Mountaineer Morning Links: Tuesday (1/21/14) Edition

Women finally ranked, hoops notes, NCAA split, West on today's game, Big 12 roundup & more

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Jan 21, 2014, 9:16am EST

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What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Now: Tuesday, Jan. 21 - WV MetroNews
Berry Tramel from The Oklahoman gives his take on Big 12 hoops so far and looks ahead to the fall by predicting a Big 12 football champion. Additionally, junior point guard Juwan Staten tells us why the team played so poorly against Kansas State on Saturday.

Johnston Named Athlete of the Week - WVU Athletics
Varsity Sports Report

Women’s Basketball Cracks Top 25 - WVU Athletics
WVU is currently 16-2 overall, undefeated on the road, and 5-1 in Big 12 play.

WVU women enter AP poll at No. 18 - WV MetroNews
West Virginia, on the strength of winning 16 of its last 17 games, entered the AP women's poll for the first time this season.

Finally, women crack Top 25 - Charleston Gazette
"It's all about seeding in the NCAA [tournament],'' Carey said last week. "It's really not about Top 25. We have to continue to win and do what we need to do to get a good seed.''

Furfari: WVU legend West shares thoughts on college hoops - Register-Herald
“Coaches really emphasize defense today. They also put more emphasis on athleticism. It’s not only different but a more difficult game.”

Good ol' days dead, buried - Charleston Gazette
Fans must move past days of Big East

The NCAA is falling apart: Athletic directors growing frustrated - SBNation.com
At the 2014 NCAA Division I Governance Dialogue, university athletic directors repeatedly expressed disapproval with the NCAA's idea of change.

News of Note:

Huggs On Shooting, TT and Flopping - EerSports
For the second teleconference in a row, the Bob Huggins’ portion of the day was short and sweet. The West Virginia head coach only had a couple questions to answer, but spent most of his time reflecting back on the last three losses.

Mike Casazza: Tubby and Texas Tech good fit for each other - Charleston Daily Mail
The Red Raiders coach will be just the eighth coach to stalk the visitor's sideline after winning a national championship. Rupp won four at Kentucky before winning the third game in Coliseum history in 1970.

Staten’s play deserving of spotlight - Daily Athenaeum
Despite the inconsistency the team as a whole has shown this year, one player has been playing at a high level on a nightly basis.

Conference Play Proving to be Tough on West Virginia - WVillustrated
West Virginia (10-8, 2-3 in Big 12 play) suffered their third straight loss since entering Big 12 conference play. The Mountaineers were stomped by Kansas State, losing 78-56.

Video of Interest:

Behind the strength of her teammates and family, senior guard Brooke Hampton is enjoying her finest college basketball season in 4 years at West Virginia.