Irish prepare for Mountaineer challenge
By BRIAN KESSLER
Sports Editor
After a thrilling victory over nationally-ranked St. John's last Saturday, Notre Dame (13-8, 4-3) will look to avoid a let down and close out the four-game homestand with a victory over West Virginia (12-6, 4-3).
"We want to come out and set the tone in the first five minutes," sophomore forward David Graves said. "We donŐt want to let them think they can play with us. We need to play aggressive and knock them on their heels and hopefully we'll have a good night."
West Virginia (12-6, 4-3) has won its last four games and is coming off a 70-60 overtime win against Providence.
"They haven't gotten much recognition this season, but they are a big, tough and athletic bunch of guys," Graves said. "It's going to be a big test for us."
The Mountaineers are led by Marcus Goree, who is averaging 14.6 points per game and 9.1 boards per contest.
"Goree is one of the best players in the league," Graves said. "He's 6-foot-9, so he's long and he can also shoot it. He's a talented player."
Shooting guard Lionel Amstead and center Calvin Bowman are also averaging double figures in scoring for the Mountaineers.
As always, the Irish are led by sophomore forward Troy Murphy. Murphy is fourth in the nation in scoring (24.1 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (11 boards per game).
He poured in 30 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Notre Dame's win over St. John's last weekend. Graves is second on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game.
West Virginia is solid down low, so Notre Dame must crash the boards well if it hopes to get the "W."
"We have to be able to rebound," Graves said. "They are big in that back line with guys at 6-foot-9, 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-7. We have to box out and get to the lose balls. Rebounding is going to be the key to this game."
Last year, the two teams split a pair of games. The Mountaineers took the first game at home by an 85-80 count. A week later, the Irish retaliated with a 71-69 victory at the Joyce Center. Murphy scored 32 points in the first meeting and followed it up with a 17-point effort.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series 12-7 and is 7-3 against the West Virginia at the Joyce Center.
The Irish have been strong at home this season, posting an 11-2 mark in the JACC.
After tonight's game, Notre Dame hits the road for a rematch with
Pittsburgh before taking on Villanova. These three games will be a crucial stretch for a team that has its sights set on a NCAA Tournament berth.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 2, 2000
