Opponent: West Virgina
Location: Gonzaga (McCarthey Athletic Center)
Date: November 12 @ 9pm PST/12am EST (Opening Game of ESPN
24 Hour Kickoff)
Tomorrow is the night we have all been waiting for – the
night the 2012-2013 Zags team will be tested for the first time this
season. The test comes against a West
Virginia team that we dominated last year.
Last season we dashed WVU’s tournament dreams with a thorough beat down
(77-54) to advance to the round of 32.
But that was last year, a different season…this year we face
a squad that is hungry; hungry to show the Gonzaga Bulldogs that they will not
go down without a fight. They have
studied the tape, they have memorized the plays, and they have entrenched that
feeling of loss into their hearts and brains.
No, they will not go down without a fight this season. West Virginia has something to prove as they
march their way into battle in the tough environment of the McCarthey Athletic
Center, otherwise known as the Kennel.
According to BlueGoldNews.com (a WVU blog site), who has an
entire thread devoted to Gonzaga motivation, Bob Huggins has been playing last
year’s game 24/7 in the Practice Facility.
Yes, they are hungry indeed.
So, what should we expect tomorrow night? Let’s take a deeper look into the 2012-2013 West Virginia Team:
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2011-2012 Season Recap:
9-9 Big East Conference Record
19-14 Overall
NCAA Tournament: (Ranked 10 Seed) Lost in 2nd
Round to Gonzaga (77-54)
Notable Changes:
-
Left Big East to join Big 12 Conference
Key
Losses:
-
Senior,
Kevin Jones was the Big East leader in points and rebounds in 2012 (19.9
ppg/10.9 rpg)
-
Senior, Darryl Bryant (AKA Truck Bryant) was second in scoring for
West Virginia (16.9 ppg)
Key Returnees:
-
Junior, Deniz Kilicli – forward from Istanbul,
Turkey. Shot over 50% from the floor
(10.7 ppg/5.3 rpg)
New to the Team:
-
Ukrainian Center, Volodymyr Gerun: Committed
8/22 upon transfer of Freshman big man Pat Forsythe. Gerun is eligible this season.
-
Aaric Murray: LaSalle transfer sat out last year
and is now eligible to play. He averaged
15.2ppg 7.7rpg during his Sophomore season at La Salle.
-
Juwan Staten: Dayton transfer also sat out last
season, but has three years of eligibility remaining. Started in 34 games as a freshman at Dayton.
Finished second in NCAA for overall assists as a freshman with 190 (led
Atlantic 10 in assists). He was also
named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
He was also voted to be Captain this season:
"I consider myself to be a leader," Staten said following West Virginia's 95-53 exhibition win over Glenville State. "The team voted me a captain even though I didn't play last year. That is what I try to do is go out there and be a leader on the court. I felt last year that we lacked that guard that brought everyone together. I want to go out and be a leader every time I step on the court. I feel like I know what is going on so it is my job to help people that don't and make sure the team gets into the plays we need to get into and play the defense that we need to play."
Rankings:
AP Top 25:
-
Not Ranked
Coaches Poll Top 25:
-
Not Ranked
2013 Bracketology:
-
First Four Out
This Season:
This will be WVU’s first game this season, though they did
play an exhibition against Glenville State winning 95-53.
-
Deniz Kilicli finished with 19 points and 3
rebounds in 17 minutes of play
-
Aaric Murray had 13 points and 9 rebounds
-
Juwan Staten had 16 points, 6 assists and 0
turnovers
-
WVU shot 7.1% from 3pt land
Expectations:
As I mentioned earlier, there is no doubt that WVU is hungry
for a win and hungry for revenge against the Gonzaga team that embarrassed them
in the NCAA tournament last season. But,
I don’t see a win on the horizon for West Virginia. WVU is opening up the season in the Zags home
court (a court the Zags have only lost in 7 times). And they face the raucous Kennel Club crowd,
an intimidation factor they haven’t yet seen this year. We will find out tomorrow, but I am predicting
a “W” for the Zags team.
This will also be Karnowski's first test against a bigger front court. It will be interesting to see how he can match up against Kilicli.
This will also be Karnowski's first test against a bigger front court. It will be interesting to see how he can match up against Kilicli.
4 comments:
Our team is virtually unchanged from last year and Coach Huggins is a smart man. He is going to have his team well prepared for the game. Or so he thinks. We have a few surprises for him:
1) Our defensive fundamentals are vastly improved. Yes, I said vastly. Sure, we still get caught out of position once in awhile and sometimes are too slow in reading the play developing, but overall I am seeing more of a consistent emphasis on the defensive side.
2) Karnowski. Even though our competition has not been superior thus far, he has exceeded my expectations which I must admit were fairly low coming into the season. I have enjoyed watching his play both offensively and defensively. He runs the floor well and keeps his hands and the ball high on offense. Defensively, he has a good feel for his man, blocks out well and even bounces his man out of position and the key. I can't wait to see him play against tougher big men. He will have a big impact and become a fan favorite.
I am not predicting another 25 point whooping for tomorrow night, but a comfortable 10-15 point win. Zags 85-72.
Its a brand new team we face too, losing your top two scorers is a big deal. It will be interesting to see how their team responds. i think Gonzaga wins by 17.
I can't wait!
My boy snagged a pair of tickets!!
I'm actually gonna be there for this one !!!
I will be the one yelling the loudest to open the game - of course I will have no voice left by the end (I'll be doing my darnedest to represent each of you who will be watching from near and afar!)
So jealous of you! But glad you will be representing!
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