First off, my mental note from last years game was that Dominic James was a scoring machine. In a game that West Virginia was hitting every shot they took (20-38 from 3-pt.) on the way to a 104-85 victory. This is important because West Virginia only gets into their 1-3-1 defense after made baskets but it made no difference as James did whatever he wanted to. He had 28 points on 10-15 shooting with 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 turnovers. If West Virginia wasn't so hot from three, this game doesn't turn out the same.
This year has been a head scratcher for the Golden Eagles. They show wins @ Duke and UConn, and losses to North Dakota State and surprising Providence. This is a young team, though. None of their top five scorers are seniors. Actually they have one junior, three sophomores, and one freshman. You may want to consider James as a senior even though he is actually a sophomore, because I don't see him in anything but an NBA uniform next year.
West Virginia's last game against Notre Dame was disappointing to say the least. But on the road for the first time in the Big East is never an easy thing no matter who you play. West Virginia will need to shoot a little better at crucial times in this game. Their overall performance against the Irish wasn't that bad, but the timing of their mistakes couldn't have been worse. The defensive breakdowns can't happen in crucial situations if they hope to win. No predictions here, just hopeful that the Mountaineers can come away with their first Big East road win of the year. The game is @ noon on ESPN.
For more on Marquette, run don't walk over to Cracked Sidewalks and check out the fine work these guys do covering MU and the Big East.
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