West Virginia

Big East Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:44:33 -0500

Despite losing a ton of talent in the off-season, the Big East is still one of the country's most exciting and talented leagues.. and it features the country's dominant fantasy star: Luke Harangody. Other players to watch include newcomers like Lance Stephenson and Youphtaou Yarou and vets like Scottie Reynolds and Da'Sean Butler.

Conference Rank: 5th

10 year average: 3rd

Big East Page

All-BIG EAST Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	Sr
F	Devin Ebanks	West Virginia	So
F	Greg Monroe	Georgetown	So
F	Da'Sean Butler	West Virginia	Sr
F	Luke Harangody	Notre Dame	Sr
Second Team
G	Deonta Vaughn	Cincinnati	Sr
G	Dominique Jones	South Florida	Jr
G	Jerome Dyson	UCONN	Sr
F	Lazar Hayward	Marquette	Sr
F	Wesley Johnson	Syracuse	Jr

Player of the Year - Luke Harangody Freshman of the Year - Lance Stephenson
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Luke Harangody (1st Team) Scottie Reynolds (2nd) Devin Ebanks (4th) Da'Sean Butler Greg Monroe All-Freshman Team Lance Stephenson (2nd) Mouphtaou Yarou (2nd) Dante Taylor (3rd) Alex Oriakhi Peyton Siva Hollis Thompson		Points: Luke Harangody (ND) 23.3 Rebounds: Luke Harangody (ND) 11.8 Assists: T. Jackson/ E.Harvey 4.9 Team: Syracuse 80.2

Big East Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

2	Villanova	Big East	1	NCAA
7	West Virginia	Big East	2	NCAA
17	Georgetown	Big East	3	NCAA
19	Connecticut	Big East	4	NCAA
27	Louisville	Big East	5	NCAA
40	Pittsburgh	Big East	6	NCAA
45	Seton Hall	Big East	7	NCAA
50	Cincinnati	Big East	8	NIT
60	Notre Dame	Big East	9	NIT
67	Syracuse	Big East	10	NIT
74	St. John's	Big East	11	NIT
81	Marquette	Big East	12	NIT
98	Providence	Big East	13	CBI/CIT
114	Rutgers	Big East	14	CBI/CIT
139	South Florida	Big East	15
201	DePaul	Big East	16

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Other Big East Content

Big East Fantasy Stats Preview

Big East: Top 25 Players

Big East: Five-Year Ranking

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big East Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:38:22 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG EAST

PG
1. Scottie Reynolds - Villanova
2. Dominique Jones - South Florida
3. Kemba Walker - UCONN
4. Tory Jackson - Pittsburgh
5. Sharaud Curry - Providence

SG
1. Mike Rosario - Rutgers
2. Jeremy Hazell - Seton Hall
3. Jerome Dyson - UCONN
4. Deonta Vaughn - Cincinnati
5. Corey Stokes - Villanova

- With so many more teams, the Big East is always harder to rank. There is no one dominant player in this group, but many experienced starters. Nova's Corey Fisher was the hardest player to leave off. One newcomer to watch is WVU's Casey Mitchell, a juco shooting guard with high expectations.

SF
1. Devin Ebanks - West Virginia
2. Wesley Johnson - Syracuse
3. Lance Stephenson - Cincinnati
4. Stanley Robinson - UCONN
5. Robert Mitchell - Seton Hall

PF
1. Da'Sean Butler - West Virginia
2. Lazar Hayward - Marquette
3. Anthony Mason Jr - St. John's
4. Herb Pope - Seton Hall
5. Dante Taylor - Pittsburgh

C
1. Luke Harangody - Notre Dame
2. Greg Monroe - Georgetown
3. Samardo Samuels - Louisville
4. Mac Koshwal - DePaul
5. Arinze Onuaku - Syracuse

