Going to hold off on both games as i think I can get a better line if i wait closer to game time. These are 2 games that I feel strongly about as I follow the big east very closely. I would play both games at the numbers available, but as I said I think I can get a better number most certainly in the Villanova game.
4 Units
West Virg +???
I am actually very surprised West Va was made a dog in this game. I don't think they should be and I don't think it will matter. I think West Va will win this one by 5+. West Va is your typical Big East team. They are rugged, aren't afraid to play and win ugly, play intense defense, and rebound. All those factors work against Davidson who is more of a finesse team. Of their 2 big challenges this season they got beat by Oklahoma, and struggled with NC ST before finally taking them down. Also if you recall last season they didn't beat any of these upper echelon teams before the NCAA tournament. However the big difference from last season is they don't have Jason Richards. I have been saying this all that Davidson won't be a serious threat this year because they don't have Richards. Without Richards running the point it forces Curry to handle the ball. Curry IS NOT a point guard. He is a cold hearted assassin who is a 2 guard. They can get by with Curry running point against lesser teams, but when they run into the big boys, like West Va, Curry running the pg is not a good thing. If Davidson is going to win against these stronger teams they need Curry to take an abundance of shots. He can't do that if he is running the point because it takes his teammates out of the game. If Curry is jacking it up every other time down the court his teammates tend to feel left out, and don't feel part of the game. As it is there are really no true scorers other than Curry. In their big games this year (OU, NCST) nobody other than Curry has scored in double figures other than Lovedale. Lovedale averages 14 a game, but is not a true scorer. He gets a lot of garbage buckets. He is not somebody you can give the ball and tell him to go score. Same can be said of Barr. He is an excellent shooter, but not a scorer. WIth Curry being the only legit scoring threat they will run into strong defensive teams such as West Va. Joe Mazzulla is a bulldog who's sole purpose of the game will be too shut down Curry. He didn't play last game b/c of a bruised shoulder, but I feel that was more of a precaution, as they said "he was held out". That leads me to believe he rested up last game just so he will be ready to go against Curry. Mazzulla is just what Huggins loves. He is a hard nosed, physical, defender. He runs the point and gets his teammates involved. He has faced the best the big east has to offer so he will not back down against Curry by no means. He has also been splitting times at the point with freshman Truck Bryant. Bryant is a little bit more of a scorer averaging just shy of 10ppg. But he is also a physical player who will take his shots at guarding Curry. With Mazzulla, and Bryant sharing time at the point you know you will have a fresh body on Curry at all times. They should be able to wear him down some. Besides those 2 overall West Virg has transformed into a strong team that plays defense and rebounds. Huggins came in and molded Belien's players from shooters who were lax on defense, and rebounding into just that. He has also added his type of players with a strong freshman class that includes Bryant and Devon Ebanks. Huggins believes in the weight room so those players that once played for Belien have not only had their philosophy changed, but also seen their bodies changed, as Huggins notorious weight lifting program has bulked up the entire team. Again imo a physical team that WVU now is will be an issue for a finesse Davidson team. Offensively WVU is a well balanced team with Da'Sean Butler 14.6, Alex Ruoff 14.3, and Truck Bryant 9.9 ppg. Butler and Rouff are experienced, proven scorers who have evolved into strong team leaders that Huggins can count on in these big games. They have seen their fair share of big games and will not shy down. Another key to the game may be the emergence of highly touted freshman Devin Ebanks. He has been quiet to start the season, but in his last game he scored 10 points, and more importantly grabbed 17 rebounds. He has the talent to dominate at this level in time. Coming off such a game like that should give him confidence coming into tonight's game. This just gives WVU another dimension, and another strong, physical player they can count on. WVU's only loss this year was against Kentucky. Those are the teams that WVU will struggle against. They don't have a legit big man, and teams that do, like Kentucky with Patterson will give the Mountaineers trouble. There is no such big man on Davidson so I expect no such struggles. Their athleticism should allow them to win the rebounding battle. They also should be able to out talent them. Take away Curry and I don't think there is a player on Davidson that will start on WVU. That bodes well since nobody will outwork a Bob Huggins team. The last factor will be the familiarity the WVU players have with MSG. They play there at least 2, if not 3 or 4 times a year (against St John's, and Big East Tournament). Veteran players like Ruoff, Butler, Mazzulla, Wellington, and so on have played more than a handful of games at the Garden so they won't be rattled by the surroundings that's for sure. Those are just a handful of factors that I feel make WVU a strong play. There are more things I looked at that pointed to a West Va win, but i just don't feel like typing anymore. The way I see it the better team should win tomorrow.
