(And now the budget is exhausted for 2012…)

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which scrawls so hard and isn’t going on a hiatus, no matter what conference constituencies are involved. Fun one last night highlighted by a sequence I don’t think came across on television. WVU was ahead 40-33 in the second half and beginning to take long paces away from Pitt when when the game went into a timeout. The cheerleaders did a T-shirt toss and one made it to a WVU fan in a higher elevation.

He threw the T-shirt back and just couldn’t have been happier with himself. The WVU fans spread throughout the arena were just as pleased and stood and cheered and the fella who threw it back was playing it up as the crowd grew against him.

The timeout neared the end and security made its way to the WVU fan, which is always exciting in a gym because everyone can see it happening and can see the security approaching in their distinctive outfits from a variety of directions. They bounced the fan, the crowd erupted, Travon Woodall scored a three-point play and the game was suddenly very interesting.

I was wondering if that was the story.

Alas, the Mountaineers persevered and got just what they needed as they prepare to go to another gym where they never win. I think Syracuse has the one crowd/environment that bothers (susceptible) teams the most in the Big East, but I think Pitt has the best and most revered atmosphere in the conference. In the first nine years at the Petersen Events Center, the Panthers were 149-12, and WVU was 1-7 with the one win coming in 2005

Pitt is now 10-6 at home this season and has been beaten down three times — and I’m counting Long Beach State’s 86-76 win because it was a clinic. That inspired the Mountaineers, who sent the Panthers to a still-sparkling 159-18 record at the PEC.

“I’m part of the 18,” Kilicli said. “Think about that. I’m in that record. This team is in that record. That’s pretty cool, man. That’s all I’ve wanted since I was a freshman.”

“I said before the game started, ‘Why not us? Why not now? Why can’t we win here? We can win here,'” Jones said.

They did and with a new look, most notably with Truck Bryant coming off the bench, doing some good and, perhaps most significantly, not doing as much damage. Obviously, too soon to say if he starts Wednesday at Notre Dame. There’s a long break and Huggins said he benched Truck because he’d played too many minutes, but I think Huggins should stick with it. If it worked Thursday and WVU had success where it rarely had before, then use the same plan to win at Notre Dame’s Joyce Center, where the Mountaineers are 1-11 with 10 straight losses.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, take this serious. Serious as a … nevermind.

pknocker40 said:

Received my Orange Bowl DVD in the mail yesterday. Nice appetizer for the bball game, to say the least – though the DVD had a parental advisory sticker on it for explicit material…

And we’re off. Dare I say we’re doing 70?

Rugger said:

It looks to me like Huggs is teaching Deniz to be a bad a.ss. Deniz’ natural tendency is to be a laid back hippy but when he gets on his Leonidas (from the Far East per general knight) on, people GTFOO the way.

Agreed. It’s like Deniz has taken all the bullying he’s received from Huggins and is doling it out now. If he gets his feet anchored and the defender is pinned parallel between the ball and the basket, it’s a score or a foul. Also, and this is my observation, but Deniz plays harder on the road. I think he generally plays hard, but he seems to have another something else on the road and I bet that has a lot to do with being made the villain and with really liking being the villain.

Seoul Man said:

“Watching” on ESPN GameCast. Someone please describe Turk’s dunk. Was it Ottomaniacal?

I’d go for authoritative Ayyıldız, but your works, too.

glibglub said:
The Ottomans were never the same after T. E. Lawrence recognized their chief vulnerability — a tendency to recline with their feet in an elevated position.

All the more reason for Deniz to keep his feet beneath him.

Dr. Love said:

Kilicli’s dunk was awesome. Possibly the best dunk I have ever seen a Mountaineer perform. Any thoughts on better throw downs? Lester Rowe, Russel Todd?

Whoa … really? I’ll have to open this up for discussion. It was nice, but didn’t spark the same reaction with me. I might be wrong. Certainly willing to discuss this.

jtmountaineer said:

When Deniz doesn’t get back, is it just a mental lapse or is it poor conditioning?

I’d say it’s a sign he needs a breather. He goes pretty hard usually. I think Huggins is obsessed with removing Deniz’s bad habits — very Alexander-y. Deniz was beating Pitt down the floor when Pitt had basically given up on the game and at one point Zanna bumped him, like, “Come one, game’s over. Cut it out.”

Josh24601 said:

It’s not a WVU party until Deniz gets the ball on the break way too far from the basket.

… because he’s always out on the break. Maybe he should slow down … just a little?

Dave said:

Big time effort last night. Even with a few mistakes here and there, they didn’t linger and turn into big runs for Pitt.

A few extra shots made and it was a very nice win. Not to forget a few lessons along the way (thinking of Deniz loping down the floor only to be pulled and … um … hearing a lesson).

First part was the key, I thought. Pitt really made just one run in the first half and that was good for a three-point lead. WVU only trailed for 110 seconds total. And the Mountaineers made mistakes, especially in the first half, but they controlled the damage and didn’t step on any land mines. Huggins had a good night, too. The switch to the zone was timely, especially since Pitt just couldn’t shoot, it made Woodall take tough shots and Gibbs doesn’t seem to have another way to score apart from jumpers, which really haven’t been reliable this year.

