Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which suddenly realizes it’s going to be busy throughout March. Barring a brutal collapse, WVU is in the NCAA Tournament.

Thursday’s innovative win against Notre Dame wasn’t one that makes the resume looks good, but it wasn’t a loss that makes it look bad. WVU (18-8, 7-6 Big East) needed that game because it couldn’t afford to lose it. The big plus for the Mountaineers throughout this season is they haven’t lost to anyone they shouldn’t have — Kentucky and Davidson in nonconference play are acceptable losses (and believe they regret both deeply) as are UConn, Pitt twice, Louisville, Syracuse and Marquette in the Big East. Taking care of business in America’s best league isn’t a bad thing and WVU avoided one-trick-pony status by beating Providence and Villanova. 

Now, all of that said, there’s a lot left in the season. A three-game road trip — classic trap game against Rutgers, emotional showdown against Cincinnati and a who-knows-what game against South Florida – this late in the schedule is a lot to ask and things could go in a bunch of different directions. Back home, WVU gets DePaul, which could be winless in the league and the most desperate team in the country, before a big-time rematch against Louisville on ESPN with the College Gameday crew on hand. So, yeah, we’re late in the season, but we’ve got a lot left to see. Can’t wait.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, you can’t take it back.

Alli said:

I hope we keep the 1-3-1 for these particular situations. I wonder if Huggs will now go over it more in practice after this game?

We thought and asked the same about the press WVU showed against St. John’s. Haven’t seen it since, but it’s there. The same probably goes for the 1-3-1. The twist here is Huggins wasn’t even thinking about it until he was watching tape of last year’s game against Notre Dame and saw the 1-3-1 was effective in one stretch. The Mountaineers then practiced it for 10 whole minutes Tuesday. I suppose the good thing is both are in the pocket, just in case, and WVU has already tested both with pretty good results. When things get tough again — and you know they will — it’s something to think about. By the way, it’s not a great idea to throw a random zone at WVU right now. Not with Ruoff shooting, Butler scoring and Ebanks and Jones rebounding. Playing three zone teams — Syracuse, Louisville and Providence — in a row had its benefits.  

Foul Shot said:

It does seem a shame to either have to go to a sports bar or to have pay TV to watch WVU against Notre Dame – especially when the other choice nationally is Providence vs. L-ville. I thought N. Dame had a huge national following?
Also, it is great that Huggs is thanking the student section for pumping up his team. A concern is that the student section is required to pump up the team.
What happens on the road? Not too many March Madness games are played at the Coliseum.

Notre Dame jams WVU up again. As for the fans, WVU travels well. They always have fans at road games and were practically the majority at Georgetown. The Big East Tournament is usually popular, too. As for the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee tries to keep teams close to home, at least early on, and economic conditions will be considered this season. If WVU lands somewhere like Cleveland, Detroit or D.C., as it has in the past, they’ll have fans. Plus, there’s always one team everyone hates/wants to root against (Wake Forest, Duke) and that helps someone. Usually, that’s been the Mountaineers, except in 2006, when they crushed Southern Illinois and drew Northwestern State and were rooted against the entire second game.

Alli said:

I thought the student section was fantastic, and that’s why I think we should get rid of a couple sections. I know that may not make sense, but if you have a large student section that is loud and passionate, why do we still need 2 full sections completely empty. There still is no reason for the top row of students to stretch from sections 62 to 44. I think the season is a good test of how big the student section should be next year. In a few years from now, if demand increases, then they can open it back up.

I’m with you, but I’m also wondering if after all this attention and discussion anything will actually be changed.

mountiefan3 said:

As great as the crowd was on Friday, they need to be that much better on Weds. vs. ND. They seemed to always beat us. Plus with Harangody in the middle we need all the fans into the game from the tip.  

I believe they heard you.

Karl said:

Bob Huggins successfully used the same kind of motivational mind games on thousands of students that he does with his teams. I love it. And you wonder why the guy’s one of the winningest coaches of all time. He managed to coach the masses.

