Mountaineer Morning Links: Texas Game Day (2/24/15) Edition

Texas previews, women take on TCU tonight, varsity & football notes, recruiting update, WVUPros, Big 12 roundup & more.

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Feb 24, 2015, 9:08am 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 Longhorn IPA, in preparation for tonight's opponent.

What You May Have Missed:

Mountaineers Sign a Secret Weapon - WVU Athletics
Catch the first glance of WVU’s newest, hot-shot from Middlebourne, West Virginia. Five-year-old Nicholas, diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, has wished to be a Mountaineer basketball player. On February 24, he will be joining this talented team to tear up the court against the Texas Longhorns at 7 p.m.

WVU’s Mountaineer Athletic Club fundraises at record pace - Charleston Daily Mail
After seven months of the fiscal year, West Virginia University’s athletic department fundraising is reaching numbers it has never reached before.

WVU Baseball Weekly Update (2/23) - WVU Athletics
The WVU baseball team went 1-2 last weekend.

Animals That Remind Us Of Big 12 Coaches - Wide Right & Natty Lite
Presented without comment.

Mountaineers Tangle with TCU on Tuesday - WVU Athletics
The West Virginia University women’s basketball team hits the road for a matchup at TCU on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at the University Recreation Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

WVU heads to TCU in need of win - Exponent Telegram
WVU carries a 16-11 regular season record and 6-9 Big 12 record into the game.

WVU wins first step in getting back in Carey’s good grace - Daily Athenaeum
Not a whole lot has gone right for the West Virginia University women’s basketball team this season.

VIDEO INTERVIEWS: WVU Women Prepare for Game at TCU - WVillustrated
Watch full video interviews with WVU Women's Coach Mike Carey and his players prior to their game, on the road, at TCU.

Smith Garners Big 12 Accolades - WVU Athletics
West Virginia University’s Jake A. Smith has been named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday.

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

FURFARI: Father of gymnastics, Special Olympics Bill Bonsall dies at age 91 - Times West Virginian
William “Bill” Bonsall of Morgantown, who died at age 91 last Saturday in his home, was the father of West Virginia University men’s gymnastics program and was its highly successful developer and head for 31 years.

Shady Spring's Ward was standout teammate of West, Thorn - Beckley Register-Herald
Kenneth Ward, who turned 74 the day after Christmas, was a fine 6-foot-4 forward on the West Virginia University men’s basketball team in the early 1960s.

News of Note:

WVU, Texas to Hook Up on Tuesday - WVU Athletics
Texas (17-10, 6-8) has won only four league games since blowing out the Mountaineers by 27 in Austin back on January 17.

Bob Huggins News Conference: Texas - WVU Athletics
Head men's basketball coach Bob Huggins addressed members of the media Monday.

Big 12’s biggest team awaits Mountaineers on Tuesday - Charleston Daily Mail
“This group, for whatever reason, hasn’t lacked in confidence,” WVU coach Bob Huggins said.

WVU is careful what it wishes for - WVU Sports with Mike Casazza
here comes Texas … right on time?

Another shot for WVU at Longhorns - Charleston Gazette
The rematch is tonight at the Coliseum and a great deal has changed.

Williams takes game vs. Texas personally - Charleston Gazette
The question had to do with Williams and Texas. Not the whole state, mind you, just the university and its basketball team. It’s one that Williams and West Virginia just can’t seem to handle.

Ready for a rematch - Exponent Telegram
“We are just ready for this game,” senior guard Juwan Staten

WVU hopes home court makes a difference - Exponent Telegram
There is this thing in basketball called the home court advantage and it is very real; real enough that WVU is counting on it to turn the tables on Texas when the Longhorns invade the Coliseum at 7 p.m. Saturday.

No. 20 West Virginia takes on Texas at home after big week - Daily Athenaeum
The Mountaineers will now look to carry their momentum into a tough matchup against Texas at home tonight.

