MORGANTOWN -
The West Virginia University men's basketball team is
heading south later today for Saturday's showdown with the University of South
Florida.
WVU will definitely entire a hostile atmosphere when the two
teams meet Saturday afternoon.
"It's important for them and it's extremely important for us," WVU Head Coach Bob Huggins said. "They are
billing it as their biggest game in 20 years."
USF is throwing around a lot of titles on its games lately
calling its win earlier this week over Louisville, the biggest win in school
history.
The USF campus is certainly feeling the madness associated
with this time of year. The Bulls are still alive in the hunt for a double-bye
in the Big East Tournament. Both USF and WVU are playing for their NCAA
Tournament lives. USF is sitting at No. 35 in the latest RPI rankings. WVU
checks in at No. 56.
USF is likely in regardless of Saturday's result. WVU might
be in without a win at USF, but winning that game certainly takes some of the
pressure off heading into next week's Big East Tournament.
South Florida is selling tickets to Saturday's game for $10
each and keep your eye out for plenty of white t-shirts in the lower bowl of
the arena. Those white t-shirts will be given to all fans in the lower bowl
with one word on them, MADNESS.
"We went to Kansas State with 18,000 people there and there
weren't a lot of them rooting for us," Huggins said. "We endured that. I can't
imagine that going to South Florida that if our mindset is right, we can't
endure that."
WVU is still playing for a first round bye in the Big East
Tournament. That will happen if WVU beats USF and Seton Hall loses to DePaul.
WVU is currently sitting in ninth place and can only fall to tenth place if it
loses to USF and UCONN beats Pitt.
It should be a wild Saturday and a tournament atmosphere in
Tampa. Tipoff is set for noon.
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