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2007 West Virginia Basketball Predictions & Season
Preview
John Beilein is out and Bob Huggins is in
for the Mountaineers. Find out how West Virginia’s new
head man will fair in his first season in this 2007
West Virginia predictions and season preview.
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Bob Huggins has been there and done that, but now he will have to do that with
coach Beilein’s players who are used to playing half court hoops. Huggins will
try to get the Mountaineers to play a little bit faster like we are used to
seeing his teams play, but I’m not sure West Virginia has the athletes to pull
it off.
With West Virginia reaching the Elite Eight, Sweet 16, and winning the NIT title
the last three seasons, expectations will be high for Huggins in year one. But
this team appears to be NIT bound.
Huggins will have the challenge of getting 7-footer Jamie Smalligan to be
tougher in the post. All he has previously shown the ability to do is step out
on the floor and knock down threes. Joe Alexander and Da’Sean Butler are two
athletic forwards who will be getting starting nods. Huggins is big on the 6’8’’
Alexander and feels he will have a heck of a year because of his ability to run
and jump and dunk with the best of them in the nation. Butler, a 6’7’’ sophomore
played in all 36 games as a freshman and averaged double digits.
The backcourt features both talent and depth. Point guard Darris Nichols is
among the top point guards in the league. The 6’2’’ senior guard had 165 assists
and only 48 turnovers last season while averaging 10.9 points per game. Alex
Ruoff should get the nod at the starting shooting guard slot. He averaged 10.3
points per game last season and has good size at 6’6’’. Huggins should be able
to help this kid become a better defender.
West Virginia has enough talent to be a factor in the Big East race, but a lack
of chemistry is imminent as the Mountaineers must play a completely different
style than they are used to. With Huggins, the WVU players are going to get a
higher spirited coach who is more demanding. It remains to be seen if they will
react positively to his style.
Perhaps another NIT title is on the horizon, but not an NCAA Tourney berth.
There is just too much talent in the Big East Conference this season. Look for
Huggins’ new up-tempo style to throw oddsmakers for a loop for a while. We could
have some overs opportunities against the
college basketball odds early on in
the year.
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