. But even if you've got probable #1 overall NBA draft pick John Wall like Kentucky, you still might lose.UT is a tantalizing choice if you're looking for anyone below a 3 seed to make a serious run to the Final 4.Or they could lose in the first round.(Of course I'm covering my bases! I just told you they're an enigma!)7) Oklahoma StateA team with marquee wins over Kansas, KState, and Baylor (1, 2, and 3 seeds, respectively), Ok State is certainly capable of putting it together against anyone they face.But if you believe in strong guard play as an indicator of Tournament ability, look somewhere else. Keiton Page and Fred Gulley are sophomore and freshman respectively, the team has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, and those two can't shoot worth a damn from the outside. (Particularly Gulley, who is a Devin Ebanks-esque 0-19 on the season).8) UNLVOn the other hand, UNLV has some solid guard play in Tre'Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield, and plays some fairly good defense. The Rebs had a losing record against the top 25 RPI according to espn.com, though, and lost their championship game to San Diego Freaking State (their official name). Since Northern Iowa isn't a joke (seriously), it wouldn't be surprising to see the Rebs bounced in the first round.Larry Johnson isn't walking through that door.9) Northern IowaThese boys play some straight up solid D and have a legit 7-footer at center in senior Jordan Eglseder. The MVC wasn't as strong this year as it has been in the past, but N.Iowa dominated it nonetheless. That said, the next game N.Iowa plays against a top 25 RPI team will be its first, so don't be surprised if Kansas is resting their starters in the second round before their fans have a chance to heat up the nachos.10) Georgia TechThe Jackets have a team with the talent to be a much higher seed in the Tournament, they just haven't been able to put any of that together.They've played better recently since coming to the same conclusion as the rest of the nation that Derrick Favors is their best player and, um, they should pass him the ball some. And Favors is certainly capable of carrying a team on his back (he might be drafted as high as 3rd in the NBA draft). Don't be shocked if this is a team that gets hot and puts out OSU in the second round.11) San Diego StateThis was a team that was probably on the outside of the bubble before winning their conference tournament against UNLV (giving the Mountain West an absurd 4 bids after those two, New Mexico, and BYU), and will almost certainly be destroyed by Tennessee as long as Wayne Chism and company aren't hungover.12) New Mexico StateLooking for your 12-over-5 upset? Look somewhere else. No way Tom Izzo loses in March to a team with a negative turnover margin and negative rebounding margin for the season.That said, at least NMS is a running team and will be interesting when they're throwing crazy passes off each others' heads.I think this would be my strategy as coach if I had a long-shot team in the Tournament.13) HoustonAubrey Coleman leads the nation with 26 points per game. Unfortunately that's the total PPG of the entire team.Sorry, I'm not spending any time analyzing the chances of a team that lost to UT-San Antonio this season.14) OhioOhio actually has some decent guard play, but it won't matter against Georgetown.On a side note, I highly recommend attending Ohio University's Halloween Block Party, an annual tradition in Athens where thousands of drunk people crowd into the streets and celebrate as the guys try to be as tasteless as possible and the women dress like complete sluts. Needless to say, it's awesome. 15) UCSBUCSB has the second coolest team name in this year's NCAA Tournament behind the North Texas Mean Green with their Gauchos moniker.By the way- they turn the ball over twice as often as they make an assist. It's easy to see why they're being given a chance to play Ohio State in a national championship tournament.16) LehighThe Mountain Hawks have some serious ability from downtown, shooting almost 40% on the year, and should be able to put Kansas to a serious test in the opening round if they can get some of those threes falling and Kansas gets panicked.They also some nice senior leadership with 3 of their starters, and potentially have the experience and ability to shock the #1-overall seed.Nah, I'm just f---in with ya.South Region1) DukeI've already mentioned my disdain for Duke's #3-overall seeding and the absolutely ridiculous placement of the Blue Devils into the easiest bracket on the board by FAR, so there's no use in belaboring the point.Oh, you want to belabor the point? Well, I don't want to let anyone down... Ok. Disparagement.Duke somehow got seeded in front of Syracuse, WVU, and Ohio State, despite having a 1-3 record against the 1-25 teams in ESPN's RPI. Make a big deal out of Cuse going down to Georgetown