4 Units
West Virg +???
I am actually very surprised West Va was made a dog in this game. I don't think they should be and I don't think it will matter. I think West Va will win this one by 5+. West Va is your typical Big East team. They are rugged, aren't afraid to play and win ugly, play intense defense, and rebound. All those factors work against Davidson who is more of a finesse team. Of their 2 big challenges this season they got beat by Oklahoma, and struggled with NC ST before finally taking them down. Also if you recall last season they didn't beat any of these upper echelon teams before the NCAA tournament. However the big difference from last season is they don't have Jason Richards. I have been saying this all that Davidson won't be a serious threat this year because they don't have Richards. Without Richards running the point it forces Curry to handle the ball. Curry IS NOT a point guard. He is a cold hearted assassin who is a 2 guard. They can get by with Curry running point against lesser teams, but when they run into the big boys, like West Va, Curry running the pg is not a good thing. If Davidson is going to win against these stronger teams they need Curry to take an abundance of shots. He can't do that if he is running the point because it takes his teammates out of the game. If Curry is jacking it up every other time down the court his teammates tend to feel left out, and don't feel part of the game. As it is there are really no true scorers other than Curry. In their big games this year (OU, NCST) nobody other than Curry has scored in double figures other than Lovedale. Lovedale averages 14 a game, but is not a true scorer. He gets a lot of garbage buckets. He is not somebody you can give the ball and tell him to go score. Same can be said of Barr. He is an excellent shooter, but not a scorer. WIth Curry being the only legit scoring threat they will run into strong defensive teams such as West Va. Joe Mazzulla is a bulldog who's sole purpose of the game will be too shut down Curry. He didn't play last game b/c of a bruised shoulder, but I feel that was more of a precaution, as they said "he was held out". That leads me to believe he rested up last game just so he will be ready to go against Curry. Mazzulla is just what Huggins loves. He is a hard nosed, physical, defender. He runs the point and gets his teammates involved. He has faced the best the big east has to offer so he will not back down against Curry by no means. He has also been splitting times at the point with freshman Truck Bryant. Bryant is a little bit more of a scorer averaging just shy of 10ppg. But he is also a physical player who will take his shots at guarding Curry. With Mazzulla, and Bryant sharing time at the point you know you will have a fresh body on Curry at all times. They should be able to wear him down some. Besides those 2 overall West Virg has transformed into a strong team that plays defense and rebounds. Huggins came in and molded Belien's players from shooters who were lax on defense, and rebounding into just that. He has also added his type of players with a strong freshman class that includes Bryant and Devon Ebanks. Huggins believes in the weight room so those players that once played for Belien have not only had their philosophy changed, but also seen their bodies changed, as Huggins notorious weight lifting program has bulked up the entire team. Again imo a physical team that WVU now is will be an issue for a finesse Davidson team. Offensively WVU is a well balanced team with Da'Sean Butler 14.6, Alex Ruoff 14.3, and Truck Bryant 9.9 ppg. Butler and Rouff are experienced, proven scorers who have evolved into strong team leaders that Huggins can count on in these big games. They have seen their fair share of big games and will not shy down. Another key to the game may be the emergence of highly touted freshman Devin Ebanks. He has been quiet to start the season, but in his last game he scored 10 points, and more importantly grabbed 17 rebounds. He has the talent to dominate at this level in time. Coming off such a game like that should give him confidence coming into tonight's game. This just gives WVU another dimension, and another strong, physical player they can count on. WVU's only loss this year was against Kentucky. Those are the teams that WVU will struggle against. They don't have a legit big man, and teams that do, like Kentucky with Patterson will give the Mountaineers trouble. There is no such big man on Davidson so I expect no such struggles. Their athleticism should allow them to win the rebounding battle. They also should be able to out talent them. Take away Curry and I don't think there is a player on Davidson that will start on WVU. That bodes well since nobody will outwork a Bob Huggins team. The last factor will be the familiarity the WVU players have with MSG. They play there at least 2, if not 3 or 4 times a year (against St John's, and Big East Tournament). Veteran players like Ruoff, Butler, Mazzulla, Wellington, and so on have played more than a handful of games at the Garden so they won't be rattled by the surroundings that's for sure. Those are just a handful of factors that I feel make WVU a strong play. There are more things I looked at that pointed to a West Va win, but i just don't feel like typing anymore. The way I see it the better team should win tomorrow.