- Impressive that WVU has the top SF & PF. Herb Pope has surpreme talent, but he might not even start for a deep SHU team. There are a good amount of newcomers on the list, including the likes of Johnson, Stephenson, Pope, etc. One other transfer to watch is Nova's Taylor King, who can light up the score-sheet if given ample minutes.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the 2010 National Championship?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:41 -0500

West Virginia Basketball Preview: #7

Joel Welser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:41:34 -0500

Overall Rank: #7

Conference Rank: #2 Big East Conference

2008-09: 23-12, 10-8

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Bob Huggins (49-23 at West Virginia, 639-234 overall)

Coach Bob Huggins has been bringing his type of players into West Virginia and those players are now experienced veterans. Only one player is gone from a team that went 23-12 overall and 10-8 in a very difficult Big East conference. The Big East will not be as good as it was last year and the Mountaineers will be much better.

Key Losses: G Alex Ruoff

Key Newcomers:

The biggest issue in this recruiting class is replacing Alex Ruoff at the shooting guard spot. Coach Huggins did just about as well as he could with the addition of the much acclaimed junior college transfer Casey Mitchell. The National Junior College Player of the Year is a superb shooter and could immediately replace the impressive shooting of Ruoff. This group needs some depth on the perimeter too and the versatile Dalton Pepper is just what the doctor ordered. The newcomers up front will find it more difficult to find playing time, but Deniz Kilicli should be a great player in a year or two and Danny Jennings is a physical presence under the basket.

Backcourt:

The point guard position looked good for a while when freshman Darryl Bryant replaced the injured Joe Mazzulla seven games into the 2008-2009 season. Everybody expected both to be back, but some off the court issues made their return questionable. However, both have been cleared to play and that gives the Mountaineers two superb ball handlers. Bryant will use his strength to get to the basket, but he is also a decent shooter. Mazzulla will not score as much, but he is a better distributor at this point in his career. Due to a lack of depth on the perimeter, do not be surprised if both are playing at the same time during certain situations.

Frontcourt:

This is where WVU gets really good. Wellington Smith, Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks all started at least 34 games last year and should once again find themselves in the starting lineup, although younger players will be pushing them for minutes. Smith will not put up eye popping numbers, but he is the prototypical glue guy. Butler led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game last season and is one of the most dangerous inside-outside players in the nation. Sixth man Kevin Jones was very productive when he could find minutes and John Flowers is an active forward who can score in bunches.

Who to Watch:

Yet, it is Ebanks who is the emerging star of this team. As a freshman he averaged 10.5 points and a team high 7.8 rebounds and those numbers should go up with a year of experience. More importantly, Ebanks is tilting the scales at about 220 pounds now as opposed to about 195 pounds when he arrived in Morgantown. That extra strength will make him a dominating player in a frontcourt that should dominate most teams.

Final Projection:

Thanks to the return of Bryant and Mazzulla, West Virginia has everything it needs to win the Big East. Even if it takes the newcomers some time to adjust to the level of play, Bryant and Mazzulla can do enough to get the ball to the forwards. Having Mitchell emerge as a consistent outside shooter would be beneficial, but Butler and Bryant are both capable shooters and can stretch out the defense enough to give space to Ebanks under the basket.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Joe Mazzula, Junior, Guard, 5.6 points per game

Casey Mitchell, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Wellington Smith, Senior, Forward, 5.2 points per game

Da’Sean Butler, Senior, Forward, 17.1 points per game

Devin Ebanks, Sophomore, Forward, 10.5 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
8		9		10		11

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big East Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:05:22 -0500

BIG EAST 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Big East over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	2	Louisville	14	6	12	14	16	62	84	74	Win %
			Final Four	NIT	2nd Round	Elite 8	Elite 8			31	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							105

2	4	Villanova	11	14	9	9	13	56	84	67	Win %
			Sweet 16	Elite 8	1st Round	Sweet 16	Final Four			32	Post Pts.
										99

3	1	UCONN	13	14	6	13	15	61	84	73	Win %
			2nd Round	Elite 8	X	1st Round	Final Four			24	Post Pts.
										97