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

USA chants at the Turk? C’mon Oakland Zoo, you guys are better than that. Weak

I bet Pitt’s Nigerian center, Talib Zanna, likes it. To be fair, WVU’s student section does the same to foreign opponents. Makes no sense. I’m pretty sure Deniz and Zanna are fond of the USA.

KMS said:

I normally have a lot of admiration for Knight and enjoy his candidness. I thought his comments about KJ were abrasive and it was irritating the hell out of me. KJ, selfish? He’s been playing for 4 years and anyone that has ever seen him play knows there couldn’t be a worse adjective to describe him. My brother said it best: Apparently throwing a chair in disgust is acceptable behavior, but thumping your chest in excitement is not?

Saying that Deniz “looks like he’s from Turkey” was stupid. But I don’t get too caught up in the P.C. world. However, if that had been said about the player from Nigeria…I’m pretty sure heads would have rolled.

And since when did we get purple uniforms? I totally missed that memo.

You know what’s funny? I re-watch the games and it’s usually with the sound off — either because I can’t stand some people or because it’s late at night or because I find my own commentary far more insightful and entertaining. I’d never heard Mark Kestecher do a game before. I’d only heard him do spots on the radio. So I listened. He was fine. I didn’t listen for long, though. The Turkey thing was about all I needed to hear. I waited and waited for them to say ANYTHING about Truck. Still waiting.

Seoul Man said:

This is actually hilarious to read on GameCast:

Darryl Bryant missed layup.
Darryl Bryant offensive rebound.
Darryl Bryant missed layup.
Darryl Bryant offensive rebound.
Darryl Bryant turnover.

I hope we’re clear on this now: Freshman or senior, starter or reserve, 45 minutes or 32, hot or cold, November or February, Truck is Truck. He’s nothing if not consistent. And yet I thought he played pretty well considering everything else that was going on this week. And speaking of that, Truck didn’t look “beat up” last night. No black eyes or busted nose or fat lip. He was pressed on the incident though:

“It’s been a rough week, but at the end of the day, I’m still here and we just got a win, which is most important,” he said. “I’m happy now.”

Bryant wouldn’t discuss the downtown episode, in which a third party called the police and Bryant refused to talk and declined medical attention at the scene. His lawyer told the police Bryant wouldn’t press charges.

“Stuff happens and that’s what happened,” Bryant said. “It’s over with and it’s not going on any further. That’s it.”

50yr fan said:

Hugs might want to take his team to watch the women play. Might learn something about playing to the end.

Hey, they finished one! Maybe it happened? And they were 18-for-19 from the free-throw line, including 12 of their final 14 points. I mention this because Mickey F. threw a hammer at the men’s team Wednesday night. He suggested to Ayana Dunning (I can’t call her YaYa because I don’t know if it’s YaYa or Ya Ya or Yaya and also because my computer has a seizure when I try) and Asya Bussie team to teach the men how to shoot the freebies.

The 25314 said:

Mick Carey is a member of the mustache Hall of Fame. All great men have mustaches.

Couldn’t agree more:

Mustache day at the Coliseum is the best promotion the school has ever done, by the way.

SheilYbuti said:

Dave Wannstedt wants to know why he’s not in the MHOF.

We need criteria. I wonder if the people who populate here would be OK with Wannstedt in their HoF. Mark Mangino would have to get in for a few reasons, but he’s not an active coach. See where I’m going?

Jeff in Akron said:

I find it interesting that Oliver Luck, when talking about the potential move to the Pac, stated that Texas would look east, not west, for it’s future in an interview. Add that Luck hired Holgorsen a coach with extensive experience in the Big-12 and certainly a rising star in the coaching ranks. Plus, the Big East was “slow” to distribute money to WVU from past seasons for bowl and NCAA appearances.
It seems there is a lot of coincidental factors to this move.

I also wonder if a certain previous head coach and his interview on a Parkersburg tv station about a future WVU move to the ACC or SEC was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, not the losses. Imagine if Luck had been working with the Big-12 for this move and then his head football coach mentions a possible move to another conference on what became a national interview.

Perhaps I am just reading too many “tea leaves”. Still, I believe this entire move was in the works prior to Pitt and Syracuse announcing their move, the time frame may have been different and longer, wasn’t Marinatto at the Maryland game when Pitt and Cuse announced.

Just too many coincidences to be completely coincidental to me. In essence, WVU walks away from this move having drastically improved its revenue earning over the next five seasons, even with the $15-mill expense. Regardless of the public backlash and negative publicity, there is not a team or it’s fanbase that would not be elated by the developements.

To think, Oliver Luck has only completed 40% of his “Five Year Plan” as AD.

