Pitt Panther Prowl

Pitt-WVU: Pre-game Predictions

So Round 1 of the “Hoops Version of the Backyard Brawl” has finally arrived. Round 2 will be in Morgantown on March 3rd.

As many of you already know, Mr. Big East is a die-hard Mountaineer fan. This being a Pitt-friendly website, I try to keep my bias in check by strictly looking at the numbers and trends that might affect the game’s outcome. I have a lot of respect for Pitt, especially since they beat #2 WVU at Mountaineer Field on December 1st, 2007. That being said, the following is a pre-game scoring prediction from the WVU sidelines. I won’t post anything about the Pitt scoring efforts, that will be up to The Prowler if he sees fit.

I start by outlining the point production and defensive plays from each player needed for WVU to pull the upset at the Pete. I follow that with a more realistic prediction for each player. If any of the first numbers fall short, expect the Mountaineers to do the same Thursday night.

Darris Nichols: In order for WVU to pull the upset, Darris needs a big game. He should contribute about 14 points, on 2 of 6 from beyond the arc, 5/13 total from the field, and 2 of 3 from the free throw line. He should have 5 assists and 3 rebounds, with 2 steals.

Prediction: Nichols gets bottled up for the most part by the Pitt D, and his point production is OK but not great. 13 points, on 1 of 6 from beyond the arc, 3 of 10 overall, and 6 of 9 from the free throw line. He will have 4 or 5 rebounds.

Joe Alexander: Joe needs to be sharper in this game, hitting with his jump hook more often than not. For the visitors to win, Joe needs roughly 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting and 3 of 7 from the line. He needs about 7 rebounds and 1 steal.

Prediction: The hamstring injury still plagues Joe, and his points will show it. He will finish with 8 points on 3 of 12 shooting and 2 of 6 from the line. He will still get 7 or 8 rebounds.

Will Joe throw down the hammer? Vegas odds say: No.

Jamie Smalligan: Here’s a center still shooting 3’s and defending like a little girl. This guy needs to hit 2 big shots from beyond the arc and make 2 free throws for WVU to have a chance (8 points). His defense will never man up so I don’t even bother predicting it for this flower.

Prediction: Typical night from Jamie. 1 of 4 from 3 point land, 4 points overall after he adds in 1 of 2 from the free throw line. Despite being a starter, he will see about 10 minutes of action and pick up 3 or 4 fouls before he is benched as usual.

Jamie Smalligan likes to smell the pansies.

Da’Sean Butler: The X-factor in every Mountaineer game. For WVU to win, he needs 14 points on 2 of 5 from beyond the arc, and 5 of 12 overall. He adds 2 of 5 from the free throw line. He should have 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Prediction: Butler should have a good game. I can see him scoring 18 points and grabbing 8 boards.

Alex Ruoff: MUST HIT HIS THREE POINTERS for WVU to stand a chance. He should get 18 points on 4 of 9 from 3-point land and 5 of 12 overall. He adds another 4 of 6 from the free throw line, grabs 4 boards and makes 3 steals. Also he dishes out 6 assists.

Prediction: Ruoff is ice cold, scoring 14 points with a horrid shooting percentage. He hits all 4 of the three pointers, but misses 10 more as he goes 4 of 14 behind the arc. He also misses all of his jumpers to go 4/17 overall and adds a measly 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Still adds 6 assists.

Make it rain, Ruoff!

Joe Mazzulla: Joe needs to score 10 points coming off the bench on 2 of 5 from the floor with 6 of 8 from the free throw line. If he can cut through the lane and draw fouls late in the game, WVU has a shot.

Prediction: Mazzulla gets his 10 points on 3 of 4 shooting and 4 of 8 from the free throw line.

Wellington Smith: Who knows with Wells? The guy has a lot of raw talent but no true dominating games thus far. He needs to have one here for WVU to win. Give him 6 points on 2 of 4 from beyond the arc and missing both of his free throws.

Prediction: Smith misses an open layup to set the tone. He scores 5 points on 2 of 7 shooting and misses all his free throws.

John Flowers: Can be a spark plug at times for WVU. He needs to score 7 points on 2-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and 2 of 10 overall. He adds 1 of 4 from the free throw line.

Prediction: Adds 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting and makes 1 of his 4 free throws.

Points WVU needs in order to win: 88

Predicted points scored: 75

So I see WVU losing this game by about 7 points. It will be close until the last 4 minutes when Pitt pulls away. Hope you all enjoy the game, and check back afterwards for a Mountaineer’s thoughts on the game (or to harass a Mountaineer, whichever you choose). Also, I wanted to add a few of my favorite icons. Man it feels good to have 2 of these in 3 years!

#9 WVU over #3 Oklahoma, 48-28 #10 WVU over #5 Georgia, 38-35