Mountaineer Morning Links: Monday (2/2/15) Edition

Hoops notes, power rankings, football & recruiting notes, Big 12 roundup & more.

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Feb 2, 2015, 8:45am EST

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Elysian Bifrost Winter Ale.

What You May Have Missed:

West Virginia Zooms Past No. 24 Oklahoma - WVU Athletics
WVU women's basketball clicked on all cylinders in an upset win over OU.

WVU women upset No. 24 Sooners - WV MetroNews
Recap & photos

WATCH: WVU Women's Hoops Talks 78-69 Win Over No. 24 Oklahoma - WVillustrated
WVU women's basketball coaches and players met with the media on Sunday afternoon, discussing their 78-69 home win over No. 24 Oklahoma at the Coliseum.

Rifle Splits Weekend at Alaska - WVU Athletics
The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team split two close matches with No. 2 Alaska-Fairbanks this weekend, January 31 and February 1, at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Gymnastics Sweeps at NC State - WVU Athletics
The WVU gymnastics team earned three road wins with a season-high score.

WVU Baseball Preview: Randy Mazey - BGN
West Virginia is less than two weeks from its season opening series, a three-game set at ACC power Clemson.

News of Note:

WVU defense keeps opponents uncomfortable - Charleston Daily Mail
"We don’t want to ever let them get too comfortable. We’re not necessarily trying to get in anybody’s head. We want to make the game a fast game and take them out of what they do. If they get frustrated by us doing that, that’s something they have to deal with."

Don’t underestimate leadership as a part of WVU’s success - Charleston Gazette
"That’s the culture that we had here. That’s the culture that we had at Cincinnati. And then we lost it."

WVU's sharks know when it is time to go for the kill - Exponent Telegram
There was a moment in West Virginia’s 77-58 victory against Texas Tech Saturday when the Mountaineers could tell they had gotten to the Red Raiders.

Mountaineers' toughest challenges still ahead - Exponent Telegram
Anyone who believes otherwise hasn’t taken a hard look at the West Virginia schedule, which was overloaded on the backend so that the Mountaineers play all the best teams in the Big 12 Conference from here on out.

FURFARI: Rare spectacular shooting highlights WVU win over Texas Tech - Times West Virginian
No one should have been surprised that the West Virginia University men’s basketball team had little difficulty disposing of Texas Tech 77-58 on Saturday afternoon.

Big 12 Power Rankings: Feb. 3-8 - FOX Sports
2. West Virginia 18-3, 6-2. Last week: 4.

Kansas, WVU and Iowa State lead Big 12 Conference - Daily Athenaeum
2. West Virginia Mountaineers (18-3, 6-2 Big 12)

Football

Trickett’s take on 2015 WVU QB race - Dominion Post
This spring will mark the second time in three seasons that the WVU Mountaineers will open the year with a true question mark at quarterback.

Position that needs improvement: West Virginia Mountaineers - ESPN
This week, we're taking a closer look at one specific area each Big 12 team needs to improve before 2015.

Recruiting:

UPDATE: In-State DE Commits to WVU - EerSports
Cabell-Midland (WV) defensive end Reese Donahue headed to Morgantown this weekend with high hopes for a West Virginia offer.

In-state DE picks WVU - WVSports.com
Playing football at West Virginia was something that Ona (W.Va.) Cabell Midland defensive end Reese Donahue had dreamt about for most of his life.

Cabell Midland’s Donahue gets offer and commits to WVU - WV MetroNews
Cabell Midland defensive end Reese Donahue becomes the second in-state commitment for WVU in its 2016 football recruiting class.

Vaughn Enjoys Time At West Virginia - BGN
Nashville (Tenn.) running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn discusses his West Virginia visit and outlines where the Mountaineers stand in his recruitment with football signing day fast approaching.

WVU 2015: Three Freshmen To Play in '15 - Scout
The class of 2015 will sign next week, but who will contribute immediately? Scout takes a look at three freshmen who can get on the field in the fall.