NCAA March Madness: Big East Tournament Will See an Irish-Mountaineer Battle

An Irish Mountaineer? 

Sounds more like a drink you would order at your local watering hole, but it's not. However, it is a Big East Tournament battle.

A freak turnover by Cincinnati's Dion Dixon with three ticks left made the Mountaineers' dream of a tournament title slide one step closer.

Da'Sean Butler's last second desperation 3-pointer to beat Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament made sure the Mountaineers would get that chance. WVU would break their coach's former team's collective heart with a 54-51 victory.

Morgantown, WV. is rocking tonight. You can bet on that.

Even with President Bill Clinton in attendance, the Bearcats couldn't pull off an upset for the former chief, who was crossing his fingers in anticipation of a Cincy win.

Butler's prayer of a shot is a prime example of what tournament time is all about; "those" moments.

The Mountaineers will now tangle with Luke Harangody and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who just came off a thrilling 50-45 downing of the No. 16 Pitt Panthers, in the tournament's semifinal on Friday.

Bob Huggins' team entered the Big East's playoff as a No. 3 seed, and have never taken home all the conference tourney's marbles. The Mountaineers lost 68-59 to the Syracuse Orange in 2005's title bout, and that's as close they have been since.

With what would seem as a superior season resume when compared to Notre Dame, West Virginia is a virtual lock to beat the Irish, right?

With two of the most athletic forwards in the college game today in Devin Ebanks and Butler, it would be easy to forecast a Mountaineer win—but hold on just one minute.

Notre Dame is no slouch, and neither is the 6'8", 246-pound Harangody, who was amongst the nation's leading scorers with just over 23 points per contest.

The Irish forward is without question the man that makes coach Mike Brey's offensive wheels turn.

So how does ND compete with a potent scoring attack like the one the Mountaineers possess?

It's simple: Do what it has done all year. Run a slower-paced scheme because it's worked all year, so why fix what isn't broken?

The Irish beat Georgetown, Marquette, West Virginia, and Louisville by controlling the tempo and using time wisely. It's not rocket science by any means. Brey knows what works—the fundamentals.

West Virginia is known for its high-flying, and at times, physical offense. Kevin Jones is effective on both ends of the floor, and sophomore guard Darryl Bryant can fill it up from three-point land or make defenders pay with his speedy cuts to the rack. Pick your poison, the Mountaineers have plenty.

When two different styles collide, it can produce ugly, less desirable results. Like a mash-up of a Nas verse over a Lady Gaga techno track—it just doesn't work.

Picture two units feeling each other out for the first 10 minutes, testing the waters before a strike-strategy is implemented. It's basic and most games are like that, but in March, college basketball turns into a chess-like duel. Schemes are carefully crafted, and commonly come down to players' use of their minds—not their physical assets.

Nothing really stands out and says, "I'm the clear advantage here." To identify one single strength that would give the Mountaineers a leg up over Notre Dame would be difficult, and the same goes the other way.

Neither West Virginia or Notre Dame tout size to get excited about. In fact, both squads occupy the middle of the road when it comes to height, but the Irish do have a slight benefit in this category.

Speed will play an important role in Friday's contest, and West Virginia has it. The Mountaineers are fast, maybe too fast. 

It's easy to forecast a Mountaineer triumph, but it's not iron-clad.

Ebanks, Butler, and Jones are more than capable of running the court faster than Harangody can say his "Hail Mary's." Bring your track shoes, 'Gody.

Expect a close first half, with the Morgantown speedsters running at a higher RPM than Brey's boys can handle in the second frame—West Virginia 74, Notre Dame 62. That's my prediction and I'm sticking to it.