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GAME NOTES: The eighth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers return home this afternoon for a Big East clash with the Seton Hall Pirates.

The Mountaineers ended a two-game slide with Wednesday's 88-74 win at Providence. The victory pushed West Virginia to 9-4 in league play, good for third place in the conference behind Syracuse (12-2) and Villanova (11-2).

The Pirates have started to heat up of late, with three straight victories heading into the weekend. The team captured its first Big East road win of the year with a 59-50 decision at St. John's on Wednesday. The current run and put Seton Hall within one game of .500 in Big East play at 6-7.

WVU holds a 14-11 series advantage against Seton Hall and is seeking a regular-season sweep after posting a 90-84 overtime win on the road back on December 26th.

It is no surprise that Seton Hall has elevated its game of late. One of the conference's most explosive teams, the Pirates are netting 80.4 ppg on a steady .448 shooting. Of course, it all starts with standout Jeremy Hazell. The veteran guard ranks second in the conference in scoring at 21.9 ppg and also tops the team in steals with 45. Scoring help comes in the form of Herb Pope, Jeff Robinson (10.5 ppg) and Robert Mitchell (9.1 ppg). It was Robinson and Mitchell who stood up and delivered against the Red Storm this week. Already without starting point guard Eugene Harvey (wrist), SHU lost Hazell in the first half due to a gash suffered on his shooting hand. Robinson finished with a team-high 16 points, while Mitchell chimed in with 15. The team did the rest defensively, limiting St. John's to a meager 50 points, on 32.8 percent shooting, including just 20 percent from behind the arc (3-of-15).

West Virginia has had a great deal of success at both ends of the court, averaging 75.2 ppg, while allowing just 64.3. In addition, WVU is outrebounding foes by 7.5 caroms per game, while forcing just over 14 turnovers. Scoring depth is obvious with four of the five starters averaging double figures. Da'Sean Butler is the straw that stirs the drink though, showing the ability to make an impact in just about every area of the game. He is averaging 17.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per outing. Kevin Jones (13.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Devin Ebanks (12.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg) give the team a pair of frontcourt options, while Darryl Bryant (11.0 ppg) provides backcourt depth. Ebanks led the way in the win over Providence with 21 points, Butler poured in 16 points and Wellington Smith recorded his first career double- double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as West Virginia earned the road win. Thanks to a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, Bryant also finished in double figures, tacking on 14 points in the win.

Seton Hall has played well of late, but winning on the road has not been commonplace for the Pirates. Expect Butler and company to feed off the hometown fans and earn the victory here.