in the Big East Tournament (while Duke won the ACC) if you want, but that's the same Georgetown that thumped Duke by 12 points just over a month ago.This is a team that got a 1-seed despite the fact that they play in a conference where the next-highest seed from their conference is Maryland as a 4-seed, then you drop down to the likes of Clemson (7), Florida State (9), Wake Forest (9), and Georgia Tech (10). We're really giving them credit for winning THAT Tournament? Is there any doubt that any one of 3 teams from the Big East could go undefeated in that conference? Then Duke gets placed in a bracket that literally features zero potential NBA lottery prospects according to ESPN draft expert Chad Ford (and to double the shame, we're including Duke in that statement.)And the weakest 2, 3, and 4 seeds in the entire Tournament are in this bracket as well.All the cards were pointing to yet another Duke meltdown in the Tournament, yet another instance of a team being seeded entirely too highly based on the name on the jersey and the bandwagon fans that support them.So what did the Selection Committee do? Give Duke a road to the Final 4 so easy that there's no way even THEY can mess that up.And they'll probably go out to Louisville in the second round.What a joke.Oh yeah, a scouting report- once again they have some annoying white kids."A 1-seed? Really? AHAHAHAHA"2) VillanovaNova seems like a team that's a long way from their #2-ranking in the nation earlier in the season. They've lost 5 out of their last 7 games (thank Da'Sean for one of those) and, as mentioned above, are probably the worst of the two seeds in the Tournament. Once again though, if you believe in guard play in the NCAA Tournament, you'll be hard pressed to find a better group of guards anywhere in the field. Scottie Reynolds has been devastating at times, and the senior leader could spark his team on a run if they can get anything out of their post players.They can really stroke the 3 from outside as well, so a hot Nova team is certainly capable of knocking off anyone at any time. Their consistency makes a long run unlikely, but if they catch fire, a return to the Final 4 isn't completely impossible. Baylor is susceptible to teams that can shoot the 3, and Nova can certainly do that. If they get that far, remember that though Nova might be the weakest 2 seed, but they've got the weakest 1-seed, too.3) BaylorThe Baylor Bears have come a long way since the murder of Patrick Dennehy in late 2005 and all the chaos and fallout that came after. They're now a dangerous team that has the capacity to play with anyone in the country.They're very athletic and run a very quick-tempoed offense that puts their athletes in a position to score quickly. On defense, they'll use various zones as their primary defensive set, and should be able to successfully defend against teams with weak coaching and weak guard play. (AKA- Most teams in the field). But if you can knock down the 3, Baylor can be beaten.If Nova and Baylor make it to the Sweet 16, look for that to be one of the best games of the entire Tournament in terms of sheer athleticism and skill.4) PurdueIf the seeds play out, this is the potential Sweet 16 matchup for Duke if they manage to make it past Louisville:Lost by 27 to Minnesota (11-seed in the NCAA) in the second round of the Big 10 championship, lost by 9 to Michigan State (5-seed) at home two weeks ago, and lost their best player, Robbie Hummel, for the year with a torn ACL two weeks ago.Fantastic. Granted, Purdue was a potential 1 or 2 seed as recently as 3 weeks ago and has had a solid season which included pounding the Big East Champion West Virginia Mountaineers earlier in the season.But without Hummel, Purdue is a different team, and their 4-seed reflects that.(On a side note, Hummel's injury may be the single best-known injury on the board and just about EVERYBODY is picking Purdue to go out early. You might be able to pick up some points if you go against the grain and have them winning a couple of games, which is still possible with the rest of the talent on the team.)Did I mention that WVU is the Big East Champion? (AP Photo)5) Texas A&MOddly, this may be the team with the best chance to actually bust up the Dukies before their fraudulent run to the Final 4 can get started. The Aggies can't shoot worth a damn from outside (33% as a team), so zones can give them trouble, but Duke plays exclusively man-to-man, and the Aggies are efficient enough in their sets that this may play to their advantage.Texas A&M has been solid on defense and the boards all year long, and will definitely give Purdue all they can handle in the Round of 32. Unfortunately, they're only 1-6 against ESPN's top 1-25 RPI teams, so expecting an upset past the Purdue game may be too much to ask.6) Notre DameThe Irish were on the bubble as recently as a week ago, but strong play down the