The Shotgun/Throwdown (3/11/19): West Virginia planning to play in CBI Tournament

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

FOOTBALL

2019 New Football Season Tickets Now on Sale | West Virginia University Athletics
A new era of Mountaineer football under coach Neal Brown kicks off this fall and season tickets for the 2019 campaign are now on sale to fans who did not purchase season tickets in 2018.

WVU recruiting: NC standout eyes Mountaineers as he makes college decision | Charleston Gazette-Mail
Earlier this month, West Virginia football coach Neal Brown assigned recruiting areas for each of his ten assistants. Defensive line coach Jordan Lesley’s recruiting areas — officially — did not include the city of Charlotte, but that has not stopped him from targeting some top targets in the there.

WVU running backs turning heads before spring practice even starts | WV MetroNews
Neal Brown has yet to see his West Virginia football team with an actual football in its hands. So with spring practice little more than a week away, the possibilities – and perhaps a few problems – are still limitless.

Jennings could be 1st Mountaineer picked | WV News
Do not be surprised if Gary Jennings is the first West Virginia football player picked in the NFL draft. In fact, do not be surprised if he goes in the first round.

BASKETBALL

Huggins: WVU plans to play in CBI | WV News
West Virginia will play in the College Basketball Invitational if they don't sweep through the Big 12 Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Bob Huggins said Sunday night on his weekly radio show.

Mountaineers' Derek Culver named to coaches' All-Big 12 second team | Charleston Gazette-Mail
West Virginia University men’s basketball freshman Derek Culver was selected as a member of the coaches’ All-Big 12 Second Team, the league announced Sunday.

WEST VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Mountaineers National Runner-Up | West Virginia University Athletics
Competing in the first-ever NCAA Championships final hosted by West Virginia University, the fourth-ranked Mountaineer rifle team finished second overall at the 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships with a two-day total of 4692, shot at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Coliseum.

Seven Wins Lead WVU Past Marshall | West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia University tennis team (8-3, 0-1 Big 12) used seven wins to defeat Marshall, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon at the Summit Tennis Academy in Morgantown

WVU Caps Big 12’s with Five Podium Finishes | West Virginia University Athletics
Five Mountaineers finished on the podium, including two fourth-place finishes from redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt (133) and redshirt senior Christian Monserrat (149), as the West Virginia University wrestling team completed the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship on Sunday afternoon, held at the BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

AROUND THE NCAA

Why the NCAA’s mounting court losses will only matter so much | SBNation
Time and time again, NCAA policies are getting knocked down in court. But the NCAA itself isn’t the power center.

Jimbo Fisher can keep up Texas A&M’s momentum by adapting (again) | SBNation
In his first year at A&M, Fisher built his offense around the ground game. Now, he’ll have to lean more on his QB.

Bracketology: North Carolina replaces Duke as No. 1 seed in latest NCAA tournament projection | SBNation
Plus, LSU is now a No. 2 seed, somehow. Down at the other end of the bracket picture, we’re going to need Championship Week to sort out the bubble.

Who is Ja Morant? Murray State’s top NBA draft prospect, explained | SBNation
The mid-major star will be in the NCAA tournament after helping his team win the Ohio Valley tournament.

TODAY’S FBS TEAM PREVIEWS BY BILL C

As always, SB Nation’s Bill Connelly is working his way through every Division I FBS football team, from Bowling Green to Alabama. Check out the teams Bill has already previewed by clicking HERE.

Good luck making predictions for either Lane Kiffin or FAU at this point | SBNation
The Owls were surprising in a good way in 2017, then in a bad way in 2018. The schedule’s favorable this fall, but who knows?

UAB has a big challenge in 2019, but it’s overcome bigger | SBNation
Bill Clark took his zombie program to a C-USA title in 2018 but must replace a truckload of seniors. What happens as he attempts to establish roster balance?

Fixing the biggest 2019 offseason needs for all 32 NFL teams | SBNation
Sometimes it’s good to step back and reset. When assessing team needs for the 2019 offseason, we decided to do something to that effect — instead of carrying forward the running list of needs that everybody uses for every team at all times, we elected to see if the stats were telling us anything different.

It’s March 11th. You know what that means...

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