What WVU fans are saying about our team

[thespywhozaggedme]

Positive assist/turnover rates on Gonzaga's team =) big Karn is even 16% assist 16% TO
Perkins
17% assist
24% turnovers
Matthews
8% assists
9% turnovers
Collins
4% assist
19% turnovers
Williams
6% assist
16% turnovers
They only have a couple capable passers and ball handlers...

http://www.scout.com/college/west-virginia/forums/2509-bgn-basketball/15468991-williams-goss-and-alberts-are-the-only-two

Kenpom rankings of wins- Arizona (18), Iowa St. (19), Florida (3), Tennessee (60), Washington (167), Northwestern (37)

Average Margin of Victory - 9.5 (A 27 point victory against Washington inflates that number a bit, but still impressive.)

Turnovers per game - 13.5 (I like this number a lot. If Tennessee can turn them over 20 times, you would have to think we could do the same.)

Here's the stat that really makes me smile..
In these 6 games Gonzaga on average gave up 17.6 offensive boards. To put that into perspective, WVU is 3rd in the country in offensive rebounding and we average 12.7 per game. They gave up 29 offensive boards to Washington. Northwestern was the ONLY P5 school they beat on the offensive glass. So we struggle on the defensive glass but they're not very good at offensive rebounding and we excel on the offensive boards and they're terrible at defending it.

The Zags are a very good team and we certainly have our hands full, but the more I look at the stats, Im really starting to like this match up. Our strength is their weakness.

http://www.scout.com/college/west-virginia/forums/2509-bgn-basketball/15468688-gonzaga-vs-p5

[tinfoilzag]

The WV poster is correct in his statement "Our strength is their weakness"

WV pressure turns you over a lot, and they crash the offensive boards. These tactics put other teams on the free throw line a lot and leaves shooters with wide open looks.

To beat WV: take care of the ball, make your free throws, block out, and make open looks. GU CAN do all these things but for whatever reason hasn't done them well in the last 6 games.

[ZagLawGrad]

The WV poster is correct in his statement "Our strength is their weakness"

WV pressure turns you over a lot, and they crash the offensive boards. These tactics put other teams on the free throw line a lot and leaves shooters with wide open looks.

To beat WV: take care of the ball, make your free throws, block out, and make open looks. GU CAN do all these things but for whatever reason hasn't done them well in the last 6 games.

Yes, make your damn FTs

[CDC84]

For 6 games? The performance vs. SMC in the WCC title game was great. GU won by 18. They shot 50% from the field, 57% from three, 80% from the foul line. Outrebounded SMC by 3. Just 9 TO's. Held the Gaels to 36.8% shooting and 56 points. They've played better games, but if they play that good against WVU, they will win.

[CDC84]

I hope they are behaving themselves over there and realize that Few has beaten Huggins and the famous Press Virginia 3x in a row, with two of the games being blow outs. Doesn't mean the Mountaineers can't win this time.

[tinfoilzag]

For 6 games? The performance vs. SMC in the WCC title game was great. GU won by 18. They shot 50% from the field, 57% from three, 80% from the foul line. Outrebounded SMC by 3. Just 9 TO's. Held the Gaels to 36.8% shooting and 56 points. They've played better games, but if they play that good against WVU, they will win.

I should of said average of 6 games. Over the last 6 games we are averaging

FG 48.35%
3pt 32.22%
FT 67.92%
TO 11.5

Without the excellent St. Mary's game, the numbers are really ugly.

[MountaineerLegion]

I hope they are behaving themselves over there and realize that Few has beaten Huggins and the famous Press Virginia 3x in a row, with two of the games being blow outs. Doesn't mean the Mountaineers can't win this time.

I looked for the years we played but couldn't find the data. Can you help? When you say your coach has beaten "Press Virginia" you know we've only played this style for the last three years right? Doesn't make the 0-3 any easier to accept.

