THE SHOTGUN THROWDOWN: West Virginia to host Auburn in basketball

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

SEC/BIG 12 BASKETBALL CHALLENGE

West Virginia will host Auburn in the SEC/Big 12 Men’s Basketball Challenge this upcoming season. The Mountaineers and Tigers have faced off four times, with each team winning two of the games. WVU won the last matchup during Bob Huggins’ first year as the head coach of his alma mater.

While the Mountaineers struggled last season, going 16-17, Auburn had a great season. The Tigers went 28-6, but were upset by Miami in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Auburn is expected to be a top-15 team again this season.

BIG 12 EXPANSION

The addition of Cincinnati, Central Florida, Houston, and Brigham Young to the Big 12 Conference will provide West Virginia with a couple of opponents that are closer to home, but the Big 12 still fails to provide WVU with a variety of opponents on the east coast. Will the Mountaineers ever get back to a conference that makes sense geographically?

WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP

• West Virginia will have new “Country Roads” uniforms for the renewal of the Backyard Brawl this fall.

• Milwaukee Bucks guard and Mountaineer legend, Jevon Carter, threw out the ceremonial first pitch for a Chicago White Sox game.
• The West Virginia football program has secured another class of 2023 commitment, with the addition of defensive lineman Justin Benton.

AROUND THE BIG 12

• The matchups for the upcoming 2023 SEC/Big 12 Men’s Basketball Challenge have been announced.

AROUND THE NCAA

• The annual Army-Navy college football game will be hosted by Boston, Washington, Baltimore, New York City, and Philadelphia over the next five years.

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