The Shotgun/Throwdown (2/20/18): Are The West Virginia Mountaineers On Track To Win It All?

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

2018 Annual Gold-Blue Spring Game Set | West Virginia Athletics
West Virginia University will hold its annual Gold-Blue Spring Game presented by U.S. Cellular on Saturday, April 7, at 1 p.m., at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Priority Ticket Requests for Tennessee Game Now Available | West Virginia Athletics
MAC members and season ticket holders will be mailed a priority ticket request form to be returned no later than March 23. MAC members and season ticket holders also can log into their online account at WVUGAME.com to request priority tickets to the game before the March 23 priority deadline.

Football:

Big 12 Spring Outlook: Is West Virginia On Track To Win It All? | LandGrant Gauntlet
There’s talk of West Virginia competing for a Big 12 championship in 2018, but are the Mountaineers on their way? What questions do they need to answer over the next month to feel better about their chances?

Basketball:

No. 21 WVU visits streaking Baylor looking to bounce back | Charleston Gazette-Mail
If the WVU men’s basketball coaches ever wanted to cook up an “us versus the world” scenario to present, well, it has been handed to them on a platter.

Was Bob Huggins justified in his anger over foul shots in Kansas win over West Virginia? | NBC Sports
Did the referees cost West Virginia the game? Debatable. But the whistles played some kind of a role. Just like they always do in the Phog. (National writers are calling the disparity out now, but I "should be embarrassed" for writing an article about it here)

WVU AD Lyons mum on Kansas officiating saga | Charleston Gazette-Mail
The topic has become hot nationally. Yet on Sunday, WVU coach Bob Huggins would not only refuse to discuss the matter, but also whether he or his school would ask the Big 12 to look into the matter.

WVU Looks for Redemption at K-State | West Virginia Athletics
The West Virginia women's basketball team will look to bounce back from Saturday's overtime loss to Oklahoma as well as avenge an earlier Big 12 loss when the Mountaineers travel to Manhattan, Kansas, on Tuesday to square off with Kansas State.

WVU Athletics:

Sharpstene Named Student-Athlete of the Week | West Virginia Athletics
After leading WVU to the Martin Downs Collegiate title, freshman Matthew Sharpstene of the golf team has been named the West Virginia University Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Duo Maintains National Rankings | West Virginia Athletics
West Virginia University gymnasts Kirah Koshinski and Zaakira Muhammad continue to rank nationally on vault in this week's Road to Nationals Rankings.

West Virginia has eyes set on postseason | The DA
Now that the regular season is over for the WVU rifle team, they will have their sights set on bringing another national championship back to Morgantown.

Around The Big XII:

Oklahoma’s dream season with Trae Young is going up in smoke | SBNation
The Sooners have lost eight of 10 and are sliding down the bracket at an alarming rate.

Baker Mayfield says he 'wasn't given the natural talent' Johnny Manziel had | Big 12 Diehards
Baker Mayfield wants it to be clear that he isn't just another version of former Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Report: Baker Mayfield will not attend the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium | Big 12 Diehards
The reigning Heisman winner and projected first round NFL Draft selection, Baker Mayfield will not attend the 2018 NFL Draft in April.

Baker Mayfield confirms why he'll be missed by Big 12, college football fans | Heartland College Sports
After ripping the Texas Longhorns following Saturday's Oklahoma basketball game, Baker Mayfield confirmed how much he'll be missed by many sports fans.

Steven Gingery: Texas Tech ace tears UCL, done for season | Heartland College Sports
The Texas Tech Red Raiders march for a Big 12 title came to a screeching halt on Monday when it was reported by D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers that ace Steven Gingery is done for the season with a torn UCL.

Around The NCAA:

Clemson kicker BT Potter wins Chick-fil-A for a year | SB Nation
BAH GOD THAT'S THE NCAA'S MUSIC

College football head coaches that should try Winter Olympic sports | SB Nation
Mike Gundy for the biathlon, Lane Kiffin for snowboarding, Jim Harbaugh for figure skating, and more!

College football team apparel deals: Remember Aeropostale, Starter, Reebok, New Balance? | SBNation
There were some dark times.

Team USA advances to Olympic hockey quarterfinals with 5-1 win over Slovakia | SBNation
The Americans will face the Czech Republic in less than 24 hours for a spot in the semifinals.

‘The Bachelor’ Recap: Multiple Fathers Threaten to Murder Arie | The Ringer
Yes, folks, we're talking about The Bachelor now.

Boston Red Sox reportedly sign JD Martinez for 5 years and $110 million | SBNation
A deal is in place after a frustration-filled offseason for Martinez.

Cowboy Cerrone refusing to win when his UFC opponent slipped is pure class | SBNation
This is what sportsmanship looks like.

(21) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Baylor Bears
Tonight at 7:00PM ET on ESPN2. West Virginia goes into the Ferrell Center to take on the streaking Baylor Bears after that heartbreaking loss against Kansas. Recipe for disaster? Time will tell.

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Tonight at 8:00PM ET on ESPN3. Mike Carey’s Mountaineers are looking to bounce back after an overtime lost against Oklahoma, and want a little revenge on the Wildcats.

I’m pretty sure I know which guy is going to win on Saturday and, if I’m right, it’s well deserved.

Dave “El Presidente” Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, was in Morgantown over the weekend for Rough N Rowdy and decided to stop by some of the local establishments to do his famous pizza reviews.

I know some people got sucked into Pres’ schtick and got upset about some of the things he said about Morgantown (he does this for everywhere that’s not Boston), but he did give us some pretty favorable reviews. He also predicted the Mountaineers will make the Final Four after seeing Bob Huggins get ejected in Lawrence on Saturday.

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