GETTING INSIDE

The better West Virginia's basketball team gets, the worse its fans behave, and the administration has just about had it.

School president Jim Clements called the student section behavior in a 70-51 victory over Pitt "unacceptable" and said he was "appalled" as they chanted an obscenity that rhymes with Pitt during the national anthem and continued through the game while also pelting the court with objects, including a coin thrown from another area that hit a Pitt assistant in the face.

The student section at WVU has long been a sore spot, often going over the border of decency in the way it acts toward opposing players and coaches. Earlier this year, coach Bob Huggins talked to them about their boorish behavior during a game against Ohio State.

The school is now ready to take dramatic steps to cut down on the problem.

"We will do what we have to do to control this," Clements said. "We are looking at every possible strategy."

With Villanova coming in for a game on Monday night, it was expected that some stance would be taken by the school, be it installing video, putting increased security in the student section or limiting the number of students who can attend.

"We want schools like Ohio State to come here and play," Clements said. "We don't want it to get to the point where they won't come. And we don't want to get to the point where TV stations don't want to come out to our games."

The shame is that the Mountaineers are putting one of the best and most entertaining teams ever on the floor, a team capable of winning a national championship.

NOTES, QUOTES

--F Da'Sean Butler had his season high Feb. 6 against St. John's in Madison Square Garden as he scored 33 points and hit 7 of 7 three-point shots. With the output, Butler moved past Greg Jones and into fourth place all-time among WVU scorers with 1,822 career points. He recently passed Kevin Pittsnogle and Rod Thorn on the all-time list.

--F Devin Ebanks posted his fourth double-double of the season against St. John's as he had 12 points with 10 rebounds while leading the Mountaineers in assists with five and blocks with two.

--WVU PG Truck Bryant finds himself caught up in a shooting slump, having hit only 7 of his last 28 shots, 25 percent. He has hit only two of his last 15 3-point attempts.

--F Kevin Jones has already surpassed his point total as a freshman and has scored in double figures in 19 of 22 games.

ON THE SPOT: With the activation of C Deniz Kilicli, a freshman, senior F Wellington Smith's

 

playing time is at stake and he has responded by shooting better than 60 percent from the field and from 3-point range over the past five games. Smith now is among the top 10 3-point shooters in the Big East with a 44.2 percent. With him playing that way and possessing all the experience, coach Bob Huggins has the luxury of easing Kilicli into the lineup to get him ready for the post-season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't buy into trap games. It doesn't do you any good to beat the best team in the league and lose to the worst team. You're still 1 and 1." -- Coach Bob Huggins, about facing a down St. John's team just two days before playing No. 2 Villanova.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

SEASON RECAP: Nothing has come easy all season for West Virginia, despite its lofty preseason prediction of being No. 2 in the Big East. It has had to battle hard, growing slowly, but the last piece may be the addition of Turkish player Deniz Kilicli, a 6-9 difference maker who adds inside scoring and rebounding. He helped them past Pittsburgh but had some defensive problems against St. John's as coach Bob Huggins brings him on slowly after sitting out a 20-game suspension.

PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters -- PG Truck Byant, F Devin Ebanks, C Wellington Smith, F Da'Sean Butler, F Kevin Jones. Key Subs -- PG Joe Mazzulla, C Deniz Kilicli, F John Flowers, F Cam Thoroughman, G Dalton Pepper.

GAME REVIEW:

West Virginia 77, Louisville 74
West Virginia 70, Pittsburgh 51
West Virginia 79, St. John's. 60

GAME PREVIEW:

vs. Villanova, Monday, Feb. 8
at Pittsburgh, Friday, Feb. 12
at Providence, Wednesday, Feb. 17
vs. Seton Hall, Saturday, Feb. 20
at Connecticut, Monday, Feb. 22

IN FOCUS: After the Mountaineers have their head-to-head showdown with Villanova, they face arch-rival Pittsburgh on the road in a rare Friday night showdown. That rematch against Pittsburgh comes after the Mountaineer student section went off color in a home victory and threw objects on the court, hitting a Pitt assistant. It should be a wild evening in the Oakland Zoo, especially with the Mountaineers coming off the key game with Villanova.

ROSTER REPORT: --Coach Bob Huggins wanted to rest up PG Joe Mazzulla in the St. John's game at the Garden, his shoulder in need of a break, but St. John's jumped to a 14-point first-half lead. Huggins had to go to his 1-3-1 press, and to do that he needs Mazzulla, who plays the back line. "I wasn't going to play him," Huggins said of Mazzulla, "but we have to try to win the game. Joe will take care of himself and work hard. I know how badly he wants to play against Villanova."

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