stretch got them to a 6-seed even after losing star center Luke Harangody to injury for over a month. The Irish ripped off wins against Pitt (twice), Georgetown, UConn, Marquette, and a strong Seton Hall team before losing to the Big East Champion West Virginia Mountaineers in the Big East Tournament. (That's beating one 3-seed twice, another 3-seed, and a 6-seed if you're scoring at home).Ben Hansbrough (brother of Tyler) has been a revelation lately, knocking down some huge shots for the Irish during their recent run. But the big story is the reintroduction of the reigning Big East POTY Harangody following an injury initially believed to be of the season-ending variety.If Notre Dame's shooters get hot and Harangody falls back into his role as one of the most dominant post players in the nation, the Irish could be a much stronger team than their seed would indicate.7) RichmondThe Spiders were the team that every NCAA Tournament Pool junkie had their eyes on for the entire season, hoping that they'd be a seed in the 10-12 range that could jump up and surprise a higher-seeded team from a power conference.Then everyone else got wise, Richmond even got ranked in February, and they were seeded 7th, playing a St. Mary's team that looks pretty dangerous these days.Still though, the Spiders meet the VCU/Davidson prototype for giant-killers from a smaller conference, with very strong guard play and experience combining forces to trouble opponents in March. They're 2-1 against ESPN's 1-25 RPI teams, though, so they've demonstrated the capacity to beat some of the best. But their road W-L is 7-6, so beware if the crowd isn't in their favor.If Richmond DOES make a run, expect to see headlines and lame jokes with this poster EVERYWHERE.8) CalI'm up to my 24th team in this column and this is the first mention of a PAC-10 team. What does that tell you about the strength of that conference this year? Should you really give that much credit for a regular season champion of a conference so weak that they only got 2-bids in the NCAA Tournament?They were 0-3 against ESPN's 1-25 RPI teams and will probably get smoked by a middle-of-the-pack Big East team in Louisville, so there's no point in belaboring the point- the PAC-10 sucks.9) LouisvilleOne team that's happy Louisville isn't anywhere in the same area code as their region is Syracuse, who the Cards beat twice this season. Unfortunately, they're also the same team that got throttled by St. Johns in mid-February, and also features losses to Charlotte, UNLV, and Western Carolina.And I know a TON of people that are picking the Cards to beat Duke in the second round.I just don't see it.While Edgar Sosa is certainly a guard to fear in March (especially if he gets 4-steps before a buzzer beater- no, I'm not still bitter) and Samardo Samuels is a dynamite athlete and scorer from the forward/center spot, relying on this team for consistency may prove hazardous to the health of your bracket.10) St. Mary'sAnother team that was probably on the outside of the bubble looking in, St. Mary's guaranteed their spot at the Dance by thumping rival Gonzaga in the conference championship game. St. Mary's is matched up against another mid-major school looking to do damage in Richmond.St. Mary's is on a 5 game win-streak, but lost two in a row to the Zags and freaking Portland before that. But hey, they're 26-5 and must know something about how to win.Like most mid-major schools, they don't have the size or physicality to play the big teams inside, so they almost exclusively rely on the 3-ball for their points. If it's going in, they can win. If it's not, they'll probably get creamed.One more note- their best player is named Omar Samhan. That is a fantastic name."Oh, INDEED."11) Old DominionIn because of a conference championship, ODU will almost certainly be eviscerated by Notre Dame in the first round. If you're looking for more hard-hitting information than that, please note that Old Dominion has an emeritus professor analyzing a single hand of blackjack. Fascinating stuff.12) Utah StateFor potential 12 over 5 upset option number two, I give you the Utah State Curmudgeons.(Ok, admit it- you don't know what their mascot is, either.)The Aggies will square off against the better-known Aggies of Texas A&M for a game featuring two very methodical teams that are very similar to each other in terms of style of play and strengths.Known to be a team that relies on a system almost to a fault, Utah State had a 17-game winning streak going before losing in the WAC conference tournament title game. Honestly, the descriptions I've seen of Utah State's strengths and weaknesses remind me of the things once said about John Beilein's Mountaineers- great offensive scheme, limit turnovers, beat teams with your brain.This might not be a bad choice if you're picking your 12 over 5.13) Siena"Will be using this tournament to announce their existence to everyone outside of Loudonville, NY. Sorry folks, enrollment is capped at 750 per year."