West Virginia gets their point guard, Texas swaps out bigs

West Virginia got some big news on Wednesday afternoon as it became official that point guard Jabarie Hinds would be eligible to play this season.

There was some concern that he would not get cleared. Hinds did not travel this summer with West Virginia to Europe as he had to makeup some course work. Bobby Huggins, however, wasn't worried:

"We thought we knew that it was kind of a foregone conclusion (that he would qualify), it was just a matter of time," he told MetroNews Statewide Sportsline. "This time of the year you’ve got football in full swing and (the NCAA) is trying to get football guys on the field, they’re trying to get soccer players on the field and cross country. So, it's a busy, busy time for them."

Hinds will be a nice compliment to Truck Bryant in the back court. Where Bryant is a strong ball-handler and a physical point guard, Hinds thrives on his quickness and ability to beat a defender off the dribble.

Texas, on the other hand, got a bit of bad news.

Incoming freshman Kevin Thomas was declared ineligible by the NCAA. But only hours after that announcement was made, Texas announced that Jaylen Bond had been released from his letter of intent to Pitt.

There was some concern initially that Bond wasn't going to get his release. With him in the rotation, it provides some much-needed depth along the Longhorn's front line, but Rick Barnes is still going to be at a major disadvantage this season. His front court goes four-deep -- two seniors that have never been more than serviceable backups, Clint Chapman and Alexis Wangmene, and two freshmen, Bond and top 100 recruit Jonathan Holmes.
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Another reason to love West Virginia hoopers

For the past two seasons, I've had a bit of a fan crush on the West Virginia basketball team.

It started with this incredible series of videos -- including a lip-synching session to Brian McKnight -- from a road trop. Then there was John Flowers teaching the Mountaineer faithful how to dougie. And, of course, it was humanly impossible to hate Da'Sean Butler, unless, of course, you were on the wrong end of one of these.

And now?

John Flowers goes front and center celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden:


Shirtless.

Backwards hat.

And I'll put everything on the fact that he is currently mid-dougie.

UPDATE: We got video!!!

Well, not of Flowers doing the dougie. He still has his shirt on at this point, but you do get to see Flowers and Mazzulla do a flying chest bump. The best part? The guy at the end that yells "Let's get some more beer!"


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VIDEO: Preston Knowles costs Louisville a win at West Virginia

Preston Knowles did his best to give Louisville the three seed in the Big East Tournament.

Despite struggling with his shot throughout much of the game and while watching the Cardinals' front line get absolutely torched by the Mountaineers (WVU grabbed 61.5% of the available offensive rebounds), Knowles got hot late. He scored seven straight points to give Louisville a 67-61 lead with two minutes left, and it looked like Louisville was going to leave Morgantown with a win.

West Virginia was able to whittle the lead down to 70-67 with 14 seconds left, and that's when the "Knowles Knightmare" started:



First, Knowles -- who is usually a sensational defender -- lost West Virginia's best shooter trailing a screen. Casey Mitchell drilled the game-tying three. Louisville didn't have any timeouts, so Knowles dribbled the other way and forced a contested 23 footer with plenty of time left on the clock. As if that wasn't enough, in his effort to get the rebound, Knowles fouled Truck Bryant with 0.6 seconds left.

Bryant hit both free throws.

Game over.

The issue that will be debated after this game is whether or not a foul should have been called. On the one hand, Bryant was 80 feet from the rim. There was less than a second left. Even without the foul, Bryant wasn't going to win this game at the buzzer.

But Knowles fouled him. It was as obvious a foul as you will ever see. The fact that Knowles even put himself in a position where he could cost his team a game with a boneheaded play is what should be discussed, not whether or not a foul should have been called.

The foul call decided the game.

But it was Knowles who forced the referees to make the call.
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POSTERIZED: Deniz dunks down

Deniz "The Turkish Terror" Kilicli is a European-style front-court player. He has a nice back-to-the-basket game, has a soft touch and can step back and hit from range.

But apparently, European players aren't all finesse.

And poor Charles Okwandu of UConn had to find out the hard way:



West Virginia will certainly need the big-man to continue his terrorizing of opposing front-courts.

But was it as good as one of these?:

POSTERIZED - Dwayne Lathan, Indiana State
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Louisville
POSTERIZED - Matt Dickey, UNC-Asheville
POSTERIZED - Jeff Robinson, Xavier
POSTERIZED - Nyika Williams
POSTERIZED - Jawanza Poland, South Florida
POSTERIZED - Brady Jardine, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Asheville
POSTERIZED - Peyton Siva, Louisville
POSTERIZED - E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
POSTERIZED - DJ Newbill, Southern Mississippi
POSTERIZED - Scotty Hopson, Tennessee
POSTERIZED - Justin Brownlee, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Tyrone Johnson
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Ross, Washington
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Andre Roberson, Colorado
POSTERIZED - Durrell Summers, Michigan State
POSTERIZED - Phillip McDonald, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Kyle Kuric, Louisville
POSTERIZED - Anthony Nelson, Niagara
POSTERIZED - Cory Joseph, Texas
POSTERIZED - Will Sheehey, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Tom Pritchard, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - John Holland, Boston
POSTERIZED - Keith Gabriel, VMI
POSTERIZED - Travis McKie, Wake Forest
POSTERIZED - Jefferson Mason, Minnesota State (D-II)
POSTERIZED - Tyler Johnson, Fresno State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Asheville
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Hollis Thompson, Georgetown
POSTERIZED - Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette
POSTERIZED - Darrius Garrett, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Travis Cohn, Jacksonville
POSTERIZED - Ramon Galloway, South Carolina
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Asheville
POSTERIZED - Kevin Smith, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Mitchell Watt, Buffalo
POSTERIZED - Chandler Parsons, Florida
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas

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B.I.A.H Not-Top-Ten Rankings

Every week, writers, publications, media outlets and bloggers issue their Top-25 rankings for the week. A majority of the time, everybody has virtually same opinion of all the teams.

If you want to find this week's top-25 rankings, you've come to the wrong place. Here you will find our rankings for the 10 worst team performances in the NCAA. This list isn't just home to the winless mid-major bottom-feeders. No, here you will find the biggest underachievers, slumpers and teams in a funk, the worst weekly performers, and the teams that just plain suck. Now there will be teams on this list that are better than teams not on this list. But come on people, we are trying to be creative, just work with us.

The B.I.A.H Not-Top-10 Rankings

1. Syracuse Orange
Record: 18-3 (5-3)

Suffering back-to-back losses in the Big East is not all that bad, especially when both losses are to top-10 teams. But a team follows up those two losses with a 22-point drubbing AT HOME to a team like Seton hall, then they deserve to get slammed. What happened to that raucous Carrier Dome atmosphere that was present for the Villanova game? Fans started leaving the Seton Hall game with nine minutes to go in the second half.


This team was supposed to be a real threat to win it all this year. But I guess we shouldn't forget that this is also the team that went to Pittsburgh and promptly got down 19-0 before the first TV timeout. With games against Marquette and UConn on the horizon, the Orange need to get out of this funk quickly or else they could slip-n-slide right into the middle of the Big East pack.


2. Michigan State Spartans
Record; 12-8 (4-4)

What on Earth is going on in East Lansing? First, Chris Allen was removed from the program before the season started, then Korie Lucious got a DUI. After that, it was reported that two players raped a MSU student in her dorm room. On top of that, Tom Izzo was suspended one game for a minor recruiting violation. All of that took place before Big-Ten play started, and when it did, the wheels were already off the bus.


