At first glance, most college basketball teams would want to
join a list that includes Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Pitt, Oklahoma,
George Washington, Georgetown, Boston College and N.C. State. There
is, however, one dubious distinction all those teams share. During
the last two years, they’ve all been
“Pittsnogled,” the affectionate term applied to
opponents that senior center Kevin Pittsnogle’s West Virginia
team has beaten. The Bruins (15-3, 5-2 Pac-10), who faces the
Mountaineers this Saturday at Pauley Pavilion in a rare
non-conference showdown, are looking to avoid becoming an addition
to the list. “It’s made-for-TV,” said UCLA coach
Ben Howland of the match-up. “This came up because we were
looking for a game that CBS wanted to put on. It gives both
programs a lot of exposure.” The No. 18 Bruins enter their
match-up with No. 12 West Virginia (13-3, 5-0 Big East) on the
heels of their most dominating conference victory of the season, a
66-45 smothering of crosstown rival USC. Sustaining that same
energy on Saturday shouldn’t be a concern ““
they’re only facing what Howland calls the team that’s
playing the best basketball in the country right now.
“We’re getting ready for the hottest team in the
country,” said Howland. “Because the hottest team in
the country is West Virginia.” The Mountaineers, still
undefeated in the powerful Big East, are coming into Pauley
Pavilion on the heels of an 11-game winning streak, their longest
in 17 years. Last season, West Virginia quickly became a
national-media darling during their “Cinderella” run in
the NCAA Tournament. As a seventh seed, the Mountaineers advanced
to the Elite Eight, and had they not coughed up a 20-point lead
against Louisville, would have advanced to the Final Four. With
four returning starters from last year’s team, West Virginia
appears to be just as potent and dangerous as it was last season,
continuing to live and (less often) die by the 3-point shot. Of the
Mountaineers’ 946 attempted field goals this season, 472 of
them have been 3-pointers, with Mike Gansey and Pittsnogle
combining to make 48.9 percent of their shots from behind the arc.
“They’re an unbelievably good offensive team,”
Howland said. Though UCLA hasn’t seen a team quite like West
Virginia and won’t for the rest of its scheduled games,
Howland is quite familiar with the Mountaineers. In his four years
as the head coach at Pittsburgh, Howland compiled a 5-2 record
against West Virginia, the Panthers’ main rival.
INJURY UPDATE: Freshman Luc Richard Mbah a
Moute said his shin was a little sore after it was kicked in
Wednesday’s game against USC, but that it shouldn’t
affect his practice or playing time. … Howland said UCLA plans to
use a bone stimulator to on the growth in sophomore Lorenzo
Mata’s fractured tibia. The sophomore center is still
expected to miss between 6-7 weeks. … Senior Cedric Bozeman,
sidelined with a cartilage tear in his shoulder since Dec. 27,
2005, is about a week or so away from being ready to play,
according to Howland.
DRIBBLERS: West Virginia’s potential
“Pittsnogling” of the Bruins on Saturday may come
without Pittsnogle himself. According to published reports, the
6-foot-11-inch center and his wife are expecting their first child
in the coming weeks. If the call comes while the Mountaineers are
in Los Angeles, Pittsnogle has indicated he will drop what
he’s doing and return home to West Virginia.