Country Roadkill: WVU runs over Pitt

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – So much for the 175th Backyard Brawl and Big East basketball.

What was… MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – So much for the 175th Backyard Brawl and Big East basketball.

What was expected to be a physical showdown between two bitter rivals became a choppy, heavily whistled contest. The ugly whistle-fest finished with West Virginia on top, 76-62, last night at the WVU Coliseum.

The officials called 43 fouls in 40 minutes, which generated 52 combined foul shots for both teams. So many whistles are unusual for Big East officials, who are known to allow extremely physical and brutal play to go without interference. Big East teams, as a result, have a reputation as the most physical and punishing teams in the nation.

Last night, West Virginia managed to score the most points between the stoppages of play. A 16-3 run that started late in the first half and spanned into the early moments of the second half gave West Virginia a 17-point lead, and Pitt never recovered. The Panthers cut the deficit to 14 points four times but could not get any closer.

It was a damaging defeat for a Pitt team riding a high after its biggest road victory in Big East play, an 82-77, come-from-behind win at Syracuse on Saturday.

“[West Virginia] had fouls and we had fouls,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “They responded better than we did. We never got in a rhythm. We were simply outplayed.”

West Virginia forward Joe Alexander scored a game-high 32 points. The 6-foot-8 junior sent off his senior teammates, who played their final regular-season home game, with an electrifying performance on West Virginia’s home floor. He made face-up jump shots from long range, layups in the lane and every other kind of basket possible.

Regardless of who guarded Alexander, the Panthers simply had no answer for West Virginia’s leading scorer. He finished 10 of 16 from the field and 12 of 14 from the free-throw line.

“He played a great game,” Pitt guard Keith Benjamin said. “He made some real tough shots.”

Alexander had help, too. West Virginia senior Darris Nichols had 17 points. The 6-3 guard had trouble defending Pitt’s Levance Fields, but Nichols orchestrated much of the Mountaineers’ offensive damage early in the second half.

Nichols’ backcourt mate, junior Alex Ruoff, scored 14 points. The perimeter-scoring threat drilled three 3-pointers. As a team, the Mountaineers had 30 points in the paint, including countless uncontested layups and dunks.

“We have to do a better job on the defensive end,” Dixon said. “They made some tough shots to their credit, but I don’t think we’ll ever be satisfied with where we are defensively.”

Fields, who returned on Feb. 15 from a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot suffered Dec. 29, finally appeared comfortable playing full speed. The diminutive floor general generated much of Pitt’s offense early.

He scored six of Pitt’s first 10 points. Fields finished with 15 points and four assists.

Pitt’s leading scorer, Sam Young, fouled out with more than seven minutes to play. The 6-6 forward had a productive night despite being plagued by foul trouble the entire contest. He had 13 points and four rebounds.

Pitt center DeJuan Blair had trouble against West Virginia’s collapsing defense.

Each time the 6-7 post presence collected an entry pass, two, and sometimes three, defenders immediately rushed to the aid of Blair’s primary defender.

Blair struggled with foul trouble as much as Young, finishing with 10 points and three rebounds before fouling out of what was a frustrating game for the Panthers.

“It’s hard to bounce back from playing on Saturday and then playing 38 minutes two days later,” Benjamin said. “That’s not an excuse, though. We have to get better.”

Last night’s victory was critical for West Virginia. The Mountaineers, whose NCAA Tournament resume still lacks a marquee road win against a quality opponent, won their second contest against a team in the top half of the Big East standings.

West Virginia defeated Marquette, 79-64, at the WVU Coliseum Jan. 6.

Beating Pitt, which sits in the 20s in RPI rankings, surely helps West Virginia’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament’s at-large field. The Mountaineers played like a team needing a big win.

“They came out real riled up,” Benjamin said. “They played great.”