Tom Izzo benched Durrell Summers due to lack on enthusiasm. They've lost four of their last six, including losses to Penn State and Michigan. last week, Korie Lucious was suspended for the rest of the season. We are all aware that you can't doubt Tom Izzo's squad come March Madness time. But what if they don't even make it to the tournament?


3. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Record: 13-8 (3-3)

For the second time this season, the 'Zags have lost three games in-a-row. For what must be the first time in at least a decade, the 'Zags have lost three league games in a row. Last night they lost to St. Mary's on a buzzer-beater, but that followed up back-to-back losses at Santa Clara (75-81) and at San Francisco (91-96 OT). Elias Harris was supposed to have a breakout season worthy of a guaranteed lottery pick, but so far he's been hampered by injuries and is averaging just 12.5-ppg and 5.6-rpg. It looks like Gonzaga's NCAA tournament streak may be in jeopardy because they have almost no shot of getting an at-large bid, and well, at 3-3 in league play, it doesn't look like they will get the automatic bid either.


4. West Virginia Mountaineers
Record: 13-6 (4-3)

Ten days ago they were the hottest team in the country. Ten days later, they have nine scholarship athletes, and suspended their best scorer for the second time this season. They've lost to Marshall (down 47-23 at the half) and to Louisville. During their lone win in that time frame, their back-up forward Danny Jennings got up off the bench and walked out of the game, something I don't think I've ever seen or heard about before in my life. A couple days later Casey Mitchell was suspended indefinitely for breaking team rules.


Bob Huggins is constantly dealing with player personnel issues with this squad. Regardless of how good they might play during some games, this team has some serious problems.


5. Towson Tigers
Record: 4-16 (0-10)

For a team that's played ten conference games already, they have the worst record in the country. They've lost ten in-a-row, and that streak feature losses by 31 and 26. Their most recent loss, the 26-point blowout at George Mason came under much scrutiny. Towson University was unable to make their Wednesday night game at George Mason, who's campus is just two hours away. Poor planning of snow travel caused the game to be pushed back to Thursday afternoon at 4:00PM, and the university received a public reprimand from the conference for their lack of preparation. The team was dealt a 26-point loss to boot.


6. Central Florida Knights
Record: 14-5 (1-5)

UCF's 14-game winning-streak at the beginning of the season wasn't just a product of an easy non-con schedule. They beat a couple good teams in that stretch and were primed for a breakout year in the Conference-USA. That's why it's so hard for me to understand how this team has lost five games in-a-row. Yes, they've had to play the top teams in the league, but they led us to believe they were capable of winning those games. In their last game, a 15-point loss at Memphis, the Knights got down by as many as 25-points and never led in the ballgame. Their next four games are against UAB, at UTEP, at ECU, and against Memphis. It's very possible UCF is 1-9 in C-USA play by Valentines Day.


7. Arizona State Sun Devils
Record: 9-11 (1-7)

I don't think people realize Arizona State is as bad as they are. Well, maybe they aren't BAD per se, but they sure do lose a lot. They've lost four in-a-row and six of their last seven. None of their recent losses have been too catastrophic, but they can't score (ranked 287th in the country) and can't rebound (299th), and like I said, have lost seven games in the Pac-10, and that's pretty bad. In fact, I'm having trouble figuring out what their "best win" is. Herb Sendek's seat is getting hot, and I don't think a lot of people realize that yet.


8. Iowa Hawkeyes
Record: 8-12 (1-7)

Want to get an idea of how bad this team is? They lost to Wake Forest. BOOM. But seriously, this team hasn't won since before Christmas, and has lost their last five games by an average of 19.6-ppg. It's entirely possible that this team doesn't win another conference game this season. Oh wait, nevermind, they still have to play Michigan State twice.


9. North Texas Mean Green
Record: 16-5 (5-3)

Maybe it's my fault for being so high on the Mean Green bandwagon. I was sure this team could roll through the Sun Belt Conference with maybe only one or two losses. As of now they are 5-3, and their last two losses have come against teams with a combined total of ten wins. With the Denver Pioneers off to a quick start at 6-0, and a match-up with them tomorrow, the Mean Green can ill-afford to play at the level of mediocrity that they are now.


10. East Carolina Student Section

Listen, I'm all for getting under the skin of the opposing team. I have no problem with profanity-laced insults and borderline-hurtful signs and chants towards players. I was a soccer hooligan for four years in college and believe that it is the responsibility of the student section to get inside the opposing players heads and take them out of their game, even if that means getting personal. But regardless of how rowdy and insulting you get, you must respect your elders. Coaches and parents are the type of people you do not insult or disrespect. But apparently the ECU student section didn't get memo during their team's home game against Southern Mississippi.


The Golden Eagles head coach, Larry Eustachy battled alcoholism for a long portion of his early career and was eventually fired from Iowa State when photos were leaked of him partying it up with college students back in 2003. The Pirate fans were mocking Eustachy the entire game, which his team won 84-77. The coach hasn't had a drink in almost seven years and the students were still getting on him. Listen kids, would you say that to a professor? How about one of your friend's parents? Go after a player who got a DUI or someone who failed English Lit. but show some respect for the elders.



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Casey Mitchell suspended indefinitely

A day after Danny Jennings left the West Virginia bench during a 56-46 win over South Florida, the Mountaineers sent out a press release saying that leading scorer Casey Mitchell has been suspended indefinitely.

The reason for the suspension that was given was the dreaded violation of team rules. For Mitchell, who leads the team in scoring at 16.6 ppg, it is the second time that he has been suspended during the school year. He was also suspended -- again, for violating team rules -- back in October, although he didn't miss any game time.

The Mountaineers now have just eight scholarship players on the roster, assuming that Jennings is actually gone from the team. (I saw a few tweets that mentioned it, but have come up with zilch for a link.) Their freshmen class has completely disintegrated and of the players left on the team, Joe Mazzulla, Truck Bryant, and Cam Thoroughman have all faced suspensions in the last two years while Johnnie West nearly left the team over the summer.

With Big East play now in full swing, the Mountaineers could be in trouble.

UPDATE: Jeff Eisenberg of the Dagger passed this link my way after I originally posted the story. Huggy Bear basically confirms that Jennings is done:

"It's unfathomable to me that somebody would leave their team at halftime," Huggins said. "I just can't imagine that anyone would do that. You play for the name on the front, not the name on the back. I can't understand it and I hope I never understand it. If I understand it then I'm probably as bad off. I just don't know what would possess somebody to do that."

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John Flowers is a better dancer than you

The more I learn about this West Virginia team, the more I like them.

First of all, their head coach is Bobby Huggins, a lovable country bumpkin through and through -- unless, of course, you missed a box out or blow a help-side rotation. Then there was this series of videos that the team put out where they lip sync to Brian McKnight and dance to Haddaway. And, of course, there was John Flowers doing the John Wall Dance after WVU knocked off Kentucky for the right to go to last year's Final Four.

And now?

John Flowers is teaching fans how to do the Dougie:



The video was debuted during West Virginia's 93-63 win over Providence on Thursday. According to Kevin Jones, this kind of behavior is standard for Flowers. "That's John," Jones said after the Providence win. "You can always count on him for some comic relief. That's the good thing about having him around."

It was fitting the video was debuted in that game, because it also happened to be the best game of Flower's career. He had 24 points, six boards, five assists, five steals, and three blocks.

"I was looking at my hand at one point and said, 'What's going on?'" Flowers said. "I hadn't missed a shot yet. Then I missed a 3 and I said, 'All right, there it is. That's the John Flowers I know.'"

I'd say Jones is right. Flowers does seem pretty funny. And he's obviously a good dancer. Better than me, at least.

