Coming off a disappointing road loss at St. John's, the WVU mens' basketball team has a great opportunity to get back on track against...one of the best teams in the country who just happens to present all kinds of potential matchup problems in a venue where the Mountaineers have historically struggled in Big East games. Great, just what the doctor ordered, especially with a quick turnaround to host a still-dangerous (even if underachieving) Pitt team on Big Monday. WVU cannot afford to drop three in a row, and it would be a boon to pick up a road win against a top-5 opponent. At least the folks at ESPN's Weekend Watch think we have a chance to pull this off. I hope they're right, because we owe these guys one from football season.

I fired some questions to one of the best bloggers on SBNation, Sean Keeley of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician, to get his take on the matchup. Here's what he had to say:

Country Roads: I really wondered how Syracuse's first loss of the season would affect them. I watched bits and pieces of the Notre Dame game and was shocked at how the Irish were in control basically from wire to wire, and I debated whether another loss to Cincinnati would shake their confidence or make them hungrier to beat WVU. Then after the Orange took control of the Cincinnati game even after the Bearcats' hot start, I realized that the loss didn't phase them much at all. How excited will the team be to take on a surging WVU team at home? Or will it not even matter because Syracuse is so much more talented that they can win even without being on top of their game?

Sean Keeley: The Notre Dame game was just like you said...the Irish controlled it from start to finish. I suppose we were due for one of those games when you play terrible and your opponent shoots the lights out. Given that we also had to play with[out] Fab Melo, it's no wonder that Notre Dame's requisite large ugly white guy ran wild.

I really liked what I saw out of the end of the Cincinnati game. It started out like ND, hostile crowd, opponent shooting lights out. And then, a bunch of our guys woke up, remembered who they were and made critical plays. Say what you will about our depth but it was our veterans (Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche) that won that game.

I think the Orange still have a chip on their shoulder, if you can believe it. Even at 21-1, they are aware that a lot of people doubt them and they seem driven by that. They don't want to lose at home for the first time all year and they want to reinforce that they are one of the best teams in the nation. Don't expect them to sleepwalk through this one.

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My balloon has popped. Last weekend I was all geeked-up about how great our basketball team was looking. I foolishly started dreaming that maybe…just maybe…we miraculously could pull off the double conference champs (football/basketball) before we blew this Big East doughnut shop.

Now I’m back to hoping that we win 20 games and get a top 8 seed in the Big East tournament. That way Truck Bryant can get more rest for his weary legs and weary confidence before we go back to Madison Square Garden. And as for the Top 25? Probably not this regular season.

I love Truck Bryant. As George W. Bush used to say, "Ah preesheate him." I’ll hang in there with him til’ the end because he’s been an incredible Mountaineer during his time at WVU. But no kidding, this is one painful cold streak he’s on. Darryl is 13 for 49 (27%) over the past three games. And it’s not just his poor shooting; Truck looks disheveled. At times it seems as if he’s dribbling the ball like they used to back in the 60’s and 70’s – hand way on top where it looks like he could lose control any time.

Kevin Jones couldn’t carry the load alone against St. John’s. No one else came to play and Huggs dropped another "we sucked" on the team. KJ had help from the freshman guards against Cinci last Saturday and we squeaked out a win. But, If Truck, Deniz, and the freshman all don’t show up and play well on Saturday in Syracuse, this is going to be downright embarrassing. I mean, "we’re Clemson" embarrassing.

Now here’s some good news: it appears that 7-foot Orange sophomore Fab Melo won’t be playing. Jim Boeheim announced Thursday that Melo’s academic situation is preventing his speedy return. The center has missed the past two games, one of which was their only loss to Notre Dame. The Cuse is 21-1.

Here’s some bad news: The Carrier Dome will be packed and loud. There is nothing going on in Syracuse this weekend, it is cold and snowing. The school announced that as of Thursday it had sold 27,500 tickets, which would be the highest attended NCAA Division 1 basketball game this year. It is conceivable that by game time they will exceed the attendance that they had for three of their football games this year.

How will our guys respond to the environment? Can Truck snap out of his funk? Will KJ silence the crowd and show the nation that he’s the leading contender for Player of the Year honors? Let's hope for some good news.

Tip time is Saturday 1:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

I know this is a stretch. But isn't it always? I figure, if I'm going to dream big I might as well dream HUGE.

Here's how we fix the next two years of scheduling mess and at the same time enable both the BIG 12 and the BIG East to run at warp speed towards a bright future:

• In addition to WVU, Louisville and Cincinnati will also move to the Big 12.
• All three will play in the Big 12 and Big East for two seasons. 13 Games total each year.
• The Big 12 immediately adds Cincinnati & Louisville, splitting the Big 12 into two divisions of six. Each year the teams play five Big 12 division games and 3 rotating non-divisional Big 12 opponents (like the SEC).
• Because the Big 12 will assure that WVU, Cincinnati and Louisville will all be in the Big 12 East Division, they are guaranteed to play each other for the next two years. These games will count for both B12 & BE league championships, although neither conference will start a "Championship Game" until 2014.
• For 2012-13 & 2013-14, WVU, Cinci & Louisville must fill their non-conference schedule with the five remaining teams from 2010’s Big East football conference (UConn, South Florida, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pitt) for two seasons. All three teams will play each other for two years in joint Big 12/Big East games – with revenue split evenly between the conferences.