4	3	Pittsburgh	10	10	12	10	15	57	84	68	Win %
			1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	Elite 8			24	Post Pts.
										92

5	5	G'Town	8	10	13	15	7	53	84	63	Win %
			NIT	Sweet 16	Final Four	2nd Round	NIT			23	Post Pts.
										86

6	6	WVU	8	11	9	11	10	49	84	58	Win %
			Elite 8	Sweet 16	NIT	Sweet 16	1st Round			23	Post Pts.
										81

7	9	Marquette	7	10	10	11	12	50	84	60	Win %
			NIT	1st Round	1st Round	2nd Round	2nd Round			13	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							73

8	7	Syracuse	11	7	10	9	11	48	84	57	Win %
			1st Round	1st Round	NIT	NIT	Sweet 16			12	Post Pts.
										69

9	8	Notre Dame	9	6	11	14	8	48	84	57	Win %
			NIT	NIT	1st Round	2nd Round	NIT			9	Post Pts.
										66

10	10	Cincinnati	12	8	2	8	8	38	84	45	Win %
			2nd Round	NIT	X	X	X			5	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							50

11	13	Providence	4	5	8	6	10	33	84	39	Win %
			X	X	NIT	X	NIT			2	Post Pts.
										41

12	12	Seton Hall	4	9	4	7	7	31	84	37	Win %
			X	1st Round	X	X	X			2	Post Pts.
										39

13	11	DePaul	10	5	9	6	0	30	84	36	Win %
			NIT	X	NIT	X	X			2	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							38

14	15	St. John's	3	5	7	5	6	26	84	31	Win %
			X	X	X	X	X			0	Post Pts.
										31

15	14	Rutgers	2	7	3	3	2	17	84	20	Win %
			X	NIT	X	X	X			1	Post Pts.
										21

16	16	South Fla.	5	1	3	3	4	16	84	19	Win %
			X	X	X	X	X			0	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							19

Was = Last year's rankig

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

Big East Thoughts

- UCONN manages to drop to 3rd despite making the Final Four. The Huskies 2004 title comes off the books, as does down years from competitors Louisville & Villanova.

- Villanova's made the Sweet Sixteen in 4 of 5 seasons. No other Big East team can claim that.

- Now that Northwestern made the NIT last year, South Florida and St. John's are virtually alone as BCS teams not to have made the postseason.

- Syracuse, surprisingly, has basically been a middle of the pack Big East team over this span.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

ACC

Big 12

Big East Basketball: Fantasy Preview Part 2

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:50:42 -0400

..Continued From Big East Fantasy Preview: Part One

BIG EAST: PART TWO

PROVIDENCE

G Sharaud Curry - 14, 3, 4
G Marshon Brooks - 14, 5, 2
G Brian McKenzie - 8, 5, 2
F Jamine Peterson - 9, 5, 1
F Bilal Dixon - 6, 6, 1

Notes: Providence turns over most of its roster, but Curry, Brooks, and McKenzie are sure things in the backcourt. Russ Parmenter should be the first forward off the bench.

RUTGERS

G James Beatty - 7, 3, 5
G Mike Rosario - 16, 5, 3

F Jonathan Mitchell - 11, 4, 2
F Greg Echenique - 12, 10, 1
C Hamady Ndiaye - 8, 7, 0

Notes: Beatty is a talented Juco guard who will see big minutes at PG. Mitchell averaged 3.1 ppg as a freshman at Florida, but should do some damage in Rutgers offense. Mike Coburn will see 20 mpg off the bench at guard, but is not a major scoring threat.

SETON HALL

G Eugene Harvey - 11, 4, 6
G Keon Lawrence - 13, 3, 3
G Jeremy Hazell - 19, 4, 2
F Robert Mitchell - 15, 7, 2

C John Garcia - 9, 8, 1

Notes: Hazell averaged 22 ppg last year, but I expect his numbers to drop as Seton Hall adds legit weapons in Lawrence and Herb Pope. Pope has the talent to start as well (averaging 11 & 7 in his prior stop) and it will be interesting to see how Seton Hall utilizes its various weapons.