Hey John, can you teach me how to Berney?
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Georgetown's back court struggles again

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

WASHINGTON DC - West Virginia's slow start to Big East play wasn't necessarily due to a lack of talent or ability.

The issue was focus, attention to detail, and -- simply put -- doing what Bob Huggins was asking them to do.

If you're a coach, and your team isn't listening to or being receptive to your coaching, how do you combat that? Well, if you are Bob Huggins, you start giving your players pop quizzes on the scouting reports.

"Our attention to detail wasn't very good," Huggins told reporters after the game. "You put a test in there and you kind of figure out who is paying attention and who isn't paying attention."


And while the tests have been in place for the past three game, on Saturday the effect was finally visible. West Virginia played their best game of the season against Georgetown, getting 28 points from Casey Mitchell to carry them to a 65-59 win at the Verizon Center. Kevin Jones added 15 points, but more importantly he had five of his eight rebounds on the offensive end as the 'Eers dominated the glass, posting a 44.1% OR% and a 81.0 DR%.

"This is the best we've played, without a doubt," Huggins said. "This is the best we've shared the ball, its certainly the best we've defended. Its the best we've rebounded the ball."

"I emphasize [rebounding] everyday, its just taken a while. We're not very big. We don't jump very good. So we have to team rebound, and I thought we did a better job of team rebounding."

As well as West Virginia played, the story of this game will no doubt end up being Georgetown's 1-3 start in the Big East.

We've all seen this movie before. In 2009, Georgetown started the season 10-1 and opened Big East play with a win on the road against then-No. 2 UConn. Everyone started talking about the Georgetown team led by a bunch of talented freshmen and sophomores named Greg Monroe, Chris Wright, and Austin Freeman. But the Hoyas collapsed, losing 15 of their last 21 games and getting bounced out of the NIT in the first round. Last year, Georgetown's season was a roller coaster. They beat Duke, they lost to South Florida. They beat Villanova, they lost to Rutgers. They beat Syracuse to make the Big East Tournament finals (where, ironically, they lost to West Virginia) before getting knocked out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Ohio.

And now, after being dubbed the best team in the Big East by more people than just me, Georgetown's back court has ceased to produce. Chris Wright was 3-13 from the field with five turnovers today. Austin Freeman managed to take just eight shots from the field and didn't score until there were fifteen minutes left in the game. Jason Clark played great, going for 16 points on 7-10 shooting and making a number of big plays defensively, but he had two costly turnovers late.

Its been a trend. The Big Three combined for just twenty points against St. John's. Wright and Clark were awful against Notre Dame, and Austin Freeman, who had 21 points, did most of his damage with the game already out of reach.

"We're getting the same shots, they just aren't going in right now," Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said after the game. "Couple that with the things we have to improve and get better on."

Its not the only problem that Georgetown has. They've been getting killed on the glass of late, but anyone that knows anything about the Hoyas expected that coming into the season. Look, I like Julian Vaughn and Nate Lubick and Henry Sims, but that isn't a front line that will strike fear into Penn, let alone West Virginia.

The strength of this team is their back court and their back court's ability to execute offensively. Simply put, this team has just not been executing, especially during crucial moments in the game. Today, Wright missed two wide open jumpers from the top of the key that could have tied the game or given Georgetown the lead midway through the second half. Georgetown had three possessions in the last two minutes where they were down three points. All three ended up in a turnover. Their final possession of the game, down by four points with twenty seconds left, also ended in a turnover.

"Its us. Its about us," Thompson said.

Georgetown can take solace in the fact that they still have a full season in front of them. This back court is too good to continue to struggle like they have.

But the road doesn't get any smoother, as the Pitt Panthers come to town on Wednesday.

"The good thing is we're four games into an 18 game season," Thompson said. "The bad news is that we've lost three of those four games. This is the Big East. No game gets any easier."

Huggins reiterated the same sentiment.

"People get all giddy about beating this team or that team," he said. "But then all of a sudden you end up losing three or four in a row. Its a hard, hard league. Its hard. We came out here two years ago, we're playing three freshmen and we came here and won. I mean, I was giddy. To come in here and win with three freshmen, wow. I go out and sit down on the bus. I got my Jimmy John's sandwich there, I'm eating my Jimmy John's. They come out and drop about 12 tapes on my chair. I say 'What's this? I want to relax for a bit.' They said 'Coach, we got Pitt on Monday.' They were No. 2 in the country."

"That's what this league is. You go from one really hard game to another really hard game. Sometimes you go from one really hard game to a harder game.Its brutal, and what oyu have to be careful of is your guys thinking that there are teams in this league that can't beat you. Everybody in this league can."

Did you order the Jimmy John's today?

"No, I gotta go recruit. At least I knew coming in this time."
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Why has Casey Mitchell seen his minutes get cut?

Casey Mitchell was one of the bigger surprises early in the college basketball season.

The 2009 JuCo player of the year, Mitchell struggled to find minutes during West Virginia's 2009-2010 run to the Final Four. The reason? He had issues with doing what Bob Huggins says, and if you have issues with doing what Bob Huggins says, you aren't going to play.

That's a fact.

Well, it seemed as if Mitchell had turned a corner during the Mountaineers trip to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament. He went for 31 points in a win over Vanderbilt and followed that up with 27 in a close loss to Minnesota in the title game. He would drop 25 and 27, respectively, in the Eer's next two games, before his hot streak finally snapped with a 5-15 performance in a loss to Miami.


All told, we were seven games into the season and Mitchell had, only twice, played fewer that 29 minutes. He only twice had scored less that 18 points. They were the same two games, and they also happened to be the first two games of the season.

Which makes it interesting that in West Virginia's last two games -- the only two games they have played since losing to Miami -- Mitchell has played just 35 minutes total and scored all of eight points.

That's right.

A guys that was averaging 21.8 ppg in his first seven games for West Virginia averaged 17.5 mpg and just 4.0 ppg over his last two. And no, he wasn't in foul trouble.

What happened? Why hasn't Mitchell been seeing the same number of minutes?

My guess? He's had more issues doing what Bob Huggins says. Take the second half against Duquesne on Sunday night as an example. Mitchell played one second. Literally. One second. How does one go about getting pulled after just one second?

He fouled on what was a three-point play on an inbound play, and not just an inbound play, but "one we worked on for three days," Huggins said.

"At this point in the season, I'm looking for guys that won't screw the game up," Huggins said. "We've got a bunch of them that screw it up bad."

Mitchell wasn't the only one to feel Huggins' wrath. Deniz Kilicli played just one possession in the second half. He forced, and missed, a shot on a play that was drawn up for him and was yanked.

The line was drawn in the sand last Tuesday. After an ugly first half in which the Mountaineers only led Robert Morris 32-31, Huggins called a timeout and made a line change -- the five starters out, the second team in -- just 24 seconds into the half. Why? Truck Bryant took the ball out under his own basket, and the other four players took off down the court.

"I get tired of watching guys not play the right way," Huggins said after the Robert Morris game. "I've got great respect for the game and the way it's supposed to be played."

There it is, clear as day.

You want to play, you better do what Bob Huggins says.
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2010-2011 Season Preview Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 35-31

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country.

For a complete listing of our season previews, click here.

To browse through the rest of our Top 50 Countdown, click here.


35. Florida State

• Last Season: 22-10, 10-6
  


• Head Coach: Leonard Hamilton
  


• Key Losses: Solomon Alabi, Ryan Reid, Jordan DeMercy
  


• New Additions: Jon Kreft, Bernard James, Okaro White, Ian Miller
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Derwin Kitchen, Sr.
  
• G: Michael Snaer, So.
  
• F: Chris Singleton, Jr.
  
• F: Bernard James, Jr.
  