By 2014-2015, the Big East will have a bunch of new members, the BCS as it is now may just be history (there is talk of eliminating the AQ status that was partially responsible for the predicament we’re all in now), and we will be firmly ensconced in a power conference that can and will rival any in the country.

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's nationally recognized best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Hangar 24 Brewery's Orange Wheat beer.

Today we have a couple more looks back at the Garden debacle. Cuse previews haven't been as forthcoming as I had hoped (I guess they'll be posted throughout the day...along with ours). We have some more on the hoops recruiting front to go along with some power rankings and your Big East weekend hoops viewing guide. We will have plenty more football recruiting news next week as signing day comes and goes next Wednesday. All of this and more...

Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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(picture via thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com)

I find it difficult for to imagine that any of the WVU Board of Governors could themselves have attended the school. If they did, it must have been so long ago that they’ve forgotten the mentality of the average student at our infamous party school.

In an effort to protect their trademarked brand, the WVUBoG has filed a lawsuit against the Morgantown t-shirt maker who’s producing the "West F***in’ Virginia" t-shirts (among other racy titles). Read here for the details. In the suit, the BoG contends that this t-shirt maker’s actions could inflict "irreparable harm" to WVU’s goodwill and reputation.

The t-shirt maker isn’t using officially licensed logos or phrases. He’s parodying many common student culture and WVU themes, he’s selling shirts that are colored Old Gold and Blue, and he’s using a font that is common to university apparel-wear across the country. But because seeing one of these t-shirts on national television embarrassed the WVUBoG, they’ve decided to put a stop to this "criminal" mischief!

Let me be clear. I won’t let my three high school students walk out my front door with profanity on their t-shirts. And I never had to explain to my sons when they were little boys at Mountaineer Field what "West F***in’ Virginia" meant. Although, I’m pretty certain the "PUCK FITT" t-shirt is the reason for my daughter’s dyslexia. I should sue.

Anyway.

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Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's nationally recognized best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot Ale (WTF, see?) in response to last night's game.

Well that certainly sucked. WVU's winning streak is at an end. Major regrouping is a must if they are to even be competitive in the Dome this weekend. Full post game fallout is inside. We also have a bit of recruiting news and some big (12) scheduling news. Well, assurances at least. Sorry for the delay...let's get started.

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WVU is trying to get back into a New York/Empire State of Mind (depending on your age bracket) for the next two road games that begin tonight at the Madison Square Garden when the Mountaineers face the St. John's Red Storm. Both teams are decidedly young, but are having quite the opposite results on the floor. Coaching is the easiest thing to point to as, obviously, WVU has Coach Huggings, but the Johnnies have been doing without their head coach Steve Lavin for the better part of the season while he undergoes cancer treatments. We all wish him well in his battle and hope to see him back on the court soon.

Televised coverage is being provided by ESPNU tonight at 7 pm EST. So...find yourself a good comfortable spot, sit back, relax with your favorite beverage or 11 and join in the running commentary, random observations, snark, wit, dumb comments, hopes, fears, cheers and jeers in our comments section.

And, as always...

Maybe it’s the homer in me that has me punchy today. Perhaps it has something to do with my perception of a backlash against the Big East’s dominance in basketball (akin to why polls show that SEC football is now a hater favorite). Maybe I’m just disappointed and feeling that Coach Huggins and Kevin Jones aren’t getting their due.

How are we not in the Top 25? We just beat last week’s media darling (Cinci), Kevin Jones is the front-runner for Big East Player of the Year, we have the 9^th most difficult schedule (SOS) in the country, the 14^th highest RPI, and we’re tied for 3^rd place in the nation's toughest conference.

Yet, in spite of this, WVU is still "others receiving votes" behind a Louisville team with four conference losses, a Kansas State team we beat on the road, and Harvard (#121 SOS & #48 RPI). We're not as good or experienced as Syracuse, but not in the Top 25? Then Monday Penn State grad Dana O’Neil at ESPN feels compelled to take a shot at us. I know that Truck played his worst game this past weekend, but is that all this Pissy Lioness took from the game? Did she not see KJ’s dominance? What about the freshman output and Huggs’ coaching?

Coach Huggins has commented a different times this year that NBA scouts come to our games to look at supposed first-round picks from other teams and not his guy. Inevitably, they and media members who get to see KJ play come to the conclusion that this guy is a flat-out stud. However, a very few national media outlets are singing his praises, even though he stands a good chance of being only the third player in Big East history to finish the season leading the league in scoring and rebounding. Props to ESPN's Jason King - he knows what we're talking about.

I hope our players are feeling what I’m feeling today. I hope they feel disrespected and that they believe their accomplishments are being minimized by people with little regard for WVU. I hope they go into Madison Square Garden tonight with an Orange-Bowl-sized chip on their shoulders.

If that’s the case, St. John’s basketball is going to be the latest piece of collateral damage for a chippy WVU team and fan base that simultaneously hates being treated like a mangy dog but loves playing as the underdog.

WVU plays St. John's tonight at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU.