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

How WVU keeps the arrow upright

Who are we to argue with Mr. Harris? And really, had WVU’s biggest biggest flaw throughout the season not been its inability to sustain things? Big lead, close game. Hot shooting, scoring drought. Decent defense, extended rally by the opponent.

Monday night was something different: “How we played is how we’ve been trying to play forever,” Harristotle said.

Trigger the reply: Was that one crazy night, the sort of night that happens once every couple of years? Or was that the start of something the team has been building toward and promising was on the way?

How about neither?

The Mountaineers have won four of five and haven’t played poorly at all in the past six games. Sour patches? Sure. But nothing has been irreparable. The 25-point victory against Iowa State was, according to WVU, the continuation of something they started weeks ago.

“I think a long time ago was the start of something,” West Virginia guard Eron Harris said. “When we started this surge against Baylor, that was the start of something. Even though we lost to Kansas, that was still a good fight, and like I said before, we get Kansas again at home. But this started back when we were at Baylor. Things started clicking then and we’re getting better and better every time.”

Here’s the most interesting part, knowing the Mountaineers are not yet out of the thick of their schedule. They’re trending up. The stats, the individual performances and the RPI support that. You could argue maybe two other teams are doing the same: Kansas State and Texas.

WVU walloped the Wildcats and gets the Longhorns, winners of eight of the past nine games, Saturday.

And if you want to watch that game, you’d better find a Longhorn Network provider. WVU, by way of IMG College, asked the LHN to release the game to Root Sports or the Big 12 Network, because it’s a Tier 3 game. The LHN, an IMG entity, by the way, said no.

It’s not the first time Texas has done this, but it’s the first time WVU has been swallowed up by it.