(I used that joke two years ago in the last Team-By-Team WMITC NCAA Tournament Breakdown and I'm sticking by it.14) Sam Houston St.Fun fact #1- Sam Houston State lost to every team it played in the top 100 of the ESPN top 100 RPI teams. Both of them.Fun fact #2- I am a direct descendant of Sam Houston, defender of the Alamo.Ok, so neither of those facts is very fun. Cut me some slack.15) Robert MorrisRobert Morris University is named after a Founding Father that signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as having the honor of being a member of the Second Continental Congress where he served as the Chairman of the Secret Committee.Here's a secret- Robert Morris University suuuucks.Admit it- he doesn't look like he can ball.16) Arkansas Pine-BluffWinners of the play-in game against Winthrop as I was writing this, Arkansas Pine-Bluff is disappointed after receiving the impression from the selection committee that they were to be a 4-seed in Duke's bracket instead of the 16-seed.Click here for Part II of the Team-By-Team NCAA Tournament breakdown, where I further disparage low seeds and try to objectively analyze my beloved West Virginia Mountaineers. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:24:44 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3276 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3275 It's March, my favorite time of year. It's like Christmas and my birthday wrapped up into one, but with less presents and much more awesome college basketball goodness.Join this years Official WMITC Bracket Challenge and show the world how smart you are or, more likely, how little you pay attention to schools outside of the Big East.Go here.Select Join a Private GroupGroup ID: 61900Password: mountaineersMake your bracket name your WMITC handle. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:59:55 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3275 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3274 As WVU's annual Big East Tournament run begins tonight against the Cincinnati Bearcats (9pm-ESPN) and the post-season is upon us, now seems like a good opportunity to look back at the 2009-2010 regular season of the West Virginia Mountaineer men's basketball team to recognize the achievements and contributions of individual players on the team.And of course, since this is The Couch, those achievements will be both serious and nonsensical, sometimes at the same time.Obviously, the Mountaineers have had one hell of a season. And even though I'm reeling from missing my preseason record prediction by a single game (I predicted 23-7, they were 24-6), at least the Mountaineers did me the kindness of finishing tied for second in the Big East as I predicted. (To be fair, the Big East coaches predicted the same thing in the preseason poll. But the important thing is that I receive credit.) WVU finished the regular season ranked 6th in the nation, and could potentially wind up with a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong Big East Tournament and a few other dominoes falling into place. (Syracuse losing in the first round against Georgetown today didn't hurt those chances.)The team has wavered at times during the year, and seems to have a penchant for playing one of two types of games:1) WVU jumps to a big lead, gradually lets the other team back into the game, leading to a too-close-for comfort finish, or2) Opponent jumps to a big lead, WVU mounts a comeback, leading to a too-close-for comfort finish.That said, WVU defeated all of the top 10 teams in the Big East at least once except Notre Dame and Syracuse (and both of those losses came down to the final seconds) while losing only one game out of conference (#5 Purdue) despite playing a very formidable out-of-conference schedule.Over the next few weeks, WVU fans will find out where this team ranks among its predecessors in terms of post-season achievement, but it's worth acknowledging that the Mountaineers have had one of the best regular seasons in school history while playing in one of the toughest conferences in the history of college basketball.So let's get to the awards:MVP- Da'Sean ButlerThis was the easiest choice on the board. Da'Sean led the team in points per game at 17.2, was 3rd on the team with 6.2 rebounds, tied with Truck Bryant for 1st in assists per game at 3.3, and was both the primary ballhandler for a large chunk of the season as well as the unmitigated go-to guy in the clutch. (Ask Marquette, Cleveland State, Villanova, and now, in a Friday edit- Cincinnati.)The impressive part is that I'm not even sure which clutch shot this picture is from.It's very fair to say that as Da'Sean Butler goes, so go the Mountaineers. In losses, Butler has averaged 13 PPG if you don't consider his 32 points in the 3/OT loss to Pitt (16 ppg if you do). In wins, he's averaging 17.5 ppg.In addition, he seems to be the only player on the Mountaineers with the ability to create his own shot, which gets the offense flowing. Butler is now the #3 leading scorer in the history of WVU basketball with over 2,000 career points, behind only Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley.Coach Bob Huggins even brought up the Logo when discussing Da'Sean's all-around ability for the Mountaineers in this Times WV article which also notes that Butler was recently named to the First Team All-Big East Team.