SOUTH FLORIDA

G Chris Howard - 9, 5, 5
G Dominique Jones - 18, 5, 4
G Jordan Dumars - 8, 4, 1
F Augustus Gilchrist - 13, 6, 1
F Jarrid Famous - 8, 7, 1

Notes: PG Anthony Crater, a transfer from Ohio State, isn't eligible the 1st semester, but could be a starter down the line. Alex Rivas is one of the league's better backup bigs and should contribute 5 & 6 per game.

ST. JOHN'S

G Malik Boothe - 7, 4, 4
G Paris Horne - 12, 4, 3

F DJ Kennedy - 14, 8, 3
F Anthony Mason Jr - 14, 5, 2
F Sean Evans - 11, 8, 1

Notes: The Red Storm actually are surprisingly deep. Reserve forward Justin Burrell should put up a line of 8 & 5, while reserve guards Quincy Roberts and Dwight Hardy can score around 7-8 ppg.

SYRACUSE

G Brandon Triche - 8, 3, 6
G Andy Rautins - 13, 4, 4
F Wesley Johnson - 13, 7, 2
F Rick Jacson - 11, 7, 1
F Arinze Onuaku - 12, 9, 1

Notes: The PG position is a question now that Jonny Flynn Departs. Brandon Triche is a good distributor who won't be forced to do too much on the scoring end. Johnson, a transfer from Iowa St, could end up leading the team in scoring.

VILLANOVA

G Scottie Reynolds - 14, 4, 3

G Corey Fisher - 13, 3, 3
G Corey Stokes - 13, 5, 2

F Taylor King - 11, 4, 1
F Antonio Pena - 9, 7, 1

Notes: Villanova is obviously weakest in the froncourt, where only Pena returns. King, a tranfer from Duke, is one of the biggest X-factors in the league. He's known for lighting it up at times, but can be spotty. Dominic Cheek, a highly touted freshman, will see major minutes off the bench.

WEST VIRGINIA

G Darryl Bryant - 12, 2, 4
G Casey Mitchell - 12, 4, 3
F Devin Ebanks - 14, 9, 3
F Wellington Smith - 7, 5, 1
F De'Sean Butler - 19, 8, 2

Notes: Mitchell was the Juco player of the year, and should provide scoring punch on the wing. Besides the players listed, Joe Mazzulla, John Flowers, and Kevin Jones will also see 15-20 mpg. Jones, a forward, will put up some of the best numbers of any reserve in the league.

Projected Big East Leaders

Top PPG
1) Luke Harangody (24)
2) Jeremy Hazell (19)
3) De'Sean Butler (19)

Top RPG
1) Luke Harangody (11)
2t) Echenique/Hayward/Koshwal (10)

Top APG
1) Tory Jackson (7)
2t) Harvey/Triche (6)

..Return to Big East Fantasy Preview: Part One

Fantasy Stats Preview Archive

- ACC

- Big 12

- Big Ten

Thursday/Friday Football Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:21:51 -0400

Both football games on the schedule before Saturday seem to have the following theme: conference title contender taking on an opponent that's disappointed to this point in the season. North Carolina (4-3, 0-3 ACC) has been hurt by injuries on the offensive line and in the backfield, resulting in the ACC's second-worst offense. But can T.J. Yates and company challenge #13 Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1) in Blacksburg? That's been among the toughest things to do in the recent history of college football with the Hokies being a dominant team at home on Thursday nights (9-2 at home on ESPN Thursday nights).

Both teams will rely on the run and backs Shaun Draughn (North Carolina) and Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech) are two of the conference's better rushers, but the freshman Williams is one of the favorites right now to win the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award. The Tar Heels rank second in the conference in rush defense, allowing just over 102 yards per game on the ground. This will be a good matchup of "strength vs. strength", with players such as DE Robert Quinn, LB Bruce Carter and the rest of that UNC front seven attempting to shut down the ACC's leading rusher.

