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 Rheingold Beer in honor of the best basketball tournament in the country.
Well, the women have played their final Big East game, as they were ousted of their BET in the semis by Notre Dame last night. Up next for them...NCAA's. Of course the big news is the start of the Men's BET today and WVU is hoping to make some noise on the way out the door. There are 4 games on tap today, if you can get away from work to watch.
Back on the football side of things, the coaching staff has finally been settled and everyone is set in their new roles, including a once nervous for his job Steve Dunlap. We have a couple of features on the staff and a good selection of interviews for you. All of this and more...
Did you Vote for Huggs today? He's in the Final Four. Make sure you vote once a day, every day through March 8 and help Huggs win $100,000 for the Norma Mae Huggins Fund for cancer research in WV.
Irish Hangover (Women):
Mountaineers Fall in Semifinals - MSNsportsNET.Com
The No. 25 West Virginia University women’s basketball team fell to No. 3 Notre Dame, 73-45, on Monday night in the semifinal round of the BIG EAST tournament at the XL Center.
Notre Dame defeats West Virginia women in Big East semifinal - PPG
West Virginia was the last team to beat third-ranked Notre Dame but the Irish made sure there would be no repeat tonight as they made quick work of the Mountaineers in an Big East Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinal at the XL Center.
No. 25 West Virginia knocked out of Big East tournament with loss to No. 3 Notre Dame - Daily Athenaeum
Revenge was on the mind of the Notre Dame women's basketball team Monday night in Hartford, Conn. After being upset by West Virginia earlier in the season, the Irish clearly looked like a team on a mission.
Women’s Basketball: WVU vs. Notre Dame Recap - WVillustrated
West Virginia sees its Big East Tournament run end, now awaits its NCAA Tournament fate.
What You May Have Missed:
Gold And Blue Now: Tuesday - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Dana Holgorsen assigns his coaching staff their positions, the Mountaineers leave for the Big East Tournament and will Kevin Jones get the Big East Player of the Year?
VSR: Ryan Named Athlete of the Week - MSNsportsNET.Com
This week's Varsity Sports Report
WVU Women's Basketball Cracks the Top 25 - WVillustrated
It took until the postseason, but the Mountaineers are finally in the rankings at No. 25.
Bracketology - ESPN
10 seed and rising
Bracket Watch - Andy Glockner - SI.com
10 seed here
Bracketology 2012: VCU Locked In; Drexel, Oral Roberts Among Hopeful Bubble Teams - SBNation.com
10 seed here too
News of Note:
Hoops
KJ deserves to be Big East POY - Daily Athenaeum
Jones is the only player in the country to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.
WVU could make some noise in New York - Charleston Daily Mail
That's what made Huggins' dour dismissals after losses so alarming. He wasn't pouting. He was prophesizing. The words and the emotions are different now.
Last Garden party for WVU - Charleston Gazette
"It's not the last time we're going to play in New York obviously. I mean, we're going to try to play [non-conference] games in the Garden. But the Big East tournament, there's not anything like it.''
WVU set for last trip to Garden -Times West Virginian
“They tell me that the Friday night ticket is the hardest ticket in New York all year,” Huggins said.
WVU Men's Basketball Interviews Prior to Big East Tournament - WVillustrated
Truck, Huggs and KJ
Football
Football: Coach Holgorsen News Conference - MSNsportsNET.Com
Transcript of the video embedded below
WVU football: Dunlap takes on new role with Mountaineers - Charleston Daily Mail
What happened to Dunlap is he was maybe never in danger of losing his job. He worked with Holgorsen more last year than did the three coaches who left and Dunlap figures that helped him and Holgorsen get to know one another quicker and better.
WVU football staff finally in place with assignments - Charleston Gazette
"It means,'' Dunlap said with his usual modicum of happy sarcasm, "that now there's somebody to blame.''
Mountaineers set ’12 football staff - Times West Virginian
“Defensively,” he continued, “it is going to be more like we were offensively last year. It is new coaches, a new scheme and it is kind of a fresh start for a whole bunch of defensive players. Last year, we didn’t have any starters offensively. We took everybody, we re-evaluated them and we ended up getting some guys that hadn’t played in the past like Ryan Nehlen, Willie Milhouse and Tyler Rader and some guys like that and gave them a fresh start.
New football coaches to give WVU defense a fresh start - PPG
"We kind of want that same thing to happen to us defensively. Everybody's slate has been wiped clean, and they can get out there and they can show these new guys what they got."
No Identity Crisis On D - BGN
Under former West Virginia head football coach Bill Stewart, it was hard to characterize what exactly was going on sometimes. The offense … well, it was a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.
VIDEO: Football Coaches Interviews - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Patterson, Slaughter, DeForest, Roberts, Dawson and Spavital
Around the League (and Beyond):
Big East Conference Power Rankings 3/4: And so it's come to this - The UConn Blog
Final ranking of 8
Big East Tournament 2012 Primer: Five Days And Streaky Guards - SBNation.com
The Big East Tournament gets under way at The Garden on Tuesday. Time to see who might be able to challenge Syracuse for the automatic bid.
Big East Tournament | Syracuse is favorite, but UConn’s 2011 run gives all hope - Courier-Journal
UConn ready for DePaul in Big East tournament - New Haven Register
Rutgers vs. Villanova: Preview and Big East Tournament Predictions - On the Banks
Seton Hall Basketball: Pirates Ailing on Eve of Big East Tournament Opener - South Orange Juice
St. John's to face Pittsburgh in Big East Tournament first round - Rumble In The Garden
Pitt-St. John's: Big East Tournament First Round - Cardiac Hill
Big East Tournament: Tuesday Preview - VUhoops.com
Big East Pays the Price for Not Embracing Football - NY Times
The Big East Conference remains strong in basketball, but the conference is paying the price for ignoring the implications of not having big-time football in its portfolio.
Change is in the air at Big East men's basketball tournament - ESPN
The Big East tournament, which begins Tuesday, will be one to savor - ESPN New York
Team by team capsules
Big East tournament primer -- what to watch at MSG - ESPN
How will this edition of the Big East tournament shake out? Here are some things to look for at MSG.
Breaking down spring camp: Oklahoma - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
Oklahoma will be the fourth Big 12 team (TCU, Texas, Texas Tech) to open spring camp when practice begins later Monday.
Breaking down spring camp: Baylor - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
Baylor's next in line to kick off spring practice, and the party gets started in Waco this afternoon. Here's a closer look on what to watch for.
What's On Tap:
2012 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament from Madison Square Garden
(16) DePaul Blue Demons vs. (9) Connecticut Huskies - ESPN
Noon today on ESPN2/3
(13) Pittsburgh Panthers vs. (12) St. John's Red Storm - ESPN
Approximately 2 pm today on ESPN2/3
(15) Providence Friars vs. (10) Seton Hall Pirates - ESPN
7 pm tonight on ESPNU/3
(14) Villanova Wildcats vs. (11) Rutgers Scarlet Knights - ESPN
Approximately 9 pm tonight on ESPNU/3
Video of Interest:
Coach Holgorsen, video courtesy of BGN:
MSN's Tony Caridi and Jay Jacobs file their first report from New York City on Monday afternoon as the team arrives for the Big East Tournament. The Mountaineers will play the winner of Connecticut-DePaul on Wednesday at noon, presented by Northeast Natural Energy. March 5, 2012.
Video of (Dis)Interest:
Miss Throwdown:
Today's Miss Throwdown is Colombian bombshell Catalina Otalvaro. Click on her picture for today's gallery.
via guyism.com
Rheingold Beer image via www.nightclub.com