“He’s probably as complete a player as there has been at this school, other than Jerry,” Huggins said.Under any examination, Da'Sean Butler is the most valuable player for the Mountaineers this season. And it's not close.(Friday edit- Umm, in case there was any argument on this point, please see the new #1 highlight at the bottom of this article.)Most Improved- Kevin JonesMy main man Kevin Jones saw his playing time increase significantly from last year to this year, and produced at an even higher efficiency than last year. His scoring jumped from 6.3 to 13.5 ppg, his rebounds went from 4.9 to 7.4/game, and he's shooting twice as well from 3-point range (from 20% to 40%).KJ is such a monster on the offensive glass that he's 23rd in the nation in that category (3rd in the BE) despite getting fewer opportunities owing to the Mountaineers' slow-it-down-on-offense-and-grind-it-out-on-defense style.And although it has nothing to do with improving from year to year, this seems like as good a space as any to note that it is a pleasure to watch Kevin Jones play basketball. I don't know if I've ever seen a player take more enjoyment out of doing The Little Things than KJ, and it's refreshing to see a smiling face on the court for the Mountaineers in an era in which players like Syracuse's Eric Devendorf snarl and scream into the camera as if they've just seen the entire crowd and announcers beating puppies to death.Basketball is a fun game. KJ understands that. Just look at him.Best newcomer- Dalton PepperPepper leads a class of newcomers that was honestly expected to be much more solid than it was. His numbers (3.5 ppg, .6 assists/game, .7 rebounds/game, while shooting 40% from the floor) aren't that astounding, but as compared to the relatively limited contributions of the other four choices for this award, we've got to give it to him.The Istan-Bull, Deniz Kilicli was solid in limited time down the stretch after serving a 20-game suspension, but obviously didn't have the opportunity for much of an impact during most of the season. Danny Jennings plugged a few holes when he got the chance to play, but looked fairly lost on defense and played more than 10 minutes in a game only twice this season (against Coppin State and Loyolla (MD)). And Casey Mitchell was such a section 8 at times that you couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid. (If you need further elaboration, please consider his robust 31% shooting percentage and the fact that he compliments that offensive game with OLE'-style defense.)Late season action shot of Casey Mitchell.So it's Pepper by default, although with more playing time in the future, it's easy to see the 6'6'' freshman turning into a player of at LEAST Alex Ruoff's abilities.Biggest Surprise- Sir Wellington's Stroke From DowntownLong-time followers of this blog know of my affection for Sir Wellington Smith. In a pre-Huggins era of little emphasis on rebounding and defense, he was a lone reed.While he's had his struggles over the past few seasons with occasional defensive lapses and shooting slumps, Sir Wellington eased into a surprising role in his senior season- that of a straight-up deadeye marksman from deep.His jump from 25 and 27% 3-point shooting percentage over his sophomore and junior seasons respectively to a blistering 41% this season was nothing short of a revelation.His barrage of 3's against Mississippi in December put Mountaineer Nation on notice that Sir Wellington now has the 3-ball in his wheelhouse. And he knocked down 3 clutch 3's against Villanova last Saturday, literally saving the game for the Mountaineers in the clutch, despite playing very poorly in the first half.As he told Dave Hickman in this WV Gazette article:"You just have to have as much faith as you can and work as hard as you can to be ready the next time it happens,'' Smith said. "But no, you're right. A year ago I wouldn't have handled it as well. But I've grown.''"I think about [getting into a slump] if I've missed a couple of 3s, but I really don't think about it that much if I'm feeling good,'' Smith said. "I know what I have to do technique-wise and I don't worry about it. I know it's going in because of all the work I've put into it.''And for the record, let it be known across the land that when Sir Wellington is on fire, the whole