The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Not exactly going out on a limb

Read between the lines as I say WVU fans have been a tad dismayed with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of late. They might find this downright stunning.

West Virginia was an NCAA tournament “bubble” team according to most of the national analysts and experts heading into its final home game of the season against Pitt last night.

But any lingering doubts about the Mountaineers’ credentials were almost certainly erased by their 76-62 destruction of the Panthers at WVU Coliseum.

West Virginia (21-9, 10-7) already had 20 wins but has now assured itself of a winning conference record and is likely to finish in the top six in the conference standings. In the Big East those marks traditionally have been enough to assure an NCAA bid.

Speaking of stunning, there was a collective head-turn among beat writers who covered WVU’s loss at Louisville and who heard Huggins say Monday night he thought the Mountaineers played the Cardinals tough. I, among others, had a slightly different recollection.

But here’s the thing. History has selective memory. As bad as WVU played in that game — one it finished with a 12-0 run — today it looks like a nine-point loss on the road against a pretty good team.