Gabe Osabuohien announces his return to West Virginia & Bob Huggins gains class of 2022 commitment

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

Football

Teaching a Big Part of Spring Football Practice for WVU’s Brown

Teaching is a huge part of what West Virginia head coach Neal Brown does during the spring with his football teams. Brown’s plan for the spring includes five practices before giving the players a little break for the Easter holiday. He will take the time during the break to dissect those five practices and then come up with a plan for the remaining 10 practices to conclude the spring.

Lesley hopes to see Mountaineers add versatility along defensive line and back end

Versatility is a word the West Virginia coaching staff has discussed the need to develop more of across its roster over the first week of spring football practice. While the Mountaineers’ offensive line may be the position group most in need of increasing versatility, defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley is stressing the importance of it to his unit as well.

Three Guys Before The Game – Spring Fling (Episode 281)

This episode of “Three Guys Before The Game” is focused on West Virginia’s spring football practice. Is there a quarterback battle? Have the WVU receivers improved? How much should we know about why players enter their name in the transfer portal? Those questions and more are answered by Tony Caridi, Brad Howe, and Hoppy Kercheval.

Basketball

Gabe Osabuohien announces intention to return to West Virginia

West Virginia forward Gabe Osabuohien is returning to Morgantown to use his final year of eligibility. The WVU senior announced Tuesday evening that he plans to take advantage of the NCAA’s rule that grants athletes a free year of eligibility during the covid pandemic. Osabuohien averaged only 1.7 points per game, but he was perhaps the team’s top defender and one of its better rebounders this season.

Josiah Harris becomes second commitment to WVU’s Class of 2022

The West Virginia men’s basketball team expanded its 2022 recruiting class with the latest addition from northeast Ohio. Josiah Harris, a Cleveland native, committed to the Mountaineers Wednesday afternoon. The 6-foot-7 power forward is listed as a three-star recruit according to 247Sports. Harris’ final schools were WVU, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, and Xavier.

Kysre Gondrezick declares for 2021 WNBA Draft

Redshirt senior guard Kysre Gondrezick of the West Virginia women’s basketball team has announced that she will enter her name into the 2021 WNBA Draft. Gondrezick had an exceptional season, as she led the Mountaineers with 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, and three rebounds per game this year.

Morris set to join WVU for 2021-22 women’s hoops campaign

West Virginia women’s basketball coach Mike Carey has announced that graduate transfer Yemiyah Morris will join the Mountaineers for the 2021-22 season. She comes to Morgantown after spending the last two seasons at Mississippi State.

Soccer

WVU men’s soccer extends winning streak against Western Michigan

The West Virginia men’s soccer team hosted Western Michigan at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Wednesday and came away with a 3-1 victory. Sophomore defender Dyon Dromers scored the first goal in this match for WVU, and junior midfielder Ike Swiger added two goals. This win is the third straight for the Mountaineers and splits their season series at 1-1 against the Broncos.

Stahl named National Player of the Week by United Soccer Coaches

Junior forward Alina Stahl of the #4 West Virginia women’s soccer team has been named the United Soccer Coaches Division I Women’s National Player of the Week. Stahl scored the game-winning goal in the 47th minute in the Mountaineers’ 3-2 win over then-#5 Duke. With the victory, WVU has now defeated a top-10 opponent in 15 of the last 16 seasons.

WVU women’s soccer cracks top five in national poll

The West Virginia women’s soccer team improved its rankings by three spots in both the United Soccer Coaches National Poll and the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Top 25 after a 3-2 win over then-#5 Duke on Saturday in Morgantown. The Mountaineers check in at #4 in the USC poll and at #6 in TopDrawerSoccer’s.

West Virginia Athletics

WVU volleyball finishes regular season with win against Old Dominion

The West Virginia volleyball team defeated Old Dominion in four sets, 3-1, on Monday night to close out the regular season. Kristen Lux led the charge for WVU, recording her second straight double-double with a career high 21 kills with .246 hitting percentage, along with 18 digs. Briana Lynch added 15 kills for the Mountaineers.

Mountaineer gymnastics ready for NCAA Regional

The West Virginia gymnastics team competes against Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships this afternoon inside the WVU Coliseum. The winning team will advance to Friday’s evening session against #4 Michigan, #13 UCLA, and Kent State. All of the regional competition will be streamed live on ESPN3.

