Tough Road Ahead For Teams That Have To Face West Virginia

While President Barack Obama was making his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, Bob Huggins' 11th-ranked Mountaineer basketball team was also making their statement to the nation … hey, America, we play some pretty good hoops here in Morgantown, West Virginia.

By Michael Miller@michaelmillerWV Jan 13, 2016, 8:52am EST

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football:

Dana Holgorsen, Joe Wickline could be reuniting at West Virginia | ESPN
Dana Holgorsen and Joe Wickline did some impressive things together in 2010 at Oklahoma State. If the reports are true that Holgorsen intends to bring Wickline to Morgantown as his new offensive coordinator, that's going to be one interesting reunion.

Caponi added to WVU football staff | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Matt Caponi, a former team captain and three-time Division III national champion at Mount Union College and most recently an assistant coach at Arizona, is joining the West Virginia football staff.

Arizona’s Caponi reportedly joining West Virginia as safeties coach | WV MetroNews
Arizona assistant Matt Caponi has agreed to become West Virginia’s new safeties coach, sources confirmed Tuesday.

Basketball:

Tough road ahead, especially for teams that have to face West Virginia | WV MetroNews
Bill Self admitted afterward, to ridicule the Jayhawks’ many failings is to undersell No. 11 West Virginia’s role in creating the mess.

Rock, Chalk, Jaysean | Beckley Register-Herald
Kansas will remain No. 1 in the country, at least for a few days, but it’s West Virginia that’s alone in the top spot in the Big 12 Conference.

Paige helps WVU top No. 1 Kansas | The Exponent Telegram
It was cold outside, but West Virginia’s defense turned up the heat as the No. 11 Mountaineers stunned No. 1 Kansas, 74-63, before an announced late arriving crowd of 12,097 fans who were glad they braved the snow.

West Virginia knocks off No. 1 Kansas at home for the third straight year | SBNation
Cue up John Denver, because West Virginia defeated the No. 1 team in the country.

Bob Huggins, West Virginia Mountaineers knock off Kansas Jayhawks | ESPN
Bob Huggins continues to do more with less, as West Virginia assumed first place in the Big 12 after beating No. 1 Kansas at home, 74-63.

West Virginia tops No.1 Kansas for third straight year in Morgantown | The Daily Athenaeum
On Tuesday night, the No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers soundly defeated the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks, keeping them at arms-length throughout the game and validating their status as one of the nation’s top contenders.

Mountaineers Rock the Jayhawks | WVU Athletics
While President Barack Obama was making his final State of the Union address Tuesday night, Bob Huggins' 11th-ranked Mountaineer basketball team was also making their statement to the nation … hey, America, we play some pretty good hoops here in Morgantown, West Virginia.

West Virginia takes out No. 1 Kansas | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
West Virginia’s formula for winning — going hard to the rim to score, chasing after bad shots and constantly pressuring opponents — has the Mountaineers off to their best start in 34 years.

WVU knocks off No. 1 Kansas, 74-63 | The Exponent Telegram
Baby, it was cold outside but West Virginia’s defense turned up the heat as the No. 11 Mountaineers stunned No. 1 Kansas, 74-63, before a late arriving crowd which was glad they braved the snow.

Down goes No. 1: Mountaineers KO Kansas again | WV MetroNews
No. 1 Kansas turned sloppy, West Virginia sixth man Jaysean Paige played inspired and the No. 11 Mountaineers seized early control of the Big 12.

No. 11 West Virginia storms top-ranked Kansas | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
West Virginia's formula for winning — going hard to the rim to score, chasing after bad shots and constantly pressuring opponents — has the Mountaineers off to their best start in 34 years.

WVU beats No. 1 Kansas, 74-63 | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Not long before tipoff Tuesday and well before much of the 12,097 slipped and slid through a winter storm and into the Coliseum, the video board above center court played highlights from the last time Kansas played here and the last time the Mountaineers beat the Big 12’s best basketball ambassador.

Huggins: Crowd of 12,000 ‘unbelievable’ after snowstorm | WV MetroNews
Icy gridlock on the roads. A stalled PRT on the rails. Still, about 12,000 of the nearly 14,000 ticketbuyers made it to the WVU Coliseum to see the Mountaineers waylay No. 1 Kansas. Afterward, Bob Huggins was appreciative.

Watch: Player reaction from WVU’s win over Kansas | WV MetroNews
After Tuesday night’s 74-63 clubbing of top-ranked Kansas, West Virginia’s Jaysean Paige, Devin Williams and Jonathan Holton discuss the upset.

Photo gallery: West Virginia fans rush court on Kansas 74-63 | WV MetroNews
Check out the images from West Virginia’s 74-63, courtstorming win over No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night.

WVU’s Upset Bid Falls Short at No. 6/7 Baylor | WVU Athletics
The West Virginia University women’s basketball team’s valiant effort fell short in a 69-64 loss at No. 6/7-ranked Baylor on Tuesday evening at the Ferrell Center.

WVU sees winning streak end at No. 6 Baylor | The Daily Athenaeum
The West Virginia University women’s basketball team’s winning streak ended on Tuesday, as the Mountaineers fell to the No. 6 Baylor Lady Bears, 69-64.

West Virginia Athletics:

Mountaineers Post NCAA Record Score in Win | WVU Athletics
The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team shot an NCAA record aggregate score of 4724, and defeated No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks, 4724-4697, today, at the WVU Rifle Range.

Around The Big XII:

Big 12 takes new championship proposal to NCAA convention | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Two days after Alabama’s latest national championship, a vote at the NCAA’s annual convention could have a huge impact on which teams make the College Football Playoff going forward.

Way-too-early Big 12 power rankings | ESPN
Immediately after the national championship game, colleague Mark Schlabach released his Way-Too-Early Top 25. In concert, below is our Way-too-early Big 12 power rankings

Around The NCAA:

Case can be made for Saban as best ever | The Exponent Telegram
Is Nick Saban the greatest college football coach of all-time?

The lesson from Nick Saban's championship reign is to stop trying to copy Nick Saban | SBNation
The only proven way to compete against the country's Alabama overlord is to take lessons from it while carving out your own path.

Do you really want to know what it takes to beat Alabama? | SBNation
If you want to know how to beat Alabama, the answer is simple. You need five turnovers, and need to make none yourself. You need a lottery ticket, a lightning strike, or both.

Jeff Long will no longer be the College Football Playoff person who says things on TV that make you mad | SBNation
Who will say "body clocks" next year?

Jim Harbaugh is planning a slumber party with a high school kicker recruit | SBNation
Michigan's coach is spending the maximum amount of time at a recruit's house allowed under NCAA rules. That means a slumber party.

Brice Johnson is the player North Carolina wants every recruit to be | SBNation
The UNC forward has leapt into the national player of the year discussion as a senior.

Bracketology 2016: Denzel Valentine has Michigan State back on top | SBNation
Michigan State, Kansas, Oklahoma and Michigan State remain on the top line for another week. However, Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona all saw their stock fall after some costly losses in the past few days.

Andy Enfield's 'Dunk City' model is finally starting to take root at USC | SBNation
It's been almost three years since Andy Enfield came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest names in college basketball. Now with USC off to its best start in years, he's poised to regain that status.