Ultimately the key in this meeting will be the ability of Yates and his young corps of receivers to make plays through the air. Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster will look to take advantage of a shuffled UNC offensive line, likely throwing everything but the kitchen sink in his blitz packages at the Tar Heels. Look for big games from DE Jason Worilds and LB Cody Grimm, who seems to always be around the football, in a low-scoring Hokie victory.

As for Friday night, USF (5-2, 1-2 Big East) said all the right things in the preseason (as well as September) about being able to avoid the seemingly annual October swoon. But saying that you're going to avoid something and actually doing it aren't always bedfellows, something that became painfully apparent in their 41-14 whipping at the hands of Pittsburgh last weekend. While it may not be fair to say that the Bulls' season is on the line when #20 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) visits Tampa that kind of statement wouldn't be far off.

QB B.J. Daniels has completed just 47.5% of his passes in losses to Cincinnati and Pitt and if the pass isn't working then it becomes tougher to find lanes in the run game. The Mountaineers may provide that opportunity, as they gave up some big plays in the passing game to Connecticut in their last contest. But they do have a streak of eleven consecutive games with an interception, and that experienced secondary can punish Daniels for any wayward throws. Despite ranking seventh in the conference in pass defense West Virginia is third in pass efficiency defense.

When West Virginia has the football it will be even more important for the Bulls to keep contain. Noel Devine is one of the nation's best running backs, and he accounted for 178 yards and a touchdown in the 28-24 win over Connecticut. But QB Jarrett Brown is also a threat on the ground, especially if defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul, George Selvie and Craig Marshall get too hellbent on rushing upfield. WR Jock Sanders is also a dangerous option in the passing game and Alric Arnett has been solid as well. It will be interesting to see how safety Nate Allen (12 tackles last week) and the rest of the USF secondary matches up in this area; USF leads the Big East in pass defense.

In regards to who wins this game, all four prior meetings have been decided by no more than eight points with each team winning twice. Is USF of the proper state of mind, or will the Mountaineers add to the misery of losing to all three Big East title contenders in a row? Maybe the Bulls will circle the wagons and come out prepared to play (and win) but the safe pick is West Virginia.

Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:50:33 -0400

Big East Basketball: High-Low Preview

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:47:51 -0400

Everybody loves a prediction. People that claim to hate sports predictions are just jealous that no one cares what they have to say or that their predictions are never right. But sometimes when making predictions, certain teams or groups of teams are truly to close to call. On CHN or in preview mags, we do our best to slot teams into specific spots, but sometimes you just want to say honestly, teams A, B, and C are virtually the same and luck will determine how they finish. You can't say that in a Top 144 ranking, but I'm saying it here in a series of High-Low predictions. Instead of plugging teams into specific spots, I'll give a range for each team's finish and a few reasons why.

(How about the high production values with that picture?..)

BIG EAST HIGH-LOW

The amount of big-name players who left in the off-season is pretty astonishing, but don't expect the usual elites to simply fall off the table.

* my projected finish in yellow

CINCINNATI
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Bearcats should return to the tourney for the first time since 2005 thanks to a young roster that is extremely deep & versatile.

UCONN
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Huskies losses are impressive, but a core of Dyson, Robinson, and Walker isn't half-bad. UCONN's freshman class is solid, but there are some hit/miss players in there.

DEPAUL
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
DePaul can't be worse then last year and has a chance of escaping the cellar if a little luck goes their way.

GEORGETOWN
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Departures at UCONN, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse should allow the Hoyas to bounce back after underachieving in a big way last year.

LOUISVILLE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Lose their big two, but Rick Pitino doesn't coach bad teams. Samuels needs to bring is A game every night.

MARQUETTE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Decimated by graduation, Marquette got more bad news when Junior Cadougan got injured. Still, there's enough pieces to at least win 6 or so league games.

