– Business as usual at the Coliseum to the point no one really offered more than a shoulder shrug to the news WVU is ranked No. 22 in the latest coaches’ poll. Old hat. The bigger news was that the Mountaineers were the ninth and final Big East team in the rankings, which were led by new No. 1 Pitt — by the way, how does UNC get a vote after losing at home to then-unranked Boston College?

– This may surprise you, but tickets remain available for tomorrow’s 7 p.m. game against No. 5 Connecticut. Otherwise, the game can be seen on something called ESPNU. I’d consider doing blog updates from the game, but for the first time in a long time, I’ll be on deadline. The Daily Mail became a morning paper today, so I have to spend my time wisely at an event, at least early on as I break some old habits.

– On that note, if you’re in West Virginia and you see a Daily Mail stand, please let tell me about it.

- If you’re outside West Virginia and you see a Daily Mail stand, please let me know about that, too.

– Joe Mazzulla seems convinced he will play this season, if for no other reason than he said he’d rather not take a medical redshirt and can’t see himself handling the rest of the season on the bench. He said he’s noticed progress in the past two weeks, which, he said, contradicts a reports suggesting otherwise, and he’s reached a point where the pain is tolerable. He’s resumed conditioning and actually runs up the Coliseum steps and on the treadmill voluntarily. He’ll push himself a little harder here shortly and see how the shoulder reacts. Mazzulla also said he’s running out of things to wear on the sideline, but getting an assist from the dapper Wellington Smith.

 – Speaking of Mr. Smith, whose involvement against UConn is integral, Huggins was asked if Smith is doing one or two things regularly to contribute to foul trouble.

“Yes.”

I’ll explore that for tomorrow’s paper. Smith, WVU’s default center on defense, has 40 personal fouls in 267 minutes and averages 3.1 per game. His minutes-per-game checks in at 20.5, same as reserve John Flowers, who averages more points and rebounds and the same blocks per game and shoots a higher percentage from the floor.

– And speaking of Flowers, who has to be the most improved player on the team, he has indeed added a mechanism to his free-throw routine. He bends his knees and brings the ball with both hands up above his right shoulder and next to his ear. Upon an observation Saturday that Flowers had a nice form, one person replied, “He has a form.”