Big Monday Offers Chance For West Virginia Turnaround

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

Basketball:

Big Monday offers big chance for Mountaineers turnaround | WV MetroNews
For a team hungry to make amends, Big Monday vs. Iowa State offers West Virginia a quick turn at redemption.

WVU tries to rebound against visiting Iowa State | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Bob Huggins coached his 300th game at West Virginia on Saturday, but it was only the fourth time in that span an opposing team grabbed at least 48 rebounds. It left the 62-year-old head coach smarting.

Huggins hoping Mountaineers respond against Iowa State | Beckley Register-Herald
WVU has spent the bulk of the season ranked in the top 25 and much of it inside the top 10. The news in Morgantown has been pretty good for most of the year. But after a 76-62 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, the Mountaineers have reached a low point.

WVU falls to Oklahoma again, faces Iowa State tonight | The Daily Athenaeum
After once sitting atop the Big 12 standings, the West Virginia Mountaineers have taken a recent tumble into the pack behind Kansas.

Bounce Back time | The Exponent Telegram
Losing to Oklahoma on Saturday was not exactly what you’d call a journey into the unexpected.

With seeding in peril, WVU picks bad time to be step slow | WV MetroNews
With 46 seconds left and Oklahoma wringing the final drop of resistance from West Virginia on Saturday, Devin Williams made his fifth-foul exit via technical.

Is WVU now paying price for style of play? | The Exponent Telegram
Is West Virginia’s men’s basketball paying a price now — at just the wrong time — for all of the energy it expended building into the season?

Dangerous time for WVU; Hot Rod unveiled | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Before West Virginia took on Oklahoma Saturday at the Coliseum, a large gathering stood in the sunshine at the Blue Gate plaza for the unveiling of the Hot Rod Hundley statue.

Hot Rod finally gets the honor he deserves | The Daily Athenaeum
On either side of the WVU Coliseum’s blue gate now stand statues of the West Virginia University men’s basketball team’s two greatest players: Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley. It’s about time.

WVU should continue honoring the school's greatest | The Exponent Telegram
We have a start now at the Coliseum, the Jerry West statue now having procreated and being joined by brother Rod Hundley across the blue gate. Should we begin today the fund raising for a Da’Sean Butler statue to add? And at the stadium, could we not have Sam Huff and Major Harris and Pat White, the foundations upon which the athletic department is built?

No. 8 Longhorns carve through West Virginia, 73-50 | WV MetroNews
West Virginia coach Mike Carey saw his team trailing by 30 points, allowing the guards for No. 8 Texas to carve through the defense. By the end of a 73-50 loss Sunday, he called it "probably the worst defense we’ve played all year."

Baseball:

Second Straight Shutout Gives WVU Series Win | WVU Athletics
The West Virginia University baseball team won its season-opening series at Charleston Southern thanks to a second consecutive shutout in a 3-0 win on Sunday morning in Charleston, South Carolina.

West Virginia Athletics:

No. 1 Mountaineers Shoot Strong Qualifying Score | WVU Athletics
The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team shot a 4723 NCAA qualifying score Saturday at the WVU Rifle Range.

Myers tosses 8 scoreless to fuel series win at Charleston Southern | WV MetroNews
B.J. Myers pitched five-hit ball over eight scoreless innings and West Virginia got key hits from the bottom of its order to defeat Charleston Southern 3-0 on Sunday in the rubber-game of an opening-weekend series.

Pitching pushes WVU to season-opening series win | The Daily Athenaeum
After dropping its season opener on Friday, the West Virginia University baseball team ended the weekend by holding Charleston Southern scoreless for 19 innings, leaving Charleston with a 2-1 record.

Around The NCAA:

The 2016 Conference USA football preview countdown, from North Texas to WKU | SBNation
From now through August, Bill C. will preview one college football team in great detail per weekday, working his way through all of FBS. Follow along!

Bracketology: Alabama and Texas Tech are in, LSU and Florida State are out | SBNation
Red seems to be the color for bubble success, as the Crimson Tide and Red Raiders are picking up quality wins left and right to solidify their places in the field of 68.

Busy week for WV linemen Locklear, Ross | Charleston Gazette-Mail
For the past couple of years, there has been a rumble among the recruiting ranks — "there’s some talent in West Virginia." Gradually, interest in Mountain State prospects grew, with numerous players signing with colleges up and down the East Coast, including a lucky few with the state’s flagship school, WVU.

Star recruit describes a day in the life at football powerhouse IMG Academy | SBNation
It's all part of getting college ready as early as possibly.

Updates on Florida's best football recruits from The Opening 2016's Orlando camp | SBNation
Who will get invited from Orlando to Nike's The Opening recruit camp?

(13) Iowa State Cyclones vs (10) West Virginia Mountaineers
Tonight at 9PM on ESPN from Morgantown. After consecutive losses put a dent in West Virginia's Big 12 title hopes, coach Bob Huggins is focused on getting the Mountaineers healthy enough for a late-season push.

Tonight it's ESPN Big Monday and True Blue for @WVUhoops. Wear your Mountaineer blue! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/0dMFZFxqRX

— WVU Sports (@WVUSports) February 22, 2016

Today's Miss Throwdown is an American model that is featured in the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. CLICK HERE for Emily DiDonato's Instagram.