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WVU v. Notre Dame: Turn back the clock

You are looking live at the box score from the last time WVU won at Notre Dame … and check out officials that night.

The Mountaineers are 1-11 here with 10 straight losses and some bad experiences along the way:

Feb. 21, 1999: WVU turns the ball over twice and wastes a four-point lead in final 43 seconds. Notre Dame’s Paul Rainey makes his first two free throws of the season with 20.1 seconds left for the final points of a 71-69 victory.

Feb. 2, 2000: Once down 17 points in the first half and later 11 in the second half, Notre Dame surges with a 15-0 run to win, 79-65.

Jan. 21, 2001: Chris Moss is ejected after his second technical foul and has to be restrained from going after officials. As he leaves the floor, Moss spits at taunting fans and accidentally hits some Notre Dame cheerleaders. WVU loses 78-61.

Feb. 20, 2002: Moss makes his return to South Bend and the Notre Dame students wear plastic shields and goggles. Chris Thomas has 26 points and 12 assists in a 89-76 victory.

Jan. 29, 2003: WVU gets outrebounded, 51-27, and the Fighting Irish finish with 22 offensive rebounds in a 88-69 win.

Jan. 7, 2004: Drew Schifino scores nine points and sits the final few minutes of a 63-52 loss. His NCAA-best streak of 48 games with at least 10 points comes to an end. Afterward, he makes the comments that ultimately contribute to his dismissal from team.

And all of that is preceded by Gordon Malone walking out on a game in 1996 … a game WVU won for its first Big East road win.

5:32: Tommie McCune is in the building and, in his first appearance since the one-game suspension that left him home for last week’s win at Pitt, is the first WVU player on the floor pushing up shots.

6:01: For the curious and the pious, WVU is 1-1 on the past two Ash Wednesdays and both were against Catholic schools: loss to Marquette (Jesuit) in Big East Tournament last year, win at Providence (Dominican) in 2010. The previous Ash Wednesday game was a win at home against Providence in 2005.

6:25: Justin Jackson and I are livid. We were going to settle a racquetball grudge before the game.

6:29: Check out Keaton Miles and his shoelaces.

6:34: Pat Driscoll, Bryan Kersey and Ray Natili are your officials tonight.

6:39: Truck is starting tonight.

6:59: Pat Connaughton is listed at 6-foot-5. That’s absurd.

7:01 Huggins does like this three-guard lineup and as much for defense as anything else. Good matchups this evening.

7:04: KJ seven rebounds away form 1,000. Only four others have done that. When he gets there, he, Jerry West and Warren Baker will be the only players with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Bob Huggins is impressed: “There have only been two guys who have ever done what he’s done. When you’re one of three people at a university like this that’s had a lot of great players, that’s a heck of an accomplishment.”

7:09 Three guards, three assists on four baskets and Truck has an assist before he even takes a shot. So far, Notre Dame is only getting a good look when it can run by someone. If WVU sits down and guards, WVU makes it hard to shoot and score.

7:12: Deniz loafs and lets Cooley beat him down the floor and gets the hook. Same thing that happened at Pitt on Woodall’s three-point play. And Truck is in the book at 13:30 for an 11-6 lead.

7:16: Seems like KJ really wants to score tonight. He’s not usually like that. Getting to his spots and moving himself to his spots, and you saw that on back-to-back possessions: Baseline jumper, backs down a defender for a hoop. Scott Martin took a spill guarding KJ and got no call and then on the other end the large Tom Knight was called for a moving screen. Mike Brey, who didn’t seem to like a ticky tack call on the perimeter a little earlier, then reacted in a way that got him a technical foul. WVU is up 15-11 with the ball and two free throws out of the timeout.

7:19: Again, KJ wants to score. Truck is lining up for his free throws for the technical with all the players behind half court and KJ is walking toward his basket before he remembers what’s going on.

7:22: Getting a little frenetic and physical. Browne tries to do too much and throws it away. Kilicli misses badly for the second time in a row. Jerian Grant makes Notre Dame’s third straight 3 and we’re tied 19-19. Crowd is hot tonight. Hasn’t been that way this year here.

