First one to reach 60 points wins. (Just kidding.)

The "Prince-town" offense of the Hoyas meets John Beilein's patient yet effective motion offense Saturday at MCI Center, and it's fair to say that good shooting is a prerequisite for both teams, because there won't be as many second chances.

West Virginia has quietly moved up the Big East ladder to 4-6, buoyed by thrilling home court wins over Pitt and Providence in the last week. With a remaining schedule that includes St. John's, two against Seton Hall, Rutgers, and Pitt, a winning record is not out of the question if WVU can make a move Saturday.

The Mountaineer team that narrowly got past Georgetown last season returns four starters from that team, plus the addition of guard Mike Gansey. The 6-4 guard leads his team in rebounding, steals, and assists, and is the best of what is a weak WVU three point shooting team at 35%. His backcourt partner, Jarmon Durisseau-Collins, has struggled in recent games, with junior Patrick Beilein (9.2) and freshman Darris Nichols (4.0) available in reserve.

Senior Tyrone Sally scored 10 points and 11 rebounds in last season's four point win over the Hoyas, and it is expected that the WVU front line must be at its best to put the Mountaineers in a chance to win. With Johannes Herber at the small forward and either D'Or Fischer or Kevin Pittsnogle at center, the Mountaineers have the muscle to bottle up the Hoyas inside.

Statistically, the Mountaineers suffer in rebounding and three point shooting. They tend to win games with a lot of free throws, as they did in last years's game with the Hoyas. In WVU's last three Big East wins, they averaged 17 of 21 from the line versus only 8 of 12 for their opponents. It will be interesting to see how the revamped Georgetown offense fares against a team with similar offensive sets and pass plays.

Three keys to the game:

1. Kevin Pittsnogle. Back in the starting lineup, the mobile Pittsnogle could give Roy Hibbert trouble down low. Georgetown needs to keep him off the ball.
2. Offensive rebounds. Both teams figure to hold the ball more than many offenses. The degree to which each team can get second chance points may be crucial.
3. Help For Ashanti. Georgetown must get additional point production from the point (Jonathan Wallace, Tyler Crawford) to keep defensive pressure off Ashanti Cook.

Three more wins gets Georgetown to an largely unforeseen 10 Big East wins in 2005. With three winnable home games, home is where GU absolutely has to pick up the wins while hoping to also pull an upset on the road. If the Hoyas can control the home court and get the second chance points, they expect to give the Mountaineers another tough afternoon at MCI Center.