No Room For Error As West Virginia Tries To Stay In Title Race

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

Football:

Trio of Big 12 invitees could surprise at NFL scouting combine | ESPN
Wendell Smallwood has an opportunity to impress in Indianapolis.

Basketball:

No room for error as WVU tries to stay in title race | Charleston Gazette-Mail
The silly thing right now would be to count West Virginia out and say it cannot win its first regular-season conference championship since the 1988-89 season.

Injuries could force WVU to make difficult lineup decisions | The Daily Athenaeum
Injuries can make or break a team’s season, and injuries are almost always up to fate. So far this year, the West Virginia University men’s basketball team has had good fortune when it comes to injuries — Mountaineer players have missed more games due to suspension than to bumps and bruises.

WVU needs to get healthy, bounce back | The Exponent Telegram
This hasn’t really been mentioned very much all season, but WVU has been unable to reach its full potential because unproven freshman point guard Beetle Bolden went down to a season-ending ACL tear in the preseason.

WVU women knock off No. 20 Oklahoma | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Arielle Roberson had nine points, 14 rebounds, five steals and three blocks and made some key free throws down the stretch to help West Virginia beat No. 20 Oklahoma 63-55 Wednesday night.

WVU holds on to top No. 20 Oklahoma | The Exponent Telegram
Late in the third quarter of West Virginia’s women’s basketball game against Oklahoma, the Mountaineers extended their lead to 16 points and seemed to be coasting to a victory over a ranked team for the first time this year.

WVU Fends Off Scrappy No. 20 Sooners | WVU Athletics
Four Mountaineers tallied double figures, as the West Virginia University women’s basketball team staved off an Oklahoma comeback attempt to collect a 63-55 win over the No. 20/21-ranked Sooners on Wednesday evening at the WVU Coliseum.

WVU makes big lead stand up vs. Sooners this time | WV MetroNews
Bria Holmes scored 14 points and Arielle Roberson grabbed 14 rebounds as West Virginia led wire-to-wire in beating No. 20 Oklahoma 63-55 on Wednesday night despite some late drama.

WVU holds on for big win over Oklahoma, 63-55 | The Daily Athenaeum
Three weeks ago, the West Virginia University women’s basketball team had a 16-point lead up on the Oklahoma Sooners but ultimately lost by three. On Wednesday, behind a balanced attack by the offense, West Virginia can feel a form of vindication as the team preserved a similar lead, defeating the No. 20/21 Sooners 63-55.

West Virginia Athletics:

Experience could push West Virginia to new heights in 2016 | The Daily Athenaeum
Coming off the inaugural year in the new Monongalia County Ballpark, the West Virginia University baseball team is poised for more during its second season in the Big 12’s newest ballpark.

WVU on season long marathon to participate in Big 12 Tournament | The Daily Athenaeum
After finishing 39 shots off the lead in Monday’s President’s Day Challenge, it’s clear the West Virginia University men’s golf team has a long road in front of them this spring. Growing pains are expected when you’re playing your first competitive season in more than 30 years, but with Big 12 Conference fielding some of the best teams in the country, the Mountaineers will have to get over those growing pains faster than they wish.

Around The Big XII:

Texas Tech wins third straight against a ranked opponent. Knocks off #3 Oklahoma, 65-63. | Viva The Matadors
The Red Raiders are peaking at the right time! They are now 16-9 (6-7 Big 12).

Red Raiders Take Down The #3 Sooners, 65-63 | Crimson And Cream Machine
What bad timing for Buddy Hield and the Sooners. After playing their three worst games of the season, the Sooners had to take on the hottest team in the Big 12 on the road. Texas Tech was only 15-9...

Around The NCAA:

The Solid Verbal: ESPN's Tom Rinaldi reveals the secrets to his emotion factory | SBNation
Ty and Dan welcome the master of our Saturday morning tears.

Duke had no business beating North Carolina, but they won anyway | SBNation
No. 20 Duke walked out of the Dean Dome with a 74-73 win over arch-rival North Carolina Wednesday night, and no one is quite sure how it happened.

Today's Miss Throwdown is an model from London that is featured in the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. CLICK HERE for Megan Williams' Instagram.