• C: Xavier Gibson, Jr.
  
• Bench: Deividas Dulkys, Jr.; Luke Loucks, Jr.; Ian Miller, Fr.; Okaro White, Fr.; Jon Kreft, Jr.
  

• Outlook: Florida State's biggest issue last season was their ability on the offensive end; simply put, they couldn't score. With the exception of incoming freshman Ian Miller, a four star point guard out of Charlotte, this is going to be the same group. The two best players on the Seminoles roster are Chris Singleton and Michael Snaer. Both are tremendous athletes -- Snaer is more of a guard, while Singleton is a combo-forward -- with a ton of upside, but offensively they were limited skillwise last season. One of those two is going to need to develop into a legitimate threat with the ball. Derwin Kitchen might be the best creator for Leonard Hamilton's club, but he turns 25 during the season. Rounding out the perimeter will be juniors Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys. While the Seminoles struggled offensively, they were a tough, physical defensive team with guys like Snaer and Singleton setting the tone on the perimeter. Florida State lost both of their starting front court players -- Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid -- but should still have enough size this season. 6'11" junior Xavier Gibson is the only rotational big man back from last season, but Hamilton brings in plenty on big men. Okaro White is a 6'8", top 100 forward. Jon Kreft, who initially signed with Florida State in 2006 but has had his share of troubles getting into the school, is a seven-footer and former five-star recruit that will finally get eligible this year. Bernard James is a 6'10" JuCo all-american that spent six years abroad in the Air Force. Those three should be able to offset the loss of Reid and Alabi inside, and if Snaer or Singleton can become the star they seemed destined to be, the 'Noles will be dancing once again.
  

34. West Virginia

• Last Season: 31-7, 13-5 (Big East)
  


• Head Coach: Bobby Huggins
  


• Key Losses: Devin Ebanks, Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith
  


• New Additions: Noah Cottrill, Kevin Noreen
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Joe Mazzulla, Sr.
  
• G: Truck Bryant, Jr.
  
• F: John Flowers, Sr.
  
• F: Kevin Jones, Jr.
  
• C: Deniz Kilicli, So.
  
• Bench: Noah Cottrill, Fr.; Casey Mitchell, Sr.; Kevin Noreen, Fr.; Dalton Pepper, So.; Danny Jennings, So.; Cam Thoroughman, Sr.
  

• Outlook: Expect the Mountaineers to have a bit of a different makeup next season. Three of the five players from their all small forward line-up are gone -- Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith, and Devin Ebanks. Whereas the 'Eers were seemingly short of point guards last season, they will be flush this year. Joe Mazzulla may never be a real shooting threat again, but he is a bulldog and a true leader, and his ailing shoulder should be as healthy as it ever will be. Truck Bryant, who dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies after a good freshman year, is also back. Noah Cottrill, one of the better point guard recruits in the class of 2010, is built in the same mold but should immediately be the best shooter of the three. The interesting question for Bob Huggins is going to be what happens on the perimeter. Casey Mitchell (who is currently suspended from the team) and Dalton Pepper were both touted as shooters and scorers coming into Morgantown, but neither really lived up to the hype last season. The front court will be fine for WVU. Kevin Jones is a star-in-the-waiting at the power forward spot, while Deniz Kilicli should fare much better this season without having to serve a 20 game suspension. With guys like John Flowers, Cam Thoroughman, Danny Jennings, and freshman Kevin Noreen -- who may end up being the best scorer of the bunch -- Huggy Bear has plenty of options up front. WVU lost a lot of talent. Its going to be tough to replace that scoring, defensive versatility, and offensive rebounding ability. WVU will look a bit different, but they should still be good enough to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
  

33. St. Mary's

• Last Season: 28-6, 11-3
  


• Head Coach: Randy Bennett
  


• Key Losses: Omar Samhan, Ben Allen, Wayne Hunter
  


• New Additions: Stephen Holt, Brad Waldow, Kenton Walker, Rob Jones
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Mickey McConnell, Sr.
  
• G: Matthew Dellavedova, So.
  
• F: Clint Steindl, Jr.
  
• F: Rob Jones, Jr.
  
• C: Kenton Walker, Jr.
  
• Bench: Jorden Page, So.; Tim Harris, Fr.; Stephen Holt, Fr.; Mitchell Young, So.
  

• Outlook: The Gaels will be a much different team this season than the one that had the school's most successful season in history -- which included a run to the Sweet 16 -- mostly due to the fact that they lose their starting front court, particularly Omar Samham. The strength on this year's team will be on the perimeter. Scrappy sophomore Matthew Dellevadova, who came into Moraga with a lot of hype and didn't disappoint, has a chance to develop into a star this season. Sharpshooting point guard Mickey McConnell is back as well, and will once again be relied upon quite heavily to orchestrate Randy Bennett's offense. Redshirt freshman Tim Harris, whose season was cut to one game with a hamstring tear, will see heavy minutes, as will Stephen Holt, a freshman point guard that is one of Bennett's most heralded recruits. 6' sophomore Jorden Page and 6'7" junior Clint Steindl will also play heavily into Bennett's perimeter rotation, and Beau Levesque could see minutes as well. The front court is a different story. Rob Jones, a tough, rugged 6'6" forward and transfer from San Diego, will likely see time at both forward spots. He should be a key contributor for this team after averaging 9 points and 6 boards in two seasons at San Diego. 6'9" Creighton transfer Kenton Walker may end up starting for the Gaels at center this season. Three bigs return -- Mitchell Young, Phil Benson, and Tim Williams. Young was the only one that got consistent minutes last season for the Gaels, but with the void left by Samhan and Ben Allen, all three of these players will be counted on to produce inside. The Gaels are not as good as last year's team, but this is still a squad that will compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and, if things break right, could give Gonzaga a run for the league title.
  

32. Temple

• Last Season: 29-6, 14-2 (A-10)
  


• Head Coach: Fran Dunphy
  


• Key Losses: Ryan Brooks, Luis Guzman
  


• New Additions: Anthony Lee, Aaron Brown, Jimmy McDonnell
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Juan Fernandez, Sr.
  
• G: Ramone Moore, Jr.
  
• G: Rahlir Jefferson, So.
  
• F: Lavoy Allen, Sr.
  
• F: Michael Eric, Jr.
  
• Bench: Craig Williams, Sr.; Scootie Randall, Jr.; TJ DiLeo, So.
  

• Outlook: The Owls had a fantastic regular season, using a stifling defense to win both the A-10 regular season and tournament title, only to once again flame out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While Temple loses leading scorer Ryan Brooks, they should still have more than enough weapons to compete for the league title. Junior sharpshooter Juan Fernandez is back and should be expected to have a bump in production as he becomes the centerpiece of Fran Dunphy's perimeter attack. Big man Lavoy Allen, who flirted with the NBA Draft, also returns after averaging a double-double last season. Combine those two with talented junior Ramone Moore, who won the A-10 sixth man of the year award, and the Owls once again have a solid core. Michael Eric, a 6'11" Nigerian junior, has shown some promise and could develop into a nice sidekick for Allen, while sophomore Rahlir Jefferson is a talented swingman that seems to be a nice fit for Dunphy's defensive style. Temple was not all that deep last season, especially towards the end of the year as Craig Williams, Scootie Randall, and TJ DiLeo, who should slide into the starting point guard role, really saw their minutes shrink. With two starters -- Brooks and Luis Guzman -- that combined for 68 minutes a game gone, Dunphy is going to have to find minutes somewhere, and it seems as if those three, plus incoming freshmen Aaron Brown and Anthony Lee, will be the ones competing for that time. Temple is always going to be competitive with their defensive ability, but there were times when this team struggled to score last season. With Brooks gone, that could become more of an issue. I think Temple will be a tournament team and a contender for the A-10 title, but they need depth, another scoring option, and a point guard to develop for that to happen.
  