mother------- house is gonna burn down.Best Fashion Accessory- John Flowers' High HeadbandFor the third consecutive year, John Flowers wins this award for his contribution in stylized accessory combined with basketball utility with the high-headband look which is sweeping the nation's playgrounds, or at least the playgrounds from Monongalia to Mercer Counties.While some may question the functionality of a headband reigning so high on one's noggin, I commend John Flowers for telling the rest of the headband-wearing world to flick off, maintaining his individuality while at the same time dividing the sweat on the top of his head in equal sides.Presumably, Flowers has very sweaty hair.Biggest Enigma- Devin EbanksAt times, Ebanks has looked every bit the part of the NBA-Draft-bound prospect many predicted him to be, with games like his 21-point, 7 rebound outburst against Providence in mid-February. And to be fair, he has been much more consistent in his past 9 games with an average of 15 ppg on 56% shooting and 7.8 rebounds/game. But there was a stretch for basically the entire middle of the season where Ebanks was, to put it mildly, playing like he had his head up his ass. (Hey, that's probably really mild compared to what Coach Huggins was saying.)In this article from mid-January I was openly wondering what in the hell had happened to the Mountaineers' preseason All-Big East Forward:"[H]ere's his lines from the last 6 games:3-7, 11 points, 6 rebounds (Purdue)5-12, 11 points, 9 rebounds (Rutgers)0-4, 0 points, 3 rebounds (Notre Dame)5-13, 17 points, 11 rebounds (USF)4-12, 8 points, 6 rebounds (Syracuse)3-6, 6 points, 6 rebounds (Marshall)Do these look like the stat lines of a future NBA player?"Indeed, you can see from this statsheet.com chart that his production has been very erratic this season:NCAA BasketballHopefully, Ebanks' lethargic play then and sudden increase in consistency lately is due to the fact that he's been healthier and much more comfortable with the hand injury that plagued him earlier in the season. (He's even hit a few jump shots lately, which hadn't happened since November.)Top 3 Highlights of the Year (that I could find on Youtube after hours of searching(For the record, I couldn't find John Flowers' put-back dunk against Rutgers in early January, otherwise that definitely would've been on the list.)3) Da'Sean Butler fast break dunk against Ohio State45 second mark:2) Devin Ebanks goes coast-to-coast in the closing seconds of the Marquette game:7:05 mark:1) Da'Sean Butler drains the game-winner against Marquette:M-V-P!! M-V-P!! M-V-P!!***Friday Edit**** I think we have a new #1Enjoy the Big East Tournament, everybody. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:40:44 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3274 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3273 Holy crap, it's been too long since I broke down some Mountaineer basketball. My last article of substance relating to the basketball team was this article of questions about the basketball team almost a month ago. Back in my prime I was hurling meaningful statistics at you faster than you can say "oh my God that Pitt guy's foot was on the line". So what have we learned in the time since then?Glad you asked. (You didn't, really, but cut me some slack. I need gimmicks to get back in my groove.)- OverviewAfter last week's wins over Providence (an 88-74 affair that might have been one of the more boring Mountaineer basketball games I've ever seen- but I suppose it's a good sign if I'm bored by a 14-point win), and Seton Hall, WVU has secured its 6th straight 20-win season, remains 3rd in the Big East, is ranked 7th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, 8th in the AP, and is 5th in RPI according to the always-helpful statsheet.com.Additionally, the Mountaineers' strength of schedule is ranked 3rd in the nation, understandable considering out-of-conference games against the likes of Marshall Purdue and Ohio State, as well as the full slate of conference games in the Big East, a conference Bobby Knight called the best conference he's ever seen.WVU's next opponentSo with all of those accolades, obviously we know that the Mountaineers are having a fantastic season. But what might you NOT know?