7:24: Notre Dame is 8-for-11/3-for-4 and has made six straight shots and three straight 3s. Irish have also turned it over three times in that span for four WVU points. All that stuff I said about WVU’s defense earlier? It’s done. Notre Dame passing it pretty well.

7:27: Notre Dame looking for quick double teams when KJ gets the ball on the block.

7:29: Officiating bingo tonight: Travel, palming, moving screen, technical foul, G46 …

7:30: Nique gets a rebound, dribbles and lives to tell about it. Free throws look pretty normal for him — one is good, one is long. He goes 1-for-2 and WVU leads 22-21.

7:31 But the Irish are picking on him on high screens and Cooley rolls. That’s two easy scores in a row.

7:35: Boy, Nique gets active minutes: 5 minutes, two rebounds, missed shot, 1-for-2 at the foul line and a foul.

7:36: PHW has been in the game for a few minutes now and hasn’t done anything, really. He hasn’t taken a shot since the St. John’s debacle, if you’re curious.

7:39: Notre Dame is 12-for-18 and 3-for-3 when a player shoots after a whistle for a timeout. That kind of night. Irish are threatening to extend here before halftime if WVU doesn’t find something.

7:40: Twitter might have broken in West Virginia if Truck dunked that … or if he was called for a charge. I’ve never, ever seen him try to dunk on someone.

7:41: One way to beat a matchup zone? How about a 30-foot arching pass into the paint. Needless to say, that shouldn’t happen.

7:45: The Notre Dame fencing team is the halftime entertainment.

7:58: The precipitous decline of Keaton Miles continues. Didn’t even take off the warmup in the first half. Nor did Aaron Brown. Have to wonder about those two right now. Really, if not for PHW, Huggins is using a one-man bench tonight.

8:00: Huggins just spent a good 45 seconds lecturing Brown, McCune and Miles…

8:03: Might see a lot of PHW because Hinds and Browne don’t have it tonight. Careless plays from both tonight. Actually, in succession.

8:06: Look on KJ’s face when Martin scored was telling — “disgusted” is the word I’d use.

8:07: That’s three giveaway turnovers by Hinds and Browne this half and eight points the other way. Notre Dame is up 10 after Hinds airballs a 3. WVU had four turnovers in the first half. ,The three in the first 4:31 here are exactly what you can’t do in this game.

8:12: Last time WVU was here, it was down 20 in the first half and Da’Sean Butler missed a game-winner … something he didn’t do much that year. It’s a 17-point game now and Da’Sean Butler isn’t walking through that door. This is a 19-4 run to start the second half and WVU is 1-for-7. The Irish haven’t t cooled off. After shooting 63.2 percent in the second half, they’re 7-for-9 in this half.

8:17: Truck goes 0-for-2 at the foul line and Dragicevich makes a 3. I’d say it’s pouring now.

8:19: Notre Dame is 21-for-31 with a pair of second-chance baskets. This is fairly ridiculous.

8:33: I will say this: Notre Dame is really shooting it, but Notre Dame is really open. They’re going to put up some historic numbers, but WVU is going to allow some historic numbers.

8:35: Curious if, or when, Huggins sits guys. Marquette is 48 hours away here.

8:39: Body language is not fit for print here. Players, coaches, fans, etc.

8:45: That’s as bad as it gets, really. Worst loss under Huggins, fewest points since the home fiasco against Cincinnati in 2008.

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Comments
  1. jtmountaineer

    I expected a close game, but let’s be honest: this wasn’t a game we were expected to win. We have 3 winnable games in front of us now, but Marquette is really strong and always has our number.

    Here’s what Noreen didn’t do: make mistakes. We could use a whole lot of that right now. And whoever said Aaron Brown still has his offense must have a longer memory than mine because he has chucked up quite a few errant 3s. He’s not the shooter he was in the first 10 games, for whatever reason. If there’s a bright spot in last night’s game, and by bright I mean only partially rusted, it’s that McCune seems to be doing enough in practice to get in Huggins good graces. I’d prefer players didn’t transfer next year so that we could finally have the benefit of genuine growth across the board.