31. NC State

• Last Season: 20-16, 5-11 (ACC)
  


• Head Coach: Sidney Lowe
  


• Key Losses: Dennis Horner, Farnold Degand, Julius Mays
  


• New Additions: CJ Leslie, Ryan Harrow, Lorenzo Brown
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Javier Gonzalez, Sr.
  
• G: CJ Williams, Jr.
  
• G: Scott Wood, So.
  
• F: CJ Leslie, Fr.
  
• F: Tracy Smith, Sr.
  
• Bench: Lorenzo Brown, Fr.; Ryan Harrow, Fr.; Richard Howell, So.; Jordan Vandenburg, So.
  

• Outlook: It seems that Wolfpack fans that have been patient with Sidney Lowe's tenure will finally be rewarded this year, as NC State looks to have a team that can make a run at a tournament bid. Its starts up front, where the Pack got some great news when Tracy Smith, who led the team in scoring and rebounding as a junior, withdrew from the NBA Draft and decided to return for his senior season. The news got better when Lowe scored a recruiting upset, landing 6'9" Raliegh native CJ Leslie, a top 20 recruit with a ton of length and athleticism with a still-developing post game. With Richard Howell and 7'0" sophomore Jordan Vandenburg also returning, the Wolfpack have a very good front line. Lowe will also have a nice combination of experience and young talent in his back court. Javier Gonzalez, who started at the point last season, will be back for his senior season. 6'7" shooter Scott Wood also returns, as does CJ Williams, a 6'6" swingman who started 16 games as a sophomore. Freshmen guards Lorenzo Brown and Ryan Harrow were both heralded recruits. Harrow is more of a point guard, while Brown is more of a combo guard, but both should be impact players in the ACC. This is the most talented, and probably the deepest, team Lowe has had at NC State. It will be a disappointment if he cannot lead this group to the NCAA Tournament.

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Wednesday Where Are They Now?: Kevin Pittsnogle

Ever wonder what happened to those college stars that couldn't catch on in the NBA? The guys that put up the great numbers or the guys that left early, and were never heard from again? Every Wednesday, we at BIAH will take a look at a former college star that never made it in the NBA, and we will update you on where he is playing or what he is doing. We're guessing the results will surprise you. To request a player, hit us up on twitter @ballinisahabit or via email at contactbiah@gmail.com.

Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia

I still remember the first time that I ever noticed Kevin Pittsnogle as more than the goofy, 6'11" white guy on West Virginia that shoots threes and has tattoos. It was February 5th, 2005, and West Virginia looked like they were headed for another disappointing end to a season.

Did you know Cletus the slack-jawed yokel had a jumper?
(photo credit: Draft Express)

In Pittsnogle's first two seasons, West Virginia had finished below .500 in the Big East and missed the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers looked like they were going to buck that trend in 2004-2005 after starting out the year 10-0, but losing seven out of nine -- including a 2-6 start to Big East play -- seemingly wiped out that chance. To make things worse, D'or Fischer, West Virginia's starting center, was sick and unavailable on February 5th, meaning that Pittsnogle, the back up, would be getting the start.

Pittsnogle got winded early in the game, but once he caught his breath, Pitt didn't have an answer for him. He would finished the game with 27 points, including 8 in overtime, as West Virginia won the Backyard Brawl and sparked what turned into a fantastic finish to the season.

The Mounties would go 6-2 over their final eight regular season games, which was enough to get them to 8-8 in the conference. In the Big East Tournament, West Virginia made a run to the title game -- which included upsets of Boston College, the regular season champ, and Villanova -- before losing to Syracuse. And in the NCAA Tournament, the Mounties just missed a trip to the Final Four as a seven seed, playing two of the best games in recent tournament history -- their 111-105 double overtime second round win against Wake Forest, and the 93-85 Elite 8 loss to Louisville, which saw the Cardinals rally from 20 down despite West Virginia's 18-27 performance from three.

Pittsnogle played a huge role in West Virginia's turnaround. He is a two-guard trapped in a 6'11" body, which is perfect for the system that John Beilein likes to run. He could defend in the post on one end, but stand on the perimeter and allow the floor to be spread on offense. He flourished. The 27 points he scored against Pitt were a career high, and he proceeded to drop 20 five more times in the 2005 season. He had scored 20 points four times in his career prior to Feb. 5th, 2005.

Pittsnogle became a sensation. Its not often that you see 6'11" players knocking down 25 footers. He was the only player on that West Virginia team from the state of West Virginia, and the Mountaineer fans adored him. "Pittsnogled" became a part of our lexicon.

That success continued into Pittsnogle's senior season. He averaged 19.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg while leading West Virginia to another 20 win season and a trip to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, the NBA didn't have much of a market for 6'11" jump shooters, and Pittsnogle went undrafted after his senior season in 2006.

Pittsnogle signed with the Celtics in July of 2006, but by October he had been released. He signed with the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the CBA, and became an all-star, averaging 23.5 ppg. He got a shot with the Cavalier's summer league team in 2007, but he did not make the squad, instead entering the D-League. Pittsnogle was also waived by a team in France in the fall of 2007.

During the 2007-2008 season, Pittsnogle started the year with the Austin Toros of the D-Leauge, where he averaged 7.6 ppg during the first 15 games of the year. He was cut in January, but the Albequerque Thunderbirds scooped him up. Pittsnogle flourished in Albequerque, averaging 15.7 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

After the 2008 season finished, however, Pittsnogle left basketball to be with his family back in West Virginia. He volunteered as an assistant basketball coach at the high school where he taught kids with special needs. (Read this fantastic profile of him from the New York Times. Its mandatory.) He tried to make a comeback, rejoining the Thunderbirds in 2009. He averaged 11.8 ppg over the first 28 games of the year, but on February 16th of this year, Pittsnogle left the team for "personal reasons", which was a thinly veiled way of saying he wanted to be with his family.

Pittsnogle may never be a professional basketball star, but the way he tore through college basketball in 2005 is something this writer will always remember.

Kevin Pittsnogle, you will be missed.


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Its tough not to root for Da'Sean Butler

In the week leading up to the Final Four, Da'Sean Butler made headlines as he surprised a 74 year old West Virginia fan/heart attack victim with a visit in the hospital. Heartwarming, right?

Well, Butler's back at it again:

There was Butler last weekend, hobbling around on a set of crutches and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for a youth baseball league in Bridgeport. It wasn't just any group of kids, though, but rather the participants in the Challenger League for kids with handicaps.

"Yeah, me just hobbling out there was pretty funny," Butler said. "But I'm just a guy who has to use crutches for a while. That's nothing compared to doing what some of those kids do their whole lives."

Bob Huggins consoling Da'Sean Butler was one of the lasting images of the NCAA Tournament.
(photo credit: NY Post)

That's a pretty good attitude to have, considering Butler is just a month removed from a devastating knee injury, as he tore his acl and sprained his mcl at the end of West Virginia's Final Four loss to Duke.

That knee injury did a lot more than just cost Butler the last eight minutes of his college career.

It may have cost him a spot in the NBA Draft. No one ever said that Butler was a lock for the first round, but after the performances he had down the stretch of the season, it is safe to say that Butler was rising on NBA Draft boards. A couple impressive workouts and a quality performance at the NBA pre-draft camp could have pushed Butler from the second round into a guaranteed contract.

Now, instead of working out for NBA teams, Butler will be rehabbing his shredded knee, hoping to strengthen it enough that he can get a shot to prove himself in the D-League or overseas.