And yet, he still has work to do in that area, though I hope he has more to worry about than slurs and profanity hurled from the student section and how to correct it. Anyone remember when Radford’s Whit Holcomb-Faye was giving it to the student section which was giving it to him and John Beilein grabbed a megaphone and lectured the students? Classic. Imagine a similar move by Huggins. He could have them reciting Keats.

thacker said:

Huggins has to be a witch doctor. The way those kids played in contrast from Pitt to Villanova, Huggins must enlist the aid of Jobu. Either way, here then or here now, it’s on its way.

Which begs the question: Is Jobu helping or are Huggins and the Mountaineers doing it themselves? 

Jeff said:

For those in the NFL charged with scouting and procuring talent for their teams, they can’t allow themselves to put intangibles like winner, play-maker or gutsy, all Pat White traits, high on their list of criteria for evaluating these young men. It comes down to measurables like height, weight, speed and statistics where, other than speed, Pat doesn’t rate as high as they’d like.

This why they occasionally underrate some like Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Drew Brees, Willie Parker, Hines Ward and Steve Slaton. And overrate others like Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf, Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Alex Smith.

Pat White will excel as an NFL QB if a team will give him the chance.  

Well said, Jeff. There have been enough Pat Whites the past few years — if such a thing is possible — that NFL teams have figured this out. He’ll find a spot. It’s a matter of where over when.  

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Coach Stewart said:

I like that this guy plays basketball, it shows that he’s not just a big, slow lineman. He can move and get up and down.

Additionally, I am really looking forward to the straight-ahead style of running. That’s how they do it in the pros and if we can do it successfully it will help us pull in more talented recruits with the goal of ending up as a pipeline to the NFL….then I really would love Coach Stewart.

But can WVU recruit on a high enough level to consistently get these big backs and linemen most everyone else wants? Part of what made the Mountaineers so successful before was taking undersized, underskilled and underappreciated kids, fitting them into the Product’s personalized system and coaching them up for a few years until they were ready to take off.

Alli said:

So if we’re moving toward a straight ahead style game, why are we recruiting 5′6″ and 160lb backs?

Anyway, I hope he stays committed. A year is a long time for a verbal.

There’s still a place for them, but not the same place. On NATIONAL SIGNING DAY Stewart said, “Third downs, I’m not going to run any more 170-pound backs at anybody. Those days are over. Try to pull a rabbit out of your hat and see how hard it is.” There will and should always be a place for the likes of Noel and the Poet. 

latin hillbilly said:

Huggy’s star power bodes well for future Mayo’s, Beasley’s, and Blair’s to wear the gold and blue.  

Talking to the guys he’s recruited and the guys he inherited, two groups that just didn’t know what to expect, he wins you over in the first five minutes when reality pummels perception. And now he’s winning in the Big East. Potent, I say. 

Foul Shot said:

It would be great if WVU could pick up a dominant big guy.
Kind of like a pass rush, we have not had much of either in a long time.
Tough to speculate what might have happened with all those other scenarios.
Maybe Dakich would have taken us to the Final 4.

Maybe not. 

The 25314 said:

“Huggins wouldn’t have taken the Kansas State job….”

Bob Huggins was hired by Kansas State March 23, 2006 which was the same day WVU lost to Texas in the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.

John Beilein’s flirtation with N.C. State was April 20-27, 2006.

The question is, would Huggins have pulled a Dan Dakich and left Kansas St. after one month as coach if Beilein had gone to N.C. State?

Also, Huggins allegedly turned down O.J. Mayo’s request to play at K-State due to possible NCAA trouble. So he probably would not have taken him at WVU.

http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/05/29/what-did-bob-huggins-know-about-o-j-mayo/

Noted. Good catch. But John Beilein wasn’t flirting with N.C. State. He was mowing his lawn. 

r said:

Having a bunch of one-and-doners is a great concept for WVU. A new team each year. meh…  

Yeah, that’s a good point, a razor’s edge in recruiting that most —

Country Roads said:

If you’re going to win the ‘Ship, you have to have players who are good enough to go pro after one year. You just have to keep recruiting those guys if you want to sustain that level of success.

Hmmm, interesting. I see the logic in that, too, because —

r said:

Country Roads….Like Pitt? UConn, UNC. They ALL have one and done teams. The last team to be one and done was OSU, how good did they do, how good are they now.

