West Virginia Learns Challenges Of Being Ranked In The Top 10

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

Football:

Help is on the way: West Virginia Mountaineers | ESPN
West Virginia doesn't actually lose any quarterbacks off last season's team. But that doesn't mean quarterback isn't a need for the Mountaineers.

2015 Big 12 unsung hero: West Virginia Mountaineers' Terrell Chestnut | ESPN
Terrell Chesnut wasn't the most heralded member of the Mountaineers' secondary, but he played very well in 2015.

Basketball:

WVU learns challenges of being ranked in the top 10 | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Nearly six years had passed since West Virginia last played as a top-10 team, and the two games last week taught the sixth-ranked Mountaineers a little about themselves and what remains.

Huggins positive despite tough stretch, weather | The Exponent Telegram
There are any number of things you have to like about Bob Huggins, West Virginia’s sometimes snarling, sometimes darling basketball coach.

WVU Steals One in Lubbock | WVU Athletics
Sixth-ranked West Virginia stole a basketball game at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, against Texas Tech on Saturday. And West Virginia’s chief thief was Tarik Phillip.

No. 6 WVU slips past Texas Tech | Charleston Gazette-Mail
No. 6 West Virginia didn’t just win a basketball game Saturday.

Explosive Offense Lifts No. 25 WVU over TCU | WVU Athletics
Three players reached the 20-point plateau, as the No. 25-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team collected a 97-84 victory over TCU on Sunday afternoon at Schollmaier Arena.

Phillip steals, stuns Texas Tech in final-minute frenzy | WV MetroNews
West Virginia’s third straight loss seemed imminent, until Tarik Phillip’s dramatic 54 seconds flipped the ending in Lubbock.

Phillip leads WVU past Texas Tech, 80-76 | The Exponent Telegram
Tarik Phillip put on one of the great clutch performances in school history Saturday afternoon, rescuing No. 6 West Virginia from what would have been a crushing road loss by scoring eight points in the final 55 seconds to give the Mountaineers an 80-76 victory over Texas Tech in Lubbock.

Morton’s 26 helps No. 25 West Virginia women outscore Frogs 97-84 | WV MetroNews
Morton's career-high, combined with Bria Holmes' 24 points and Teana Muldrow's double-double led the No. 25 Mountaineers.

West Virginia Athletics:

Mountaineers shooters red hot in second half of season | WV MetroNews
When you’re already the most successful program in the history of a sport, setting new standards isn’t easy. When the West Virginia rifle team stepped to the firing line on Jan. 17 to shoot against Akron, nobody could have predicted the outcome.

Around The Big XII:

Top Big 12 players from the 2015 college football season: Nos. 1-5 | ESPN
We complete our countdown of the top 25 players in the Big 12 for the 2015 season with the top five performers.

Around The NCAA:

Let's project how many NCAA Tournament bids each conference will earn on Selection Sunday | SBNation
Our resident bracketologist looks ahead to Selection Sunday, forecasting how many bids each conference will earn in seven weeks' time and what factors might influence the Committee's selections.

Southern Miss rewarded for drastic turnaround by losing its head coach to the NFL | SBNation
Southern Miss head coach Todd Monken is leaving for the NFL to become Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator, the Buccaneers announced Sunday. Monken had engineered a terrific turnaround for the program over the past few seasons, culminating in a nine-win 2015 campaign.

Temple finally ends SMU's undefeated season | SBNation
The last unbeaten has fallen in college basketball.

WVU recruiting receives assist from wintry weather | Charleston Gazette-Mail
From the feet of snow accumulation to the tens of thousands without power, Winter Storm Jonas will long be remembered by West Virginians.

WVU football picks up two verbal pledges | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Weekends in January can be a hectic time in the world of recruiting, with prospects from around the country visiting programs, making brash announcements about their trips and sometimes making commitments on — or shortly after — those visits.

WVU lands commitments from juco safety, standout at Texas powerhouse | WV MetroNews
In search of defensive backs during the recruiting homestretch, West Virginia gained commitments from two safety prospects Saturday.

Today's Miss Throwdown is a Phoenix Suns dancer and Atlanta Braves pitcher Casey Kelly's girlfriend. CLICK HERE for Ariel Wood's Instagram.

A photo posted by Ariel Wood (@xoawood) on Sep 4, 2015 at 9:44pm PDT