WVU faces old demons this week - Daily Athenaeum
With a game today against Texas, and a game Saturday against Baylor, they’ll have to overcome some demons from previous matchups.

WVU Men's Basketball: West Virginia looks to split season series withTexas Tuesday night - WVUPros
The 20th-ranked West Virginia University Men’s basketball team return to action this evening, hoping to bolster their already-impressive NCAA Tournament resume even more.

WVU looking to get monkey off its back vs. UT - BGN
After coming away victorious in both of their meetings in West Virginia's first year in the Big 12, Texas has become a thorn in the Mountaineers' side ever since.

Preview: WVU vs Texas - BGN
West Virginia hosts Texas in what many see as a bad matchup for the Mountaineers. How can they overcome the Longhorns height and bulk advantage?

Mountaineers facing big obstacle - Beckley Register-Herald: College Sports
Texas. For West Virginia University basketball fans, that name conjures up the same feelings as Penn State used to bring in football. There just aren’t many good Mountaineer memories against the Longhorns.

Shooting better - WVSports.com
West Virginia will host a Texas team Tuesday night that has given the Mountaineers plenty of trouble in recent matchups and the key for Bob Huggins team is simple.

WVU Men to Take on Texas at Home - WVillustrated
No. 20 West Virginia (21-6, 9-5) will host the Texas Longhorns (17-10, 6-8) at the WVU Coliseum in hopes of winning its third straight game.

Confidence Back, But Fixes Still Needed Before Texas - EerSports
West Virginia bounced back with an impressive 2-0 week, beating a pair of top 25 teams in Kansas and Oklahoma State. Those two games also exhibited a rejuvenated defense for the Mountaineers.

Huggins: WVU Panicked Last Game Versus Texas - BGN
Much of West Virginia's challenge against Texas will be of the mental variety, which typically becomes a battle of the self.

Staten, Martin Talk Texas, Interior Game - BGN
Here, West Virginia's Juwan Staten and Erik Martin dissect why that might be different this time from their perspective focus on the back and front courts, respectively.

Gold & Blue Now: Tuesday, Feb. 24 - WV MetroNews
Juwan Staten takes a look back at the first matchup between the Longhorns in Austin, a 77-50 defeat for the Mountaineers.

WVSports.com TV: Basketball Interviews - WVSports.com
Huggs, Staten & D. Williams

WATCH: WVU Men Talk Preparation for Texas Longhorns - WVillustrated
Huggs, D. Williams & Staten

Bracketology - ESPN
6 South

Football

Kevin White Steals Show at NFL Scouting Combine - 49ers.com
after a headline-grabbing week in Indianapolis, it appears likely that the 49ers will have to move up from 15th overall if they wish to draft the 6-foot-3, 215-pound pass-catcher.

Garrison Learned from Time at WVU - WVSports.com
After four seasons at West Virginia, running back Dustin Garrison will transfer from the Mountaineer football program and play his out his final season of eligibility elsewhere in the fall.

Biggest Big 12 spring questions - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
Who will catch passes at Kansas State and West Virginia?
Can Skyler Howard hold off William Crest?

The WVU Name Game - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, Juliet told Romeo, but the late football pro Alex Karras may have disagreed.

Recruiting:

WVU Offers Virginia Safety - EerSports
West Virginia has offered Atlee (VA) safety JJ Givens, the 2016 prospect announced on Twitter this evening.

Big 12 college football recruiting scorecard - ESPN
Here's the latest on the 2016 recruiting trail in the Big 12

Pro News:

Chris Neild attends NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy - WVUPros
Chris Neild might have a crystal ball in his pocket when thinking about his future.

Jets' Todd Bowles likes Geno Smith's film, but is unsure about quarterback's mentality - NJ.com
"Without seeing the intangibles and not being able to talk to him personally, you're not allowed to see what he knows, where his strengths are. So as we go forward and we get him in there, we've got to sit him down and get to see what he can and can't do, what he's good at, what he's not good at, what kind of intangibles he has going forward."