(**Unless otherwise noted, all stats provided by statsheet.com**)- WVU is one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Gather your breath and I'll explain.To the naked eye, offensively, WVU's sets haven't looked very good at times, with extensive passing around the perimeter leading to too many contested outside shots, leading to missed shots, leading to a low shooting percentage. If you were to just look blindly at that shooting percentage as most commentators of WVU games do, you'd see that the Mountaineers are only shooting 44% (132nd in the country), which would lead you to believe that they aren't effective offensively.But looking closer, WVU is 1st in the nation in a statistic called "floor percentage" at 59%. What this means is that 59% of the time that WVU has possession of the basketball, the result of that possession is a score. Obviously, this is related to the fact that the Mountaineers are suddenly one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation (2nd in offensive rebounds/game).So hypothetically speaking, if Truck Bryant attempted an off-balance layup in the face of Dikembe Mutombo and missed that shot, obviously his shooting percentage would be 0% at that point. But if Kevin Jones rebounded that missed shot and put it back in for a layup, WVU's shooting percentage would only be 50%, but their floor percentage would be 100% because they scored without giving up possession. In essence, this means that WVU's standard offensive sets might not look that great and might be frustrating to watch at times, but their advantage rebounding the basketball leads to scores on possessions more often than any other team in the nation.And that's before we even get to defense.Not bad at all.College Basketball Stats by StatSheet.comI wasn't kidding when I said that we were suddenly much better at offensive rebounding.Want to know more about how well WVU rebounds now? Glad you asked.- WVU is the best offensive rebounding team in the nation, too.The Mountaineers also lead the nation in a statistic called "offensive rebounding percentage." That stat represents the number of rebounds controlled relative to the number of rebound opportunities on the offensive end of the floor.Looking at a raw stat like the number of offensive rebounds a team gets total is a helpful, but misleading statistic, as it doesn't take into account the number of opportunities for rebounds a team may have. To use an example from the NBA, obviously the Phoenix Suns are going to have more opportunities for rebounds than other teams, as their tempo and style lead to more shots, which leads to more rebounding opportunities, which leads to more possessions, etc.The Mountaineers get an offensive rebound on just over 43% of all chances for offensive rebounds. This is phenomenal. Just look at how far WVU has come in its own conference in this statistic:College Basketball Stats by StatSheet.comSo while observers may note that the Mountaineers rebound very well offensively, they may not know that they do it better than anyone else in the nation because the total offensive rebounds aren't as high as other teams. Why?Because WVU is 268th in the nation in possessions per 40 minutes. The Mountaineers grind down their own shot clock, then apply such fierce defensive pressure that they wind up grinding opponents' clocks down as well, leading to fewer possessions than 267 other D-I basketball teams.WVU's best offense is a missed shot.- WVU has been good on the defensive end as well, but not nearly as good as you've been led to believe.If you were to listen to writers, play-by-play guys, and most of the sports commentary with regard to the Mountaineer basketball team, you'd believe that the strongest asset of the 2010 Mountaineers is its stifling defense. You'd be wrong.Make no mistake, the Mountaineers are a solid defensive team. They are capable of forcing opponents into long scoring droughts, and keep the sometimes-struggling offense in the game at times. But for all the praise the team gets for its defensive prowess, would it surprise you to find that in terms of efficiency (points allowed per 100 defensive possessions), WVU only ranks 28th, allowing 89.9 points/100 possessions?Part of understanding this rank goes back to rebounding. As good as the Mountaineers are at rebounding the ball on the offensive end, you'd expect them to dominate on the defensive end as well, but that hasn't been the case. WVU grabs about 69% of the defensive rebounds available, which seems good, but only places them 107th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage.Then there's the old standby of opponents' shooting percentage. WVU is 171st in the nation in defensive fg%, allowing teams to shoot an average of 43% against them. Considering that the Mountaineers appear behind teams such has Binghampton and IUPUI on that list, we as Mountaineer fans shouldn't exactly be beating our chests about WVU's defensive prowess. Especially considering that they don't block that many shots per game (4.1, good for 89th) or create that many steals per game (6.1, good for 210th). While the defense applied by the Mountaineers may LOOK stifling at times, it isn't preventing opposing teams from putting the ball in the basket or turning it over.So next time you hear someone spouting about WVU's badass defense, point out that the offense is the strength of the team. That should drop some jaws. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:25:31 -0500 http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=3273