West Virginia (15-6, 4-4 Big East) and Syracuse (17-5, 5-4 Big East) will meet Wednesday night in a crucial game for both teams. The Mountaineers and Orange come into the game seventh and eighth in the league standings, looking to separate themselves from the bottom half of the league.
“It’s such a hard league that I think they’re all must-win games,” said Mountaineer head coach Bob Huggins. “You can get buried pretty quick.”
That last quote from the Mountaineer head coach couldn’t be more true for the Orange. Syracuse comes into Wednesday’s game trying to avoid being buried even deeper in the league standings after losing three straight and four of five games. Just three weeks ago, Syracuse was 16-1, undefeated in the Big East, and garnered a top ten ranking.
“(Syracuse is) a very hungry team,” said Mountaineer forward Da’Sean Butler. “They’ve lost four of five games, so they’re looking to win.”
Even with their recent struggles in losses to Georgetown, Pitt, Louisville, and Providence, the Orange are still averaging 80 points per contest. In their most recent loss last week to the Friars, they still put 94 points on the board and shot 50 percent from the floor.
“We can’t go up there and be real laxed and unfocused like the way we came out in the first half against Louisville,” Butler said. “They can shoot the ball well enough and they’re a very good team to where, if we slip up, it won’t just be a 20 point lead, they’ll be up 40 points at half and we’ll be trying to be making a comeback from that.”
The Mountaineers themselves are trying to avoid losing their third out of their past four games. A 20 point halftime deficit on Saturday at Louisville was too much to overcome as the Mountaineers ended up falling by six. Butler said they can’t let the losses start piling up and need to win on Wednesday.
“People recognize you by doing good at the moment, and everybody just cares about what you did your last game,” Butler said. “Right now we’re only as good as our last game and everybody noticed that we lost our last game.”
Alex Ruoff is the only Mountaineer to have played inside the Carrier Dome, a venue where over 30,000 fans saw the Orange defeat Notre Dame three Saturdays ago. The Orange are averaging just over 24,000 fans through four Big East home games so far this season. The largest crowd the Mountaineers have played in front of this year came on Saturday, when 19,416 fans filled Freedom Hall. Still, the Mountaineer head coach doesn’t see that playing much of a factor.
“I think there’s too much made of that,” Huggins said. “The hoops are 10 feet, the foul line is 15 (feet)…It’s not like (the fans) are right on top of you. It’s loud, but what’s not loud? Freedom Hall wasn’t loud? That’s just what it is.”
West Virginia ended an eight game losing streak to the Orange last year in Morgantown, winning by 20 in a game that was never really close, 81-61. In that game, Syracuse was without guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins. Both Devendorf and Rautins are back this season and averaging double figures. Devendorf comes into the contest second on the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game. The six-foot-four junior leads the Orange in Big East games, averaging 16 points and is shooting 38 percent from three on the year.
“We had success against this team last year, so I don’t see why we wouldn’t this year,” Butler said. “It’s just a game; anybody can beat anybody in this conference.”
Overall, five Syracuse players average double figures with sophomore guard Jonny Flynn leading the way, averaging 16.8 points per contest. Flynn is coming off of a career high performance against the Friars, scoring 35 points, including four threes.
“They have great three point shooters in Devendorf and Rautins, and they have like a one-man fast break in Jonny Flynn, he’s just amazing coming down the court,” Butler said.
Six-foot-nine forward/center Arinze Onuaku has a strong presence inside the lane, coming in at 275 pounds. The junior averages 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Both Onuaku and Rautins, who’s averaging 10.5 points a game, were injured during the Orange’s loss to Providence. Onuaku played only 15 minutes against the Friars after suffering from a flare-up of tendinitis in his right knee. Rautins didn’t play at all after spraining his right ankle. Both, however, are expected to at least be available to play on Wednesday.
The Orange lead the conference in shooting, making 49.8 percent of their shots. Defensively, however, they rank near the bottom of the league at number 13, giving up just over 70 points a game.
“They’re talented,” Huggins said. “I think one through seven, they’re maybe the most talented team in our league.”
Wednesday’s game will be the 46th all-time meeting between the two schools with the Orange holding the 29-15 edge in the series. West Virginia last visited the Carrier Dome in 2006, losing 60-58.
“We’re playing against a great team, at a great place, with a great crowd, and a great coach, and it’s not looking like the best thing for us,” Butler said. “But as far as we’re concerned, it’s a very winnable game for us.
