Monday, November 7, 2011

WVU Women's Soccer to face Virginia Tech

The West Virginia Women's Soccer Team will face Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers are coming off their second consecutive Big East Championship. Meanwhile, the Hokies were 12-7-1 playing the strongest conference in the nation.

The game will be held at the Dick on Saturday, Nov 12th. Kickoff will be at 6pm. The winner will face the winner of LSU and Texas A&M. The Aggies are the 3-seed in the tournament.

Here is a look at the bracket.

It's Gameweek! Week 11 Primer

Matchup: West Virginia at Cincinnati

When: Saturday, 12p, ABC

Line: Cincy -3.5

West Virginia Players to Watch:
Geno Smith, QB: 3,125 yards, 23 TD, 5 INT
Dustin Garrison, RB: 581 yards, 6.1 ypc, 5 TD
Tavon Austin, WR: 63 rec, 1715 all-purpose yards, 6 total TD
Stedman Bailey, WR: 51 rec, 933 yards, 9 TD

Cincinnati Players to Watch:
Zach Collaros, QB: 2035 total yards, 26 total TD, 8 INT
Isaiah Pead, RB: 821 total yards, 6.0 ypc, 10 total TD
Derek Wolfe, DL: 37 total tackles, 12 TFL, 7 sacks, 2 FF
J.K. Schaffer, LB: 67 total tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 INT, 1 FF

Storylines:

Can West Virginia find balance? Not offensive balance, but team balance. Too much inconsistency defensivley and on special teams is killing this team. It's hard to put it on the offense, when Geno Smith and company are putting up plenty of points. Sure, there are mistakes that you would love to see disappear, but defensive playmakers need to be found. And, some new kickers wouldn't hurt either.

Will the Bearcats fall victim to the Big East jinx? Every team that has been at the top has slipped so far, but Cincy did manage to hold on at Pitt. In fact, the Bearcats have done an excellent job in closing out close games. There's no doubt that Cincy will score, the big question will be can they slow down the WVU offense? A shootout could certainly go either way.

Yes, WVU still has a chance to play in the BCS. How? Well...first things first...win out. That is a tall task at this point, but not out of the question. The Mountaineers are probably the best team in the conference when they act like it, just not sure they can. Second step is for Cincy to drop at least two games, starting this weekend to the Mountaineers. And, lastly, Louisville needs to lose. The Cardinals may be the hottest team in the league right now, so that may not be happening.

It's fun to watch Stedman Bailey play. While only 5'10", the speedy wideout plays about 6'8". His versatility and athleticism continue to make him one of the most underrated wideouts in the country. Bailey is going to shatter the single-season yardage record, and is only a redshirt sophomore. Just imagine what the future holds for this kid. We should also note that Geno will probably eclipse the passing touchdowns and passing yards records, and Tavon Austin could grab the receptions record. Where is Jeff Mullen when you need him?

WVU Women Continue to be Awesome


Congrats to the WVU Women's Soccer team for their second straight Big East Championship. They took down Louisville 2-0 yesterday at the Dick, and now wait to see who they face in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show is today at 4:30p, and can be followed by clicking here.

Again, huge congrats to Nikki Izzo-Brown and her Mountaineers. She has done such incredible work, and is easily the most important and valuable coach on the Morgantown Campus.