In a time where the West Virginia Mountaineers need a crucial road win against Big East competition they will be without Joe Alexander as they play the South Florida Bulls this afternoon at 2pm.  Alexander apparently had played through groin discomfort for about a month.  Then he aggravated the injury Thursday night against St. John’s when he tried to throw down an empathic jam over a standing tall Larry Wright.  Alexander ended up cartwheeling hard into the ground.  He tried to play it off after the media timeout but the pain was too much too bare. 

This will mean more minutes for Jaime Smalligan whose play has not been rugged enough for Big East basketball. This will possibly   give sophomore Wellington Smith a chance to make his first career start as a Mountaineer.  You may also see extensive playing time for freshman John Flowers.  Finally, you may see double duty athlete Jarrett Brown get his first minutes as a Mountaineer near his hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Of course the South Florida Bulls will give the ‘Eers a hard-fought battle especially coming from Kentrell Gransberry.  A bull at 6-9 270 pounds he leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging a double-double at 16.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.  Without the services of Alexander expect at least a 20 point 15 rebound game from him.  WVU can’t afford to get foul trouble but keep in mind Gransberry shoots 55% from the foul line.  Others to keep an eye on are Dominique Jones who’s scoring 15.6 points per game and point guard Chris Howard who leads the team with 5.2 assists per game. 

The Bulls are 10-8 with a 1-4 conference record.  They are led by respected head coach Stan Heath. Heath was responsible for leading the Kent State Golden Eagles to the Elite Eight in 2002.  He also led the Arkansas Razorbacks to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the past two seasons.  The game will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum not at the friendly confides on the USF Dome.   

So can WVU rough it without Alexander? I don’t know but his potential 20 point performance will undoubtebly be lost for this game.  Smalligan, Smith, and Flowers must step it up another level for the Mountaineers.  Get it done and GOOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!