West Virginia faces No. 16 Oklahoma State in Big 12 battle

Following a series victory against Kansas, the West Virginia baseball team returns to action against #16 Oklahoma State in a three-game series, starting today in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Mountaineers are currently 10-9 this season, with a 2-1 record in Big 12 play after the series against the Jayhawks.

WVU’s Bovolskaia Named ITA/UTR Division I Player of the Week

Junior Anastasiia Bovolskaia of the West Virginia tennis team has been named the Women’s Division I Player of the Week by Universal Tennis Rating and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Bovolskaia led the Mountaineers a week ago by amassing a 3-0 record, which included a 2-0 record in singles play.

WVU track and field hosts Mountaineer Classic

The West Virginia track and field team will be hosting the Mountaineer Classic today and tomorrow. WVU will be joined by Ohio, Toledo, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Charleston, Davis and Elkins, Alderson Broaddus, West Liberty, Salem, Frostburg, Point Park, and WVWC.

WVU golf places seventh at the Hootie at Bulls Bully Intercollegiate

In search for their first top-10 outing in a major non-conference tournament this year, the West Virginia golf team had an impressive outing at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, where the squad finished in a tie for seventh place at the Charleston, South Carolina, golf course.

WVU alumna Rylee Foster signs long-term deal with Liverpool FC Women

Goalkeeper and West Virginia alumna Rylee Foster inked a long-term deal with Liverpool FC Women, her dream club for which she has been playing since graduating from WVU.

Around the Big 12

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 1 Baylor preview, picks for the Final Four round of 2021 NCAA Tournament

One-seed Baylor and two-seed Houston will meet at Lucas Oil Arena in the Final Four round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Bears have been led by Jared Butler this season, who is averaging 16.6 points per game. BU also enters this game as a slight favorite over the Cougars. Here is everything else you need to know about both teams ahead of the game.

Big 12 Programs Represented on MLB Rosters

24 players from Big 12 schools are potentially slated to be on 2021 MLB rosters for Opening Day. The former Mountaineers on the rosters are first baseman Ryan McBroom with the Kansas City Royals and pitcher John Means with the Baltimore Orioles. TCU and Texas are tied with the most players, with five each.

BU’s Lightfoot, UT’s Davis Earn Weekly Awards After Historic Performances

Historic performances were honored with Big 12 weekly awards. Baylor’s KC Lightfoot was tabbed the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Men’s Athlete of the Week, while Texas’ Tara Davis earned Women’s Athlete of the Week.

Clark, Butler & Carter Collect Volleyball Awards

TCU’s Katie Clark was named the Big 12 Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while Texas’ Brionne Butler earned defensive honors and Kansas State’s Aliyah Carter was recognized as the Big 12 Volleyball Rookie of the Week.

Around the NCAA

NCAA March Madness betting: Gonzaga vs. UCLA has biggest Final Four point spread in at least 25 years

Gonzaga is attempting to make college basketball history by becoming the first team to go through the regular season and men’s tournament without a loss since Indiana in 1975-76. The Bulldogs are also 14-point favorites in their Final Four matchup against 11-seed UCLA, which is the largest Final Four point spread in at least 25 years.

Women’s Final Four 2021: Three No. 1 seeds advance, but Stanford, UConn remain favorites

The women’s Final Four field, which includes three #1 seeds, runs the gamut of experience. UConn is looking for its 12th NCAA championship, while its semifinal opponent, Arizona, is in the Final Four for the first time. On the other side of the bracket, South Carolina will take on the Stanford.

Supreme Court questions validity of amateurism in NCAA’s business model

The Supreme Court heard more than 90 minutes of oral arguments on Wednesday morning in the NCAA v. Alston case, the first time the nation’s highest court has weighed in on the business of college sports in nearly four decades.

2021 MLB season preview: Power rankings, best (and worst) case and most exciting player for all 30 teams

ESPN’s baseball experts ranked every team from 1-30 going into the new season for the first MLB Power Rankings of the year, while writers Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield teamed up to provide a best and worst case, most exciting player, and one bold prediction along with Doolittle’s win-loss projection for all 30 teams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians shows off new Super Bowl LV tattoo

Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians made good on his word when he promised that when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, he would get a tattoo.

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