That's a pretty drastic change in mentality, but it doesn't seem to bother Butler all that much.

"There's always maybe one or two days every two weeks where rehab gets so bad that I'll just sit down and think, 'Man, I hate this,'" Butler told the West Virginia Gazette. "But you have to keep your faith and understand that everything happens for a reason. It's going to be painful, but you have to go with it and just roll with the punches.

"I have my days when I think, 'OK, I don't want to play basketball anymore. It's time to start thinking about coaching so I can get this ice off my knee.' But if I stick it out it's going to make me a tougher person and a player. But I'll look back on it one day and know that if I can take it, I mean anybody can take it.

"You can't help but look at the reality of the situation, which in my case was that I had worked myself into something and then I lost it. But I always look at the positives of everything. No, I'm not going to get guaranteed money right off the bat, but even if I just go and get a one-year contract and work hard and they keep me, then I get guaranteed money the next year. It's all up to me."

Injury or not, with that kind of attitude, mindset, and work ethic, its tough to bet against Da'Sean Butler one day cashing an NBA paycheck.

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Duke dominates West Virginia

No one was beating Duke last night.

No one.

I've probably seen the Blue Devils play 12-15 times this season, and never did they look as good as they did last night.

They dominated a very good team on the glass, especially on the offensive end. They shot 13-25 from three. They turned the ball over just five times. Their big three of Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler combined to outscore West Virginia 63-57.

Duke is headed to the title game.
(photo credit: STL Today)

West Virginia never had a chance.

The ironic part of all of this is how much hate Duke has received during this post-season. They had a gift of a bracket. They shouldn't have received the fourth #1 seed (most believed that West Virginia should have gotten it; I wonder if they still feel that way). They were overrated, winning what was an overly mediocre ACC. Yet, here they are, playing for the national title.

I don't think I'm the only one that will say this, but as good as the Devils looked last night, this isn't one of their great teams. They don't have JJ Redick and Shelden Williams. Jay Williams and Shane Battier are not suiting up. Hell, they may not have one guy on this team that becomes a successful NBA player.

Smith, Scheyer, and Singler are all very good college players. Singler was an all-american last year. Scheyer was this year. I'd bet dollars to donuts that Smith will be next season. But do you see any of them playing significant NBA minutes?

I don't.

But Duke is on a mission right now, and those three are leading the way.

Smith, Scheyer, and Singler (which sounds more like a law firm than a starting back court) combined for 63 points last night. They shot 22-45 from the floor, 12-23 from three. They handed out 17 assists and committed just three turnovers, all three of which came from Singler. Scheyer and Smith each had six assists without turning the ball over.

That was against West Virginia, a team that came into the night a top ten defensive team in the country. Duke scored 78 points on 54 possessions. That's ridiculous. From an efficiency standpoint, it was their second best performance of the season. The only one that was better?

When they lit up Penn for 114 points.

Did I mention that Duke was the most efficient offensive team in the country this season?

I like Butler's matchup with the Dukies. They are good on the defensive glass, they have a couple of very good perimeter defenders, and they don't mind turning a basketball game into a fistfight.

But if Duke played like they did last night, Butler doesn't have a shot.

No one would.

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Huggy Bear isn't as bad as you think

Seeing posts like this bothers me.

Last night, with eight minutes to go and down 15 to a Duke team that was playing as well as they had all season long, Da'Sean Butler's left knee bent awkwardly as he planted his foot.

Season, and career, over.

So while Butler -- who is an emotional guy to begin with -- was writhing in pain on the ground, Huggs came over, gave him a hug, and calmed him down. Its a shame, but does anyone else feel like this is going to be the lasting image we have of this Final Four?

Here's the video:



I've never really been an anti-Huggins guy. From what I've seen of him, especially at West Virginia, he seems like a guy that genuinely cares about his players. At his press conferences, he comes off as a fatherly figure, Papa Bear watching over his cubs.

As for Da'Sean Butler, its a shame his career ended like this. He wasn't just good, he was a great player for the Mountaineers. I've always considered myself a fan first, and Butler will be a guy I certainly miss watching.

UPDATE: The severity of Butler's knee injury is now known. He tore his acl, sprained his mcl, and suffered two bone bruises. In a word -- catastrophic. It happened the same day he won the Lowe's Senior CLASS award.

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Final Four Preview: Duke vs. West Virginia

This is not your older brother's Duke Blue Devils.

No sir.

This is not a finesse team. These Blue Devils don't have five guards on the floor. They aren't going to live and die by the three. The 2010 version of the Duke Blue Devils is a tough, physical group of kids. They defend, they hit the offensive glass hard.

Would you believe me if I told you that the key player on this team is Brian Zoubek? For three and a half seasons, Zoubek was a running joke. A top 25 recruit, Zoubek flopped more than Greg Paulus. My six year old nephew was stronger with the ball. I don't think he understood the concept of a post move. He still doesn't, but over the last 15 or so games of the season, Zoubek has developed into one of the best rebounders in the country. He's always been big, but he's developed an aggressive streak. He goes to the offensive glass hard, he sets screens like a brick wall (ask Chris Kramer, who got knocked out by a Zoubek screen), and he's good for a couple of buckets every game.

This was the old Brian Zoubek. The new one has a beard.
(photo credit: Cats and Beer)

Zoubek isn't the only capable big man that Duke has either. Lance Thomas and the Plumlee brothers are all strong, athletic, and capable of getting an offensive rebound or blocking a shot.

And Duke will need each one of them when they go up against the Mountaineers. If there is one thing that you can count on with a Bobby Huggins coached team, it is physicality. This version of the Eers has, at any given time, four combo forwards on the floor. All in the 6'7" to 6'9" range, all aggressive going to the glass, and all capable of hitting a perimeter jumper. Duke can rebound, but they are certainly going to have their work cut out for them against this team.

The key matchup in this game is going to be Da'Sean Butler. He usually plays the two-guard spot, and it is going to create a matchup problem both ways. Whether he is guarded by Jon Scheyer or Nolan Smith, he is going to have a size and strength advantage. Huggins isn't afraid to use Butler in the post, and his height advantage allows him to shoot over smaller defenders.

It works the other way too. Butler is a tough kid and a hard worker, but he is not as quick as Smith or Scheyer. If WVU decides to go man he is going to be matched up with one of them. It will be interesting to see what WVU ends up doing defensively. The zone worked against Kentucky because WVU was able to pack their defense in and dare Kentucky to shoot it from the perimeter, and one thing I can guarantee is that Duke won't miss their first 20 three pointers. The combination of Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, and Kyle Singler is really good. They can all shoot, put the ball on the floor, and pass. If the Eers are too go zone, they need to make a concerted effort on closing out long while cutting down driving lanes.

Kevin Jones and Da'Sean Butler are two of the more important Mountaineers.
(photo credit: MSN)

If Zoubek is the x-factor for Duke, Kevin Jones and Wellington Smith are for the Mounties. They are essentially the four and the five for West Virginia, and while neither really has much of a back to the basket game, what makes them so dangerous is their ability on the perimeter. Both are better than average shooters, which means that whoever is matched up on them (Zoubek, a Plumlee, Thomas) is going to need to defend them on the perimeter. If they do, that opens up rebounding lanes, and we all know how good WVU is going to the glass.

Two factors that will be talked about at length that I, personally, don't see being a huge issue is Truck Bryant and Kyle Singler. Bryant has a broken bone in his foot, but there is a chance that he could actually see time during the Final Four. If he does, I doubt he is going to be much of a factor. No matter what kind of orthotic you have put in your shoe, a broken bone is a broken bone. And if he doesn't play, well, we all saw what Joe Mazzulla is capable of.

