Multiple Mountaineers Sign New Contracts in the NFL

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

Basketball

Ending on a high note: tournament cancellations lead to rare result

Since the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments were called off, West Virginia’s last game of the season was a 76-64 win over then #4 Baylor, which led to a court storm and celebration on the Coliseum floor. The last time the Mountaineers finished a season with a win was in 2006-07, when WVU won its second NIT title.

WVU men’s hoops makes final AP Top 25

The Associated Press released its final rankings for the 2019-2020 season, in which West Virginia finished as the #24 team in the country. This is the 19th time in school history that the Mountaineers have finished in the AP Top 25, and the seventh time since Bob Huggins became the head coach.

Baseball

Season cut short, but St. Albans’ Carr showed promise in WVU debut

Despite fielding a roster with a new weekend pitching rotation and several new starters occupying key spots in the lineup, the West Virginia baseball team was off to their best 16-game start in Randy Mazey’s eight seasons as head coach. Among the promising young contributors in the early portion of the season was St. Albans High School graduate Jake Carr.

Mountaineers in the NFL: Kwiatkoski and Spain get paid, Robinson declares

Multiple former West Virginia football players are making offseason moves in the NFL. Left guard Quinton Spain has signed another contract with the Buffalo Bills and Nick Kwiatkoski has signed a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Bruce Irvin signs with Seattle

Defensive end Bruce Irvin is headed back to the Seattle Seahawks, returning to the franchise that first drafted him in 2012 with the 15th overall pick. Irvin spent four seasons in Seattle on his rookie contract, collecting 22 sacks and becoming a champion in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Around the Big 12

Jayhawks End Season at No. 1 in National Polls

Kansas finished the 2019-20 season in the top spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches final men’s basketball polls. Baylor was ranked #4 in the coaches’ poll and #5 in the AP, while West Virginia finished at #24 in both.

Around the NCAA

How to claim a national championship: the college football guide for basketball fans

2020 is the first men’s college basketball season since 1938 that did not end with a definitive national champion. Here is a guide to figure out how to award a national title at the end of a season cut short.

How does canceling the NCAA tournament impact college athletics? We asked some experts

Could this massive shock force schools to reevaluate how they fund college sports? Could some decide to reclassify, or drop out of DI?

Why is the NBA quickly testing for coronavirus when the public can’t?

Even people who are experiencing obvious Covid-19 symptoms in the United States are often failing to secure tests. That has not been the case in the NBA, where the league has been rapidly testing players for the virus.

The Buccaneers can give Tom Brady the elite wide receivers the Patriots didn’t have

The 2019 New England receiving corps is not what it used to be in prior season. Tampa Bay can’t offer Tom Brady the same prestige as the Patriots, but the Buccaneers can offer him better receivers.

The Nick Foles trade is a win for the Jaguars and a roll of the dice for the Bears

Nick Foles’ four-year, $88 million contract was a mistake for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Chicago Bears were willing to take it on.

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