The Smoking Musket, a West Virginia Mountaineers community

They come to us bright eyed and full of potential, and they leave us while we wish they could stick around just one more year. It's the beauty and inevitability of a program.

Basketball, like every other sport, at it's base is supposed to be fun. But I rarely see any of the Mountaineers having fun on this team. Yes, everyone has fun when they win. I'm talking about in the heat of the moment. When nothing is decided and your next shot could be the difference in the game.

On the road against our biggest rival with the game still undecided at 44-36. Of course, the game was never this close the rest of the way. And just so history never forgets, we offer this.

The Irish were encouraging if not daring West Virginia to take low percentage shots in the first half. And we took the bait hook, line, and sinker.