The Shotgun/Throwdown: Thursday (11/3/11) Edition

by WVUIE97 on Nov 3, 2011 9:32 AM EDT in Shotgun/Throwdown

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 Cardinal Lager, in preparation of this week's opponent.

Today we have a recap of the Women's Basketball exhibition victory last night, along with post-game interviews. Huggs, KJ and Truck also gave interviews yesterday in advance of their upcoming exhibition against Northern Kentucky. Please pay attention to the parking info if you are attending any of the events at the Coliseum complex Friday (WVU is hosting the Big East Women's Soccer Tournament which has 2 semifinal games Friday).

Back on the football side of things, Louisville is coming into MPS on somewhat of a roll behind their freshman QB Teddy Bridgewater and a good defense. And of course, there's more Big 12 news and info to peruse as well.

What You May Have Missed:

Gold And Blue Now: Thursday - WVMETRONEWS.COM
we hear more about WVU's lawsuit against the Big East, Chip Fontanazza finds out how concerned the Mountaineers are about UL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Bob Huggins still has a lot of questions about this year's basketball team

Head Coach Bob Huggins - Mountaineer TV
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins talks about getting his team ready for Friday's exhibition game against Northern Kentucky.

Video: Basketball Interviews 11/2 - BGN
Huggs, KJ and Truck

Mountaineers Defeat Wheeling Jesuit - MSNsportsNET.Com
Junior center and co-captain Asya Bussie led the West Virginia women’s basketball team to a 100-23 win over Wheeling Jesuit in an exhibition game at the Coliseum on Wednesday night.

WVU Women's Basketball Interviews: Exhibition Postgame - WVillustrated
Dunning, Bussie, Coach Carey, and Caldwell

Big 12:

Big 12: WVU membership not tied to 2012 entry - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
A spokesman for the Big 12 says West Virginia's membership in the conference isn't conditional on the university getting an early release from the Big East after all.

Holgorsen, WVU prepare for big changes - Charleston Daily Mail
"It's a step up now," he said. "The Big East is the most competitive conference I've been in. Period. From top to bottom, it's the most competitive conference I've been in - within the conference. The Big 12, as far as setting the standard from a facilities standpoint, from a recruiting standpoint, from a TV exposure standpoint, to an academic standpoint, is something that they set the bar very, very high. "I know that West Virginia is capable of adding to that. From a fan-base perspective, from how many people go to the games, it's something we're going to have to evaluate and try to make it as good as we can to be able to compete."

What Excites Fans the Most About the Big 12 - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Here are some things that you should be looking forward to about the new conference home for the Mountaineers.

So much for the high road - Charleston Gazette
Granted, there are good reasons for acting quickly, not the least of which is to put it initially in a West Virginia court and not one in Providence, R.I., where the Big East is headquartered. And, too, if you are filing suit, you'd better make your case as strong as possible. So if that means painting John Marinatto as Bozo the Clown, well, I guess there's not much choice.

Musings Of A Mountain Man: November 3, 2011 - WVillustrated
John Woolard addresses everything surrounding the Mountaineers' entry into the Big 12 conference.

The #FreeWVU movement on twitter - On the Mountain/PPG
I give you a smattering of tweets that have made their way onto Twitter this week under the hashtag #FreeWVU.

News of Note:

Making a case: West Virginia - Big East Blog - ESPN
For the moment, there are three teams in the Big East that control their own destiny for a conference title and BCS berth.

Smith Still Improving - MSNsportsNET.Com
Geno Smith didn’t have his best passing performance last Saturday in icy, windy, snowy Rutgers, going 20 of 31 for a season-low 218 yards with two touchdowns, but he made some big football plays when his team needed it most in helping West Virginia to a critical 41-31 come-from-behind victory.

Holgorsen impressed with Louisville defense - Register-Herald
“It starts with coaching,” Holgorsen said. “They’re well-coached. Charlie Strong has been as well-respected of a defensive coordinator as there’s been in the profession for the last two decades."

Holgorsen: Mental lapses hard to predict - Charleston Gazette
"When things get bad, you have to have the ability to step up and do something about it.''

WVU running back Alston's contributions hold extra meaning - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Alston, a 5-foot-11, 221-pound running back from Hampton, Va., has overcome injury and his lack of speed to become a bigger contributor in West Virginia's offense.

For These Mountaineers, the Big 12 Can Wait - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
''It's an honor for us to be in the Big 12, but that's something in the future,'' quarterback Geno Smith said.

A Tough Bridge To Cross - WVMETRONEWS.COM
The Mountaineers will face a true freshman quarterback for the third time this season and it may be one of the toughest signal callers they will face all season.

Louisville QB not your average freshman - Charleston Daily Mail
"You'll see," WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel said. "He's a talented guy. You can tell he handles himself really well. He doesn't panic with people around him. He doesn't panic in the pocket. He has the ability to escape the rush. He looks downfield when he wants to run it. He can make plays when he runs it and he looks to throw the football when he's running."

Louisville hot after slow start to season - Daily Athenaeum
After a slow start to the season, Louisville and head coach Charlie Strong has responded soundly.

Around the League (and Beyond):

Connecticut Huskies' Ryan Boatright's eligibility in question - ESPN
Connecticut freshman guard Ryan Boatright is being held out of competition while the school and the NCAA investigate his eligibility.

Louisville football hopes to keep running game in gear - Courier-Journal

UC looks to go 2 – 0 vs. the ACC with Win Over the Pitt Panthers - Bearcats Nation

Two Things Pitt Must Do To Win Against The Bearcats - Cardiac Hill

Syracuse vs. UConn: The Coach P Bowl - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

UConn Football Needs To Turn Things Around At Home - Hartford Courant

USF To Start Andre Davis And Deonte Welch This Saturday - Voodoo Five

Rutgers vs. South Florida: Scarlet Knights may have a chance to get back to forcing turnovers - Star-Ledger

College Football Mailbag - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

What's On Tap:

Men's Basketball: Exhibition Game Friday - MSNsportsNET.Com
The West Virginia University men’s basketball team will play its only exhibition game of the 2011-12 season on Friday, Nov. 4 against Northern Kentucky at the WVU Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Reserved tickets are priced at $19, while WVU students will be admitted free with a valid ID.

Women's Soccer: WVU Nears Top 10 - MSNsportsNET.Com
WVU returns to action against Georgetown on Friday, Nov. 4, at 5:30 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship. The other side of the championship bracket features Louisville and Notre Dame, who play in the first semifinal game on Friday at 3 p.m.

Coliseum Parking for Friday, Nov. 4 - MSNsportsNET.Com
With three games taking place on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Coliseum sports complex, the following information will assist WVU students, staff, faculty and the general public with parking arrangements at the Coliseum that day.

Video of Interest:

WVU redshirt sophomore Stedman Bailey has come into his own this season and is on pace to break a few receiving records. MSN's Wearing the Jersey takes a deeper look at this Mountaineer receiver

Video of (Dis)Interest:

You're damn right!! It's Jack Burton!!

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a South African stunner named Candice. Why does that sound so familiar? Oh, wait... I digress, here's today's gallery of Candice Boucher (click on the picture).