As far as Singler goes, he has a tendency to struggle against players his size with his mobility, which is just about 75% of the WVU roster. I don't expect him to be much of a factor.

This is going to be a great basketball game. It won't be that aesthetically pleasing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up somewhere in the low 60's. But what you will see are two well coached teams that play physical basketball and really compete hard.

I hope there is a lot of ice in Indianapolis, because these kids will need it Saturday night.

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2010 Final Four Previews: West Virginia Breakdown

Over the next two days, we will be taking a team-by-team look at the Final Four.

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Star: As good as Joe Mazzulla was on Saturday, the star of this West Virginia team is Da'Sean Butler, as he kind of embodies what they are all about. Butler isn't flashy. He isn't a great athlete, he doesn't handle the ball all that well, and his jumper is pretty ugly. But it all works, he gets the job done. And Butler can really do it all; he's one of those guys that isn't great at any one thing, but is pretty good at just about everything. He can defend multiple positions, he can hit a three, he can slash to the rim, and he can get on the boards. Oh, and something about game-winning shots?

Da'Sean Butler has been as clutch as any player in the country this season.
(photo credit: Washington Post)

Unheralded Hero: The obvious answer is Joe Mazzulla, but Mazzulla had to go and have an awesome game on Saturday, scoring 17 points against Kentucky and winning the East Region MOP. The other answer is Wellington Smith. Of West Virginia's four starting forwards, Smith is the one that gets the least fanfare. Smith is a versatile forward, and given his girth he usually ends up defending an opponent's biggest player with the Eers decide to go man. He rebounds the ball, especially on the offensive end of the floor. But perhaps his most valuable skill is the ability to knock down a three. Since he often is guarded an opponent's big man, he draws the defender out to the perimeter, which helps to open up the paint.

How they got here: After smoking Morgan State in the opening round of the tournament, West Virginia got 19 first half points from Da'Sean Butler as the Mounties were able to dictate tempo and avoid turnovers in a win over Missouri. WVU pulled away from Washington in the second half of their Sweet 16 game, getting 18 points and 8 boards from Kevin Smith. Against Kentucky in the Elie 8, West Virginia hit eight threes and no twos in the first half, but still found themselves in the lead. The Eers, sparked by Joe Mazzulla, would go on a big second half run to take a 16 point lead and hold on for the win.

Three reasons they can win it all:

1. Rebounding: In a Final Four based around rebounding, West Virginia may very well be the best rebounding team left. Why? Because they have to get to the offensive glass if they are going to win. This isn't a team loaded with offensive superstars. There are times when the Mounties downright struggle to score and their best offensive becomes taking a shot and chasing a rebound. And they are good at it. WVU has four guy on the floor at any given time that are 6'7"-6'9", physical, athletic, and that really chase the ball.
   


2. They don't have to play just zone: I don't think West Virginia is going to be able to use that 1-3-1 defense against Duke. The Blue Devils just have too many good perimeter players and too many good shooters. The good news? West Virginia isn't a zone team. Up until recently, the Eers were known for their man-to-man defense. The one was a wrinkle that Huggins put in prior to a game earlier in the season, and it was effective enough to stick.
   


3. The Da'Sean Butler effect: I have been high on Butler since his sophomore season with WVU. The kid plays hard, plays smart, and has turned into arguably the best clutch shooter in the country. He hit those six game-winners. He scored 19 first half points against Missouri as the Tigers were trying to run away from WVU. He hit four straight threes to kickstart the Eers against Kentucky. Oh, and he surprises old Mountaineer fans in the hospital.
   

Three reasons they won't win it all:

1. They aren't hitting ten threes again: This is not a great shooting team. They shoot just 33% from deep, and usually make about six per game. They don't win that Kentucky game if they don't hit ten threes. Granted, the Wildcats are a different kind of team defensively that Duke is, but Duke may actually be better. They excel in the half court not at forcing turnovers or blocking shots, but simply at making you take the toughest shot they can. West Virginia is a team that can struggle on the offensive end at times, especially against good, disciplined defensive teams.
   


2. How many more tricks does Joe Mazzulla have left up his sleeve?: In 2008's second round, Joe Mazzulla had 13 points, 11 boards, and 8 assists as West Virginia knocked off Duke as a seven seed. On Saturday, Mazzulla had 17 points, including 14 in the second half, as he led WVU to a 73-66 upset of the Wildcats. Does he have anything left? Will he be able to put on his show again? Keep in mind, Duke's guards are much more fundamental on the defensive end, and Mazzulla is playing with one shoulder. And if Truck Bryant is unable to play, Mazzulla becomes that much more important against.
   


3. Devin Ebanks is simply not a great player: Yes, he may one day be an NBA all-star, but right now he really has no clue what he's doing. Twice in the last month he has obliterated plays in the final seconds by being unaware of how much time was left. He can't really dribble, he can't really shoot, and he doesn't have much in the way of a back to the basket game. While he may still end up with 12 points, 6 boards, and a handful of assists, steals, and/or blocks, he is not a guy you want to rely on to get you consistent anything.
   

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Duke to help Truck Bryant get ready to play

Truck Bryant broke a bone in his foot before the Sweet 16, an injury many believed would cost him the remainder of the tournament.

Not so fast.

You see, after West Virginia clinched the regional title, Truck told AOL Fanhouse that he would be ready to play in the Final Four. The plan is to use an orthotic to help take some of the pressure off the bone in his foot. According to Truck, he cannot make the injury any worse than it is, so the question is his ability to play through the pain.

Did Truck get the ice from Duke too?
(photo credit: Globe & Mail)

And if he can, his addition can only help the Mountaineers. Bryant would be just the second point guard on the roster, and against a team like Duke -- a team that defends well in the half court and makes it difficult to get high percentage shots -- he becomes just that much more valuable.

In fact, its not a stretch to say that Bryant could very well end up being the difference in this game.

Which makes it all the more ironic that the place he went to get this orthotic was Duke, and the man making it was a Duke doctor and, as you can imagine, a Duke fan.

How do you define irony?

To his credit, Coach K wasn't the least bit upset.

"We should take care of those kids," he said. "If they come up with an orthotic or whatever, and Duke is the one [that makes it], you should do that."

This may all end up being a moot point anyway. Bob Huggins said Bryant is "very doubtful" to play.

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Truck Bryant cleared for the Final Four

Word out of Syracuse last night was that West Virginia's Truck Bryant, who broke a bone in his foot on Tuesday in practice, will be available to go for the Final Four.

Brett McMurphy of Fanhouse broke the story:

Bryant, who broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during practice Tuesday in Morgantown, said he was cleared by team doctors Friday to play in the Final Four if West Virginia advanced.

"I'm in pain, but I'll be fine, Bryant told FanHouse in the locker room after the Mountaineers' 73-66 win over Kentucky. "That's what the shoe is for to keep the pain away. I can't hurt it anymore.

"This is a special time of the year when you have to step up, when you make your name as a team and an individual."

Joe Mazzulla started at point guard last night for West Virginia and played the game on his life. But without Bryant in uniform, West Virginia only had one ball handler available, which created a tricky situation for West Virginia as Mazzulla got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out late in the game.

There's no telling how healthy Bryant will actually be. When 100%, he is a creator and a scorer off the dribble. As good as Mazzulla played last night, having Bryant available as well will only help the Mountaineers.

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2010 NCAA Tournament: Ten teams that can win a title

THE FAVORITES

Kansas:

• Why they can win: Simply put, Kansas is the best team in the country. They are experienced. They are uber-talented. They execute offensively as well as anyone in the country. They are an underrated defensive team. They have an all-american at the point, at center, and when Xavier Henry is hitting his jumpers, they have one on the wing as well. They have role players that are more than capable of producing, but also understand and accept their role on the team. You'd have to dig really hard to find a weakness with the Jayhawks.
  

• Why they won't win: Kansas is in the toughest bracket in the country. Ohio State was in the running for a No. 1 seed and won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. Georgetown made the Big East finals, has beaten some very good teams, and is playing as well as they have all season long. Maryland won a share of the ACC title.
  
  The other issue with Kansas is that there may be some chemistry issues there. Between the fights in the off-season, the DUI's, and facebook posts, its easy to see why someone could come to that conclusion. As long as it doesn't effect the product on the court -- and it really hasn't all season -- the Jayhawks should be fine.

Kentucky:

• Why they can win: John Wall is the best guard and DeMarcus Cousins is the best big man in the country. Now, that is not always necessarily true. Both have been, at times, inconsistent this season. But when they are clicking, Wall is impossible to stay in front of and arguably the fastest player in the country, while Cousins is an unstoppable force on the block. And keep in mind, they have two other future first round picks in their starting line up.
  


• Why they won't win: Immaturity. It has been a problem all season long. Everyone knows about Cousins antics and the things teams do to try and get him to lose his cool. We've heard about possible issues with John Wall, and anyone that has watched a Kentucky game has likely seen Eric Bledsoe cuss somebody out. And now it appears as if Daniel Orton is getting in on the act as well. Truth be told, with the number of talented freshman with fiery personalities on this roster, Cal has done an excellent job keeping them in line.

Syracuse:

• Why they can win: Syracuse lost their last two games, but they lost to Louisville, who runs a 2-3 zone, and Georgetown, the third time they played the Hoyas, who just may be the most well-coached team in the country. In other words, they lost to the two teams that may be the most well-prepared to beat their 2-3 zone. Playing teams that are not as well-prepared is how the Orange ran through opponent's early in the season. You can scout all you want, practice against it all you want, but there is no way to simulate the length the Orange have or how well each and every player understands his role in that zone. When the zone is right, they are forcing turnovers, they are contesting shots, and they make every pass a challenge.
  


• Why they won't win: The obvious answer is Arinze Onuaku's injury, but it doesn't appear to be all that serious despite the fact that there are now reports that he will be missing the first weekend of the tournament. Syracuse seems to be lacking a go-to scorer that they can get the ball to when they really need a basket. I went in depth about it here.

CONTENDERS

Duke:

• Why the can win: There are two things I really like about this year's Duke team. For starters, there may not be a better 1-2-3 scoring punch than the Blue Devil's Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler. All three of those guys are capable of going for 25 on a given night and carrying the team. The odds of all three of them being off are miniscule. I also like Duke's bigs this year. They have as much length and size up front as they have had this decade. Brian Zoubek has been the biggest surprise, coming on as a rebounding force, especially on the offensive end of the floor, over the last month. But perhaps their biggest asset is that they simply have a very easy path to the Final Four, arguably the easiest in this year's tournament.
  


• Why they won't win: This is Duke. Are we supposed to have faith in them winning a big game late in the season, especially in the tournament, when they haven't shown that ability in recent seasons? They've also struggled away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor this year. Forgive me if I have my doubts about the Blue Devils succeeding in March.

West Virginia:

• Why the can win: West Virginia is a difficult matchup for most teams. They normally play with four guys on the floor that are 6'7"-6'9", can post up, can hit a three, and attack the offensive glass. They are physical and they are aggressive. Pretty much exactly what you would expect out of a Bob Huggins' coached team. And if they game gets close, is there anyone you would rather have taking a big shot than Da'Sean Butler right now? The Mountaineers have also implemented a 1-3-1 zone, the same one that John Beilein used in his stay at WVU, which is very effective with the length that the Eers have.
  


• Why they won't win: Point guard play. Truck Bryant has simply not been that good this season, and Joe Mazzulla's bum shoulder has essentially left him as a one-armed player. Mazzulla is as tough as they come, and he has been a leader for this team, but that doesn't change the fact that an opponent can play their point guard in the paint and not have to worry about it.

Ohio State:

• Why the can win: Evan Turner. He's the best player in the country, and if you didn't believe it heading into the Big Ten Tournament, he either convinced you or you didn't pay attention. Turner's presence on the court makes everyone on this team so much better. He creates open looks for the Buckeye shooters and gives their slashers room to operate. He is good enough to carry this team to the title.
  


• Why they won't win: The Buckeyes just are not all that deep. Its not uncommon to see their four perimeter players all go for 40 minutes. It worked in the Big Ten Tournament, and wasn't an issue during the regular season, but eventually all those minutes will catch up to them. If their is a silver lining to Turner's back injury, however, it saved his legs for a month in the middle of the season.

THEY GOT A SHOT

Georgetown:

• Why the can win: The Hoyas three headed monster of Greg Monroe, Chris Wright, and Austin Freeman isn't all that far behind Duke's. Georgetown also runs a difficult offense to defend. When they are clicking offensively, they are a difficult team to stop. And when their offense runs through Monroe, who may just be the best passing big man in the country, it becomes even more of a nightmare for opposing coaches.
  


• Why they won't win: The Hoyas problem has been that their offense isn't always clicking. When they get behind or when they get frustrated, they have a tendency of breaking off and trying to do too much 1-on-1 stuff. That's why they are capable of beating teams like Duke, Villanova, and Syracuse but losing to the likes of Rutgers and South Florida.

Kansas State:

• Why the can win: Frank Martin has done a good job of capitalizing on the weapons he has at his disposal. Kansas State has two great guards in Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, and then a slew of athletes in the front court. K-State is a very aggressive team, and they may be at their best when Pullen and Clemente are allowed to gun, while guys like Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly are tasked with cleaning up the misses.
  


• Why they won't win: Overaggressiveness. The Wildcats aren't just aggressive going to the offensive glass, they are also very aggressive on the defensive end of the floor. While that results in a good number of turnovers and an intimidating defense, it allows makes the Wildcats one of the most foul prone teams in the country. There is no easier way to lose a game than to allow your opponent to get to the free throw line 30 times in a game.

Baylor:

• Why the can win: The Bears are a very good offensive team. Tweety Carter has developed into one of the better point guards in the country, Lace Dunn is as good of a pure shooter/scorer on the wing as you will come across, and Ekpe Udoh is a matchup problem inside. They have size, length, and athleticism in their front court that can clean up any misses as well. But the single biggest season I think the Bears have a chance is, like Duke, they are playing in a wide open region.
  


• Why they won't win: On paper, the Bears look like they should be a very good team playing a zone, but the results just aren't there. They don't force turnovers, they allow teams to get too many good looks on the perimeter, and they don't rebound the ball all that well. Those aren't exactly ideal qualities for a team with one of the top three seeds and Final Four aspirations.
  

Villanova:

• Why the can win: The Wildcats have an excellent back court. Between Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Maalik Wayns, Villanova is always going to have two guys on the floor that can create for themselves and for their teammates. Jay Wright coaches this team to their strength, running the floor and putting his guys in a position to be successful. Villanova can put up points with the best of them.
  


• Why they won't win: Villanova is an aggressive defensive team. They pressure the ball and try to force you out of what you want to do. The problem is that this team just isn't as good as last year's group was on the defensive end. Whether is it a lack of size (at all positions, really) or the simple fact that they just don't have as many good defenders, as in the past, the result of Villanova's pressuring defense is a foul far too often. The free throw line is the most efficient place on the court to score, and Nova gives up too many free throws.
  

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