[U Zig, I Zag]

I looked for the years we played but couldn't find the data. Can you help? When you say your coach has beaten "Press Virginia" you know we've only played this style for the last three years right? Doesn't make the 0-3 any easier to accept.

For awhile now the Zags will get matched up with a solid P5 program in the first or second game and the idea is that GU won't know what do to when playing 'real athletes', etc. Huggins has always played aggressive and perhaps not this particular defensive format, but Huggy players being in your face isn't a new idea. Not sure how this will play out this time, but I don't think Few will be surprised in any way.

FWIW, Zags have always liked Huggins and his teams. He seems like the type that might rub some the wrong way, but you generally find universal respect around here.

[CDC84]

I looked for the years we played but couldn't find the data. Can you help? When you say your coach has beaten "Press Virginia" you know we've only played this style for the last three years right? Doesn't make the 0-3 any easier to accept.

Definitely aware of it. I just find Press Virginia to be kind of a cool way of describing your team. Heck, Huggins used to resort to 1-3-1 zone defenses and anything else to get a win. That's part of what completely screwed up Kentucky in the 2010 elite 8 game. It still pains me every time I think of Da'Sean Butler and his injury at the final 4. The scene of Huggins hugging him on the floor was one of the most moving moments in the history of the NCAA tourney. Last I heard Butler was playing in Germany.

My sister is a West Virginia grad. Welcome to the board MountaineerLegion.

[MountaineerLegion]

For awhile now the Zags will get matched up with a solid P5 program in the first or second game and the idea is that GU won't know what do to when playing 'real athletes', etc. Huggins has always played aggressive and perhaps not this particular defensive format, but Huggy players being in your face isn't a new idea. Not sure how this will play out this time, but I don't think Few will be surprised in any way.

FWIW, Zags have always liked Huggins and his teams. He seems like the type that might rub some the wrong way, but you generally find universal respect around here.

I'd have to have to question the sanity of someone suggesting two Mcdonald's All Americans can't handle "athletes". I can't wait to see the outcome of your guards and our press. If that doesn't get you excited about the game you don't like basketball.

Ya, Huggs makes himself an easy target sometimes. I find him immensely entertaining, of course I'm a little biased.. I do tire of the endless, "the refs are in his pocket" and "he works the refs too much" that we get from our conference mates...most notably KU. They have a hard time dealing with a bunch of 3 star recruits beating their blue blood program.

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

Ya, Huggs makes himself an easy target sometimes. I find him immensely entertaining, of course I'm a little biased.. I do tire of the endless, "the refs are in his pocket" and "he works the refs too much" that we get from our conference mates...most notably KU. They have a hard time dealing with a bunch of 3 star recruits beating their blue blood program.

Coach Huggins is one of the most entertaining personalities in college basketball. I am really looking forward to this matchup.

[U Zig, I Zag]

I'd have to have to question the sanity of someone suggesting two Mcdonald's All Americans can't handle "athletes". I can't wait to see the outcome of your guards and our press. If that doesn't get you excited about the game you don't like basketball.

Ya, Huggs makes himself an easy target sometimes. I find him immensely entertaining, of course I'm a little biased.. I do tire of the endless, "the refs are in his pocket" and "he works the refs too much" that we get from our conference mates...most notably KU. They have a hard time dealing with a bunch of 3 star recruits beating their blue blood program.

I am speaking in generalities, going back several tourney appearances. GU gets faced up with a team that is considered 'tough' (and they very well might be) but handles them quite well. The argument being that perhaps GU is a bit too soft, WCC is too easy, GU doesn't have the speed and strength.

Now, you brought up a good point. With some McD AAs and maybe a full on NCAA AA on the team, we'll really take it to the next tough, Big5 team we face.

