As always, not that this info will giftwrap this game but since it's a bitch to play on the road in college hoops, i thought Id pass along since it's a little more unique of a situation than most and may be relevant in this situation.This isn't exactly a typical road game for WVU. Their core is pretty much from this area. De'Sean Butler, their best player is from Newark as is another starter in Wellington Smith. Then their other 3 starters are all from NYC, a short drive away. For most teams, it would suck to travel over Christmas and play a road game, but not for them, they are all going home.*There are also tons of West Virginia alumni in Jersey/Philly. With the students on break, I wouldn't be shocked to see more West Virginia fans at the game than Seton Hall. It's Saturday, many are in town for Christmas, and will be there. There will be at least a few hundred people alone associated with the players from that area.In addition, this is a huge spot as far as national exposure with the game being the only one on today, and on CBS. *Again, that might not mean a lot to some, but to Bob Huggins it does and they are making a very big deal out of it. You can look at how they played at Ohio St last year on CBS to see how they treat nationally televised games like that.*They aren't going to go out and lay an egg today. They may be cold from the field and wind up losing, but it won't be because they aren't ready to play. If anything, these guys returning home *and playing in front of family and friends plus the game being on CBS gives them an edge that most road teams don't have. This spot is much different than if they were meeting on a Tuesday in February with little fanfare.From a game standpoint, Seton Hall loves the 3, but they run into a team who can shut the 3 down and make it hard to score against. WVU isn't huge underneath from the terms of having 7'0s down low, but what they do have are usually 4 guys on the floor at most times who all go 6'7 to 6'9, who are long and can defend. There is a reason why they are so good defensively. This will be the first time this year that the Hall sees matchups like this and it's not going to be target shooting practice for them like they have seen against inferior teams. Even the better teams they have played in Cornell and Temple don't have anywhere close to as much length as WVU has. WVU hammered Nova last year in a similar matchup situation. Nova relies on the 3 ball, WVU takes it away well, and you end up with difficulty scoring the basketball because all your shots are contested, and it's hard to shoot over pressure like that when guys that long are in your face. This isn't a pick up game at the Y like a lot of the Hall's games have been.On the other end, Seton Hall is a good basketball team. And it is a chance for them to make a statement and use this as their coming out party. *I expect them to give their best shot, and they absolutely have a shot to win this game, especially if WVU plays like they did at Cleve. St, but usually when 2 teams both play at their best, the better team prevails, and I think WVU will bring their A game today and I think a lot of the x factors that usually go to the home team are taken away here. Proceed with caution, but I think West Virginia comes out and plays well today.WVU -3*
