Big Monday Showdown in Morgantown

The storylines seem endless for Monday’s Big East Battle between top 5 teams, as No. 4 Villanova takes on No. 5 West Virginia at the WVU Coliseum.

Tip-off is just a few hours away and here are a few interesting tidbits on tonight’s game.

• WVU can move into second place in the league standings with a win. Villanova is looking to keep pace with Syracuse as the only one-loss teams in the Big East.
• Da’Sean Butler (leading the Mountaineers in scoring with 17.3 points per game) scored 43 a year ago on a bum ankle in a 21-point Mountaineer win over the Wildcats in Morgantown.
• WVU students were off from class today due to the weekend snow storm. What will the atmosphere be like inside the WVU Coliseum? How will the students fare behaving compared to last Wednesday’s catastrophe against Pitt?
• How does Villanova bounce back after its first conference loss and first loss in nearly two months? Scottie Reynolds is a big-time player but he shot just 3-for-11 in last year’s loss at WVU.

Keys to the Game

1. Devin Ebanks– Lost in the shuffle of Butler’s historic scoring night a year ago was the play of Ebanks. Then a freshman, Ebanks scored 16 points on just eight field goal attempts. He also snatched 10 rebounds for one of his more complete collegiate efforts. Ebanks has been fantastic of late for the Mountaineers. Defensively, he was spectacular against Louisville and Pitt. In Saturday’s come-from-behind win at St. John’s, he managed a solid effort with 12 points and 10 boards. Ebanks has 100 rebounds in 10 game Big East games this year, including 37 in his last three.
2. Villanova’s depth at guard– While the Mountaineers got unsteady play from point guard Truck Bryant over the weekend, Nova’s guards are almost always solid. Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Malik Wayns, Reggie Redding and Dominic Cheek all get signifcant playing time in Jay Wright’s backcourt. They are able to stay fresh and none plays over 30 minutes per game.
3. Taylor King– A frequent X-factor for the Wildcats is Taylor King. The Duke transfer can be efficient from 3-point range and his ability to hit shots really helps spread the floor for Nova’s quick guards. Will King be able to get clean looks over the outstretched arms of guys like Ebanks, Kevin Jones and John Flowers?
4. Joe Mazzulla’s health– Can Mazzulla give the Mountaineers as many quality minutes (16) at point guard as he did against the Red Storm? If Bryant plays poorly again, WVU will no doubt need a big performance from Mazulla, who is battling a sprained ankle suffered in Friday’s practice. Even if Bryant is healthy, the Mountaineers could use Mazzulla with the aforementioned Villanova guard play.

Prediction…WVU: 73 Villanova: 70