NOTRE DAME
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Harangody & Jackson are good, transfer Hansbrough is solid, and then you have?.. Expect the Irish to hover around .500 in league play.

PITTSBURGH
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Another team decimated by player departures, Pitt will be able to piece together a solid starting 5 and hope that defense and tempo keep them competitive against the top teams.

PROVIDENCE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Friars turn over an entire roster, but at least the ball is in solid hands with Sharaud Curry back. If the new bigs don't pan out, things could get ugly however.

RUTGERS
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Perpetually on the verge of being good, Rutgers will be hard-pressed to win even 6 league games. 4 is a good +/- number.

SETON HALL
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Seton Hall returns 3 players who averaged 12+ ppg, and welcome two more transfers who could do the same.

SOUTH FLORIDA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Bulls should have their best team since joining the Big East (which admittedly isn't saying much).

ST. JOHN'S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
St. John's returns everybody from a squad that was at least half-decent last year. Finishing in the upper-half of the league will be too much to ask however.

SYRACUSE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
The Cuse have a good front-court and a capable SG in Andy Rautins, but the PG position is the most important position in college basketball and the team's weakest link.

VILLANOVA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Villanova is loaded in the backcourt and on the wings, but the loss of Dante Cunningham should not be underestimated up front.

WEST VIRGINIA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Bob Huggins has a potential Big East title winner at his hands despite the graduation of sharp-shooting Alex Ruoff.

>> ACC: High-Low Preview

>> Big 12: High-Low Preview

>> Big Ten: High-Low Preview

>> Pac-10: High-Low Preview

>> SEC: High-Low Preview

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Wednesday - Friday Football Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:49:07 -0400

Wednesday marks the end of September and with that comes the fact that college football fans will have to get used to watching games on "interesting" nights. Kicking things off is Hawaii (2-1) heading to Ruston to take on Louisiana Tech (1-2) in the WAC opener (8 PM on ESPN2) for both. Derek Dooley's Bulldogs were thought by many to be a challenger to prohibitive favorite Boise State but things didn't go well in either of their two losses, averaging just 13.5 ppg against Auburn and Navy. Looking for a place to start in dissecting Louisiana Tech's issues? Look no further than the running game on both sides of the football.

Louisiana Tech ranks 103rd in rushing offense with an average of ninety-three yards per game. Defensively they've been even worse, ranking 118th (out of 120 FBS teams) in rushing defense (allowing 251.7 yards per game). Now it can be argued that the rushing defense number is a bit skewed given the fact that Navy has led the nation in rushing four straight years. But Navy going for 290 yards on the ground isn't the most that Louisiana Tech has allowed this season; Auburn finished with 301 yards in the season opener. Luckily for Tech the Warriors won't look to run the ball much, but they do have one of the best quarterbacks few people talk about.

Senior QB Greg Alexander, who also happens to lead Greg McMackin's team in rushing, leads the FBS in pass efficiency (178.76 rating) and total offense (446.0 yards per game). The senior has increased his passing yards in each game this season, most recently throwing for 477 yards in Hawaii's tough 34-33 loss at UNLV, so who knows what could happen if the Bulldogs can't get to him. Alexander, who right now could be the biggest obstacle between Boise State QB Kellen Moore and the WAC Offensive Player of the Year award (Nevada's Colin Kaepernick had a slow start), also rushed for 100 yards in Hawaii's season-opening win over Central Arkansas so he can make some things happen with his feet.

Louisiana Tech does lead the WAC in pass defense but that's likely due to the fact that teams have had such an easy time moving the ball on the ground. Hawaii's defense on the other hand has struggled against the pass, ranking 97th against the pass (251 yards allowed per game). Neither has performed extremely well on defense and that should lead to a high-scoring affair. The nation's leading receiver will also be on display in Hawaii's Greg Salas, and he'll go a long way in helping the Warriors extend their win streak in the series to four games.

