It was just last season when comparisons between West Virginia and N.C. State’s basketball teams were unavoidable. Both ran similar Princeton-styled offenses, and both featured lineups of primarily juniors and seniors.
And it was also the case when two eventual Sweet 16 clubs last played each other on Jan. 2, 2005.
The Mountaineers, led by Kevin Pittsnogle, Mike Gansey and Johannes Herbert, shot almost 59 percent from the floor and sank 10 3-pointers as they cruised to a 82-69 win over the Wolfpack in Raleigh. Leading scorer Julius Hodge missed the game with an ankle injury and Andrew Brackman, Jordan Collins and Ilian Evtimov scored in double figures in the losing effort.
This year, comparisons are being made between the two, but this time it’s for inexperience. None of the players mentioned are still playing for their respective teams, and each side has just two players left who saw the court that day.
The Pack was predicted to finish 12th out of 12 ACC teams this season. The Mountaineers were picked 12th out of 16 Big East teams.
“Both of us are in transitions right now where we’ve had really senior-laden teams last year that were really successful.” West Virginia coach John Beilein said. “We both lost most of our points, and now we’re searching for experience in these [early-season] games. But we get it by continuing to play.”
The offenses will no longer mirror each other either, as State has since scrapped the Princeton-style offense under first-year coach Sidney Lowe.
Even so, Beilein said he still sees the same style of players on the Pack’s side with a number of players capable of playing different positions.
“I watched their game [Sunday] night with Virginia, and I have tape of some other games. I see what they have right now is seven very, very talented players that Sidney has been using, and they’re interchangeable parts,” Beilein said.
“They’re very much like Herb players, very similar type style with the philosophy of interchangeable parts. Sidney has done a great job of utilizing the scholarship players he was left with there. They’re going to have a good year, and they’ve already started having a good year.”
Both teams enter the contest 5-1 and coming off losses. State lost to conference opponent Virginia on Sunday. The Mountaineers haven’t played since a Nov. 26 loss to Arkansas.
The choice for the long layoff was made by Beilein. Rather than play another nonconference opponent last Saturday, he opted for more practice time with his young squad.
“We had a gap here where we could have played a game this Saturday but elected not to play and figured we could get six days of practice in to make ourselves better,” Beilein said. “That would be more important than preparing for another team this past Saturday.”
Beilein said the team started to prepare for State on Monday.
“We don’t know if it’ll be beneficial to winning the N.C. State game,” Beilein said. “But we do believe it’ll be beneficial long-term.”
The two teams will also be linked for what transpired over the spring and summer. With State in search of a head coach, rumors swirled about who the Pack would hire, and Beilein’s name was mentioned.
Beilein has always been mum on anything dealing with his name involved in coaching hirings — and he continued to do so even when asked how close talks had come in the past between himself and State. “I don’t comment on any of those sort of things,” Beilein said. “All I know right now is that they’ve hired a really good coach and they are going to a great job. They’re some really talented, but young, inexperienced players on that team.”
One of those inexperienced players, freshman Dennis Horner, received an offer from West Virginia but chose to go to State.
Horner was the only one of three freshmen signed by Herb Sendek to enroll at State, and there was a feeling that Horner might go elsewhere during the summer and spring months — like West Virginia — after his cohorts had already bolted for other schools.
“He’s a very good player. N.C. State is very fortunate to have a player like Dennis,” Beilein said. “He has a tremendous upside; he’s got great family; he’s a very versatile player. Not only us, a lot of people would want him. He’s chosen a great place for him. He should do well there.”
Despite the campus’s location in Morgantown, W.Va., tonight’s game will be held in the state’s largest city – Charleston.
“This is the fourth game that we’ve played out there in December, and we’re hoping for a big crowd,” Beilein said. “We’re playing obviously a terrific team. North Carolina State is a great program in the ACC.”
Senior Staff Writer Dennis Burton contributed to this article.