[MountaineerLegion]

Definitely aware of it. I just find Press Virginia to be kind of a cool way of describing your team. Heck, Huggins used to resort to 1-3-1 zone defenses and anything else to get a win. That's part of what completely screwed up Kentucky in the 2010 elite 8 game. It still pains me every time I think of Da'Sean Butler and his injury at the final 4. The scene of Huggins hugging him on the floor was one of the most moving moments in the history of the NCAA tourney. Last I heard Butler was playing in Germany.

My sister is a West Virginia grad. Welcome to the board MountaineerLegion.

I too like "Press Virginia". It's tough to recruit when most kids in the country think of WVU as Hillbilly U. It helps that the national "press" mentions it every time they report on WVU.

Interesting note that will probably get mentioned in our game is that Huggs was taught the 1-3-1 by his players. John Beilein ran it a ton but then left for Michigan. Joe Mazzula told Huggs they really liked it and Huggs said, show me, and they did. When an 800 win coach is still learning and isn't afraid to be taught by his own players you can see how he won 800.

I don't even like thinking about the Da'Sean Butler incident. I cringe for him when I think about it. And I found Huggs response awkward...I'm just not wired that way. There is no doubt though that he loves his players and the feeling is reciprocated by his players. That you are familiar with it leads me to believe you watch too much basketball. By the way Huggs has been this way his whole career. When he was at Cinn. and got fired one of his players who was by then in the NBA told Cinn. to take his retired jersey down. He didn't want a school who treated Huggs that way to display it.

Your sister must be smart!

[former1dog]

agree 100% with you. I have watched a lot of WV games over the years because I love bob huggins as a coach so I am a fan of WV hoops and them and Notre Dame are the only two teams other than Gonzaga that I really make it a point to watch on TV. I have been thinking the last few days to myself = why are many on here thinking Coach Few has figured out the mighty Press Virginia 3 times or whatever it is, because yeah when we beat WV the last time we played in tourney I sure don't remember you guys playing this style of basketball, I don't even remember playing WV two other times but i guess we did (or maybe one of those wins we claim is vs Huggins in NCAA tourney while he was at Cincinnatti, Huggins also beat GU once when he was at Cincy though when he had Kenyon Martin i believe it was 2000). When you guys beat that Kentucky team that had John Wall and Dmarcus Cousins in Elite 8, if i remember correctly you guys packed it in and played a sagging Zone that whole game and Kentucky could not figure out how to play a slow paced methodical half court game vs a sagging zone defense. If i remember your first season employing this high pressure style of full court defense was the season you advanced to the sweet 16 and you had to play vs. Kentucky and Karl Anthony Townes and that team, i remember many announcers that season noting that it was a new style for WV but it was effective et al.

Gonzaga is 3-0 versus WEST Virginia, by an average victory margin of 20 points. The point is correct and well taken, though, that Gonzaga is 0-0 versus PRESS Virginia.

Beyond that, Gonzaga and West Virginia have entirely different teams than they did the last time they played. So the 3-0 record only has relevance as it pertains to Few versus Huggins.

I'm predicting a Gonzaga win, but I still have a lot of respect for WVU.

[Zagger]

For 6 games? The performance vs. SMC in the WCC title game was great. GU won by 18. They shot 50% from the field, 57% from three, 80% from the foul line. Outrebounded SMC by 3. Just 9 TO's. Held the Gaels to 36.8% shooting and 56 points. They've played better games, but if they play that good against WVU, they will win.

This is how I feel the Zags will play on Thursday - on fire. They are very capable of beating any team. I've a hunch we'll see a fired up Zag team Thursday and Saturday. Why ... I'm feeling that having Collins and Tillie in for big end of game minutes against NU has really fire up everyone. The team is tight. They're good pals. They leaned on Collins and Tillie and they came through. I think the team will be confident that they can all excel and that they have one another's back. They won't be as tentative and will play quite fast and accurately so. Bet it even spills over into their FT shooting. I think we'll see a regular barn burning cuz I still think they have their best game in them yet this season. Go Zags!