Two Big East teams with different margins for error…

First, there’s West Virginia. WVU is a team that wins with quality three point shooting and great defense. The dependence on the jumper makes them a quality team prone to intermittent bouts of incompetence. That’s how they can validate a win over George Washington with a win at NC State, then follow that up with a 38 point loss to Villanova. Last night, the Mountaineers lost 59-55 to a 2-10 Marshall squad thanks to a 13 to 3 deficit in made three pointers. Marshall was the best two-loss team in America entering the game, and it is a rivalry game that means more to the Herd than the Mountaineers, but you have to find a way to win that game. When the committee is splitting hairs over the final at-large bids, this will be an easy to put WVU on the wrong side of the fence.

Then there’s Villanova, who rebounds and gets to the line very well. Thus they can shoot 39% to their opponents’ (Providence) 49% and still get a 83-78 OT win. Thirty turnovers by the home-standing Friars also helped. Playing without leading-scorer Curtis Sumpter (knee) until sometime in February will hurt the Wildcats over the coming weeks. But if he comes back healthy, this is a team that will make noise down the stretch in the conference race.