West Virginia is coming off a drubbing at the hands of Seton Hall. Rutgers is coming off a loss to USF in the final seconds. Needless to say, both teams will be heading to the RAC on Wednesday night and both teams aren't happy.
Rutgers will debut Derrick Randall in the starting line-up.
So, what are the keys? Find out after the jump...
1. Rebound, rebound, rebound: West Virginia gets a ton of points off the offensive rebound. They aren't a very good three point shooting team, shooting only 33%. Aaron Brown is their best 3 pt shooter, and Truck Bryant takes the most. But, WVU teams have always been great rebounding teams. RU is going to have to find a body and box out, especially keeping an eye out for Deniz Kilicli, a bruiser of a big man. Derrick Randall's physicality should help here.2. Eli Carter Needs to Adjust to the Spotlight: The reigning Big East Rookie of the Week is going to be the focal point of WVU's defense. He hasn't seen that yet, this year. He's going to have adjust and either be willing to pass the ball to an open guard or Dane Miller--OR, he's going to have to find more creative ways to get his shot. Either way, Carter's shot choice will be key.
3. Force Kevin Jones to Shoot 3s: Jones averages 20 points a game, but is only a 23% shooter from beyond the arc. If Jones can get to the rim, he's going to be dangerous and he'll draw fouls on Gilvydas Biruta. If Rutgers can force him outside the arc, he'll have a lot more trouble scoring.
4. Get the Ball to Myles Mack in the Clutch: Mack has made clutch shots in the past two games. Big shots that have put Rutgers ahead. He's found ways to be open and is also getting the foul line, slowing down on the fast break to draw contact. He needs to keep it up.
5. Dane Miller: Every fan in the RAC knows which Dane needs to play tomorrow. But will he?
Tomorrow night, the RAC, 7 pm. Be there.