Wednesday, March 12th, 2:20 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Madison Square Garden (19,763) -- New York, New York. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Providence 10-5, WVU 13-2. Away Record: Providence 2-8, WVU 6-5. Neutral Record: Providence 3-2, WVU 3-2. Conference Record: Providence 6-12, WVU 11-7. Series Record: West Virginia leads, 12-11.

GAME NOTES: The West Virginia Mountaineers go for a three-game season sweep of the Providence Friars today, as the programs meet in the opening round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The victor of this contest will take on fourth-seeded Connecticut in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Friars enter the 12-team tournament as the last seed by virtue of their 6-12 finish in Big East play. Providence has gone 15-26 all-time in this event, capturing its lone title in 1994. As for WVU, it won four of its final five games of the regular season to land the fifth seed with an 11-7 ledger within the conference. The Mountaineers own a 5-11 record in this tourney, making their only appearance in the finals in 2005. WVU swept a pair of meetings from Providence during the regular season, giving it a 12-11 edge in the all-time series. This is the third time in the last four years these two teams have hooked up in the opening round of the Big East Tournament, with the Mountaineers winning the last two of those encounters.

The Friars have done a respectable job on offense this season and they are averaging 73.3 ppg behind 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from long range. Jeff Xavier tops the roster in scoring at 12.5 ppg and he is also a tenacious defender, recording a team-leading 67 steals. Weyinmi Efejuku checks in with 11.6 ppg and 2.3 apg for the Friars and he is shooting 38.6 percent from long distance. Brian McKenzie knocks down 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts for an average of 11.0 ppg, while Geoff McDermott chips in with 10.4 ppg. McDermott can do more than just score, though, as he leads the Friars in both assists (4.8 apg) and rebounds (8.2 rpg).

The Mountaineers lead the Big East in turnover margin (+5.4) and that is a big reason why they outscore their opponents by 13.3 rpg for the season. WVU, which is netting a solid 76.0 ppg, has four players currently scoring in double figures. Joe Alexander leads the way with 16.2 ppg and he is also pulling down 6.1 rpg. Alex Ruoff is next in line with 14.1 ppg and he is a three-point specialist, hitting at a 41.1 percent rate. Da'Sean Butler adds 12.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg, while Darris Nichols contributes 11.2 ppg. Nichols and Ruoff has been in charge of setting up their teammates, as they are dishing out 3.4 and 2.9 apg, respectively.

WVU is the more disciplined and sound team here and it should be able to exploit an inconsistent Providence club for the win today.

Predicted Outcome

West Virginia 78, Providence 68