Well, now you raise —

Country Roads said:

The year that OSU played for the title, they had Oden and Conley, both one and done. Florida won back to back titles with guys who were good enough to be one and done, but chose not to. Back before that, you didn’t have the one year requirement, but you still needed NBA caliber players. 2005 UNC had May, Felton, McCants and Williams. 2004 UConn had Okafor and Gordon. 2003 Syracuse had Melo…

Look at the guys who come out early and then look at the effect they had on the teams they played for: Alexander, Beasley, Mayo, Rose, Love—all played for tournament teams last year, mostly because those players carried them.

OK, you’re all winners!

thacker said:

Anyone know of a source where to purchase copies of these televised games, the Villanova vs WVU game in particular? Thanks.

I’m just throwing it out there because I don’t know. Anyone?

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

Mike, this is completely off topic (well, at least it’s a basketball post, so it’s not that far off), but I was wondering if you had read this article in the NY Times by “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis in which he delves into the world of Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey and forward Shane Battier?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?_r=1

I ask, first of all, because it’s fascinating sports writing and because it’s fascinating NBA writing, and I know you have NBA thoughts and opinions from time to time.

And, secondly, I ask because it got me wondering if you think this kind of statistical analysis has any place in the college game? Or is the college game sort of good at identifying and rewarding these “No stat stars” by its very nature? Think about it: valuable players on successful college teams have been undervalued by the NBA for years. Battier won a title at Duke, Juan Dixon at Maryland. I’m sure the list goes on and on.

Also, you think it may have been some sort of instinct in the direction that made Butler characterize his 43 point game as not his best?

These thoughts and questions probably don’t make any sense without having read the article. so, uh, go read it. it’s worth your time.

Read it twice. Devoured it. Loved it. There’s merit to it, too, especially in college basketball, where the skill level can vary greatly, even on the same team. (Pulling out a soap box) Let’s be honest. Some players are stars. Some aren’t very good. Many are in between. Look at Wednesday’s game. Alex Ruoff was great and you can quantify his contributions without much effort. He shot a good percentage. He had some assists. He made a steal and played pretty good defense. Now look at Cam Thoroughman. The numbers don’t match up, but Thoroughman was critical. He forced tough shots and altered others. He guarded the post well enough to deny entry passes, which paused possessions that sometimes led to bad shots at the end of the shot clock. He was active, but was only credited with four rebounds even though he kept Luke Harangody away from a few others. Cam kept the ball with WVU after a missed free throw and that led to a 3. He poked an an offensive rebound away from Harangody that led to another basket. He gets no points or assists there, but he contributed to five points. Oh, and when he was in the game, WVU outscored Notre Dame by 16 points and Harangody scored just two points — an those came on an offensive rebound with 98 seconds left. As for Butler, he had three rebounds and two assists and admitted he didn’t contribute in many other areas of the game. For that, he said it wasn’t his best game. It’s hard to be that hot in that many areas.

Alli said:

Yeah, Flowers was flinging his elbows a lot in that game. Anderson was all over him though, which was never called either. I think Flowers figured if they weren’t going to call it, then he needed to get Anderson to back off himself.  

Glad you mentioned this. First, I’m sure you’re right. Teams jump on Flowers because he hasn’t done anything with the dribble in a while now. Second, I’ve been assured by photographers who were on the floor he did not elbow anyone in the Villanova game. 

overtheSEC said:

Mike, In the earlier post, you talked about the lack of a three second call on Blair last night. I think along with three seconds, the other basic infraction of which the Panthers are constantly guilty–and a call that is really only ever made in church-league games–is the moving screen. It gets called maybe once in a blue-moon but Pitt just seems to simply have Young and Blair zone block the defensive players to get Fields and others free.

Wasn’t just Blair I was referring to, by the way. And you’re right, the moving screen is never, ever called. I actually think it’s become part of some offenses. And why not? That said, I actually saw Notre Dame’s Ryan Ayers make a 3 Wednesday night, only to have it waved off because he was called for moving screen. I was stunned. It amazes me that coaches can not only work an official for a call, but for a call you otherwise never see.

Alli said:

I don’t think Blair has left the paint all season.

Enjoy the weekend!