Thursday: Colorado (1-2) @ West Virginia (2-1) 7:30 PM on ESPN

Last season's meeting was thought to be a watershed moment for the Dan Hawkins regime in Boulder. However, since the 17-14 overtime win over the Mountaineers the Buffaloes are 3-9 and the heat is on the head coach in some circles. Colorado has also had to deal with its fair share of injuries with Darrell Scott (questionable with a bruised knee) and Rodney Stewart both missing at least one game this season. Stewart, who was the catalyst in last season's meeting, returned from a one-game absence to rush for 127 yards in the Buffs' 24-0 win over Wyoming on the 19th. But if QB Cody Hawkins isn't kept upright by an offensive line that struggled in both losses it could be a long night in Morgantown for the visitors.

West Virginia had over a week to stew over their loss at Auburn, where turnovers finally got the best of the Mountaineers. In their last two games WVU racked up ten turnovers, including six on The Plains. Take care of the football and Bill Stewart's team is undefeated and likely ranked; they moved the ball with relative ease on the Auburn defense. QB Jarrett Brown and RB Noel Devine are just two of the many weapons that West Virginia can throw at Colorado and given what happened to CU in Toledo a few weeks ago those weapons could be unleashed on Thursday night.

If the Mountaineer defense welcomes back stalwarts DE Scooter Berry (shoulder) and LB Reed Williams (foot) they should have more than enough to neutralize the Colorado offense. And even if they struggle some the Buffaloes (103rd in rushing defense and 101st in total defense) won't have enough firepower to slow them down on the other side of the football. Mountaineers return the favor at home.

Friday: Pittsburgh (2-1) @ Louisville (1-2) 8 PM on ESPN2

The point of discussion in Pittsburgh has been a defense that has struggled with areas that involved fundamentals (tackling) and discipline (penalties). Point blank you can't win a conference title if those issues remain all season long, and the Panthers went to work on those areas in a short week following a tough loss at NC State. The Cardinals are also coming off of a loss, theirs being of the expected variety at Utah on Saturday. However despite the 1-2 start some things have changed in the Derby City.

Remember that defense that was among the nation's worst the past few seasons? Louisville now ranks 28th (3rd in the Big East) in total defense and 14th in pass defense. However the rushing defense still leaves something to be desired, and that's a bad thing with the nation's fifth-best rusher coming to town. Freshman Dion Lewis has done a good job thus far filling the role of the departed LeSean McCoy, rushing for 493 yards and seven touchdowns in four games. QB Bill Stull is among the nation's leaders in pass efficiency but the hope is that this week the wide receivers can become more involved in the offense.

Jonathan Baldwin did finish the NC State game with ninety-eight yards receiving...on just two catches. Add to him tight ends Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson and you've got a trio that can give the Cardinals trouble on Friday night. The Cardinals had won seven straight in this series before Pittsburgh won at Heinz Field last season; Pitt makes it two straight in the Big East opener for both.

Utah State (1-2) @ #20 BYU (3-1) 9 PM on The Mtn.

The Aggies have been competitive in both of their losses (Utah and Texas A&M), but they need a win over either the Utes or BYU at some point to make the program legitimate within the state of Utah. But you can't ignore what Gary Andersen has done to the program in just three games despite the unimpressive record. Utah State can no longer be looked at as a mere speed bump; they actually need to be accounted for properly. The Aggies rank ninth nationally in total offense and junior QB Diondre Borel ranks fourteenth in total offense. RB Robert Turbin is fourth in the country in rushing with an average of just over 124 yards per game, so BYU will have its defense tested.

However Max Hall and company have some areas they can exploit as well. Utah State is among the worst defensive teams in the nation, ranking 117th in total defense and outside of sacks (73rd) and pass efficiency defense (79th) the Aggies rank in triple digits in the major defensive categories. BYU hasn't been a great defensive team by any stretch of the imagination but they're better equipped to make some stops. And with Hall at the controls on offense look for Bronco Mendenhall's team to defend their home field.