    And for those who think next year is all doom and gloom, I have two words for you: Murray and Staten.

  2. Foul Shot

    I have to wonder what is going on with the rotation.
    Williamson got a lot of minutes while other guys sat (at least in the first half when I was half paying attention) and Huggs commented that the other guys would have not helped anyway.
    I cant think Williamson is able to guard guys more effectively than the guys who have been playing. Something does not seem right and I am wondering if the attitude in practice has been bad which really showed last night in the game.
    It gets tiresome to hear guys say, “they played harder than us.”
    One thing I would have guessed is that Huggs would get the top effort from his guys when the chips are down, which they are now.

  3. I actually turned the channel and watched something else about mid way through the second half. I never do that, but just couldn’t stand to watch anymore. This team lives or dies with Turk and Truck and they are just not consistent enough to put a win streak together. They have to win Friday.

  4. Dann White

    We’re all computing the odds and searching for a way to include this team among those deserving of a NCAA berth – and in some (many) ways, it ain’t looking so good.
    The Turk even said something to the effect that “if we don’t win we have to go to the NIT”! Have to??
    Really? Do you mean actually compete to be among the “best of the rest”; at very best this is a dubious distinction.
    I agree with Hugs statement, made at his first appearance as our’ HC; we didn’t come here to play in the NIT! So, why consider it? Sometimes, maybe even often-times you don’t have a team that can be considered a contender, even by the most optimistic fans. In those situations, schools go to great lengths to try to get a ticket to the dance on the outside chance that they might streak themselves into a championship. I understand the motivation but I increasingly find more reason in saying; “this wasn’t our year and I think we’ll pass and get ready for the next season”.
    I don’t brag about the NIT championship we had in Belein’s last campaign and I have been trying to erase some first-round implosions from my memory for decades as well.
    Teams like the 89-90 team who lost a close one to eventual champion Duke, and who Coach K pronounced as the second best team in the country, were one of the tiny minority of teams that exit early and still make their faithful proud. Usually we are left with ambivalence or the same feelings we would have experienced with no bid at all.
    My point??? When do you say enough? Why don’t coaches, Athletic Directors, University Presidents say; Thanks for the invite, but we’ll pass. It is almost like a compulsion, this tendency to accept every post-season invitation – EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT THAT EXCITED ABOUT YOUR PROSPECTS.
    I feel there should be a time where you say that these particular student athletes need to return to their studies for now and will try again next season. These single round appearances can’t be money-makers and they do nothing to enhance the program’s image. Fact is, declining a couple of these undeserved compliments just might enhance one’s image, not to mention be a courageous step in the direction of true conviction when it comes to fair-play and quality competition over the money grab that has destroyed professional sports and constantly threatens what’s left of these principles in amateur sports.
    Likely to happen – No, but I keep thinking that there are still some principles that will surface before it all becomes nothing but hype and no substance. A guy can dream can;t he?
    DW

  5. jtmountaineer

    DW,
    Well said, and I suppose the counterargument is the experience players get from continuing to play decent enough teams, getting young players more reps in preparation for next year, etc. To be honest, I’m not sure more playing time is what this team needs as much as a slow maturation over a period of months. They’ve been forced to learn in a hurry, and clearly they’ve only been able to learn so much. In fact, the pressure has pushed them backward at times.

    I can’t make a terrific argument for this team’s inclusion in the NCAA tournament if they don’t win their next 3. They have one signature win over a top 25 team. They have some great close losses, but those don’t count, last time I checked. RPI, strength of schedule, etc., etc., but you need wins. Yesterday’s column in the DM pointed out the poor records of some teams that got into the 68-team field last year, and fine, we’ll likely have a similar record, but going by the old model of signature wins and no bad losses, well, we have a handful of the latter and only one, thus far, of the former.