Agreed, and you know what I think of coincidences. Luck wasn’t around  when Stewart broke bad in Parkersburg, but I understand the point and by now we’d be naive to think Luck woke up one day to go see WVU v. Maryland and realized the Big East crumbling, decided he had to get out and a month later was in the Big 12. At this point, there’s nothing stopping me, or anyone, from asking Luck, “When did this all begin?” and there’s absolutely nothing stopping  him from saying, “June 10, 2010.” One of those will happen. One of those won’t.

Karl said:

Good post, Jeff. Another tidbit not to be lost in this: By all accounts, the B12 was just about to extend an official invite to Pitt, not us, when the ACC swooped in. The ACC must have been contemplating its move for some time but had its hand forced by the B12. The ACC did not want the B12 getting a foothold in the east, which wound up happening anyway with us. At any rate, we were a safety school for the B12, not its first choice.

I wonder if it’s just a matter of time before Texas goes independent though. That school’s budget is just Jupiter. They really don’t need to play any of these schools in the B12. They are the state’s undisputed football team, and that will never, ever change. Given that, I wonder if they have their sights trained on going a more national route, like Notre Dame. With as much money as they have, there’s really no risk to anything they do.

Texas can pull off independence. It might be better armed to do it than Notre Dame. It sure as hell is more capable than BYU and BYU is doing just fine. I’m inclined to worry about them, but signing away their media rights to the Big 12 is a big deal. It’s like a covenant. If Texas leaves, the Big 12 gets all the Texas television revenue. Sure, it can be broken and Texas, if no one else, could look the other way at millions and millions of dollars, but I just wonder if that happens. Six years from now? Could be a different story.

50yrfan said:

Any body got inside info on why we can’t seem to land an experienced def. coach with experience needed to play next yrs tough schedule? Maybe the new hire is a diamond in the rough but neither hire gives much to be excited abou

Yes. Bruce Feldman.

Conservative Mountaineer said:

Fired by inept management. Sweet.

Ah, but the beauty of that “termination” terminology is WVU didn’t leave. It was made to leave. The remaining Big East schools can’t sure WVU now. I’m sure that was a WVU thing that had to be included.

Also, I need to mention this to make something right for Syracuse. I wrote Wednesday night about the clause in the settlement agreement that says WVU could be asked by Syracuse and by Pitt to help those two schools schedule a 2012 game against a Big 12 team. I reported Pitt hadn’t even heard of it and that Syracuse never got back to me.

Well, Syracuse did get back to me and responded to the email I sent to the contact there. I never got that email. Email was a disaster at the Daily Mail this week, not exactly the best week to have an email disaster. We were sending stories from and to personal email accounts all week. My email to the Orange and the Orange’s reply that I never got was through my work account. We’re trying to fix this.

glibglub said:

My favorite part of the Big East’s statement is how with the new members, the confererence’s future has never been brighter. I think that Mr. Marinatto may simply be suffering from some sensitivity to light from all those years of having his head in the sand.

Couldn’t believe that myself. Eventually, I realized it was pulled from the “Mad Libs: Commissioners Just Want to Have Fun.”

Shannon said:

Reality begins to set in with the schedule, especially the realization the Backyard Brawl is not happening in 2012. I understand for this year. Marshall is a legislative-mandate. James Madison gives WVU a game in the D.C. market in a NFL stadium. Maryland is an “easier” non-conference opponent and traditional rival.

Going forward, WVU needs to be serious about keeping the Backyard Brawl. Admittedly, this will be difficult. Pitt will have 9 conference games in the ACC in 2013. But, Marshall could be dropped in favor of Pitt. The negative, however, is that it would give you two non-conference games against the ACC. I can’t see WVU dropping Maryland because of the D.C. market. Do you not schedule the FCS schools in favor of Pitt? It looks good on paper, but coaches do like the “easier” match-ups to get out the kinks to start a season.

There are a lot of difficult questions ahead in keeping Pitt on the schedule.

I think the Marshall game is going to go away. At the very least, it won’t be around for a few years and upon its return won’t be an annual game. My suspicion is WVU will play Pitt and Maryland on an alternating basis. Pitt home-Maryland away, Pitt away-Maryland home. Keeps the rivals on the line and keeps the ACC on the schedule. I do wonder about the Michigan State series, though. Far away, but nothing is too far in scheduling.

oklahoma mountaineer said:

That 6-game stretch that starts with Texas is as tough as any stretch we have seen in my memory……

I do have a question — how long will it take for WVU to get a Thursday night game back on the schedule……these self delusional bluebloods (at least OU) seee themselves as above playing home games on days other than Saturday. They really don’t like playing early games either — they are prime time afternoon or evening in their own minds….

I was shocked there were no Thursday games. The Big 12 does play them and WVU has been pretty good to ESPN. Given the way fans won’t travel to some of these games, it would seem like a boon to the television contract. Things can still change, though.

p.i. reed said:

Big East just went all the way with memphis to take its mind off thing

Technically, before the breakup. Who’s the bad guy now?

MontanaEER said:

Within a week, The Big East will drink and dial.

Enjoy the weekend!