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

WVU v. Cincinnati: Something’s got to give

January 21, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Impressive run by this Cincinnati team this season: 10-1 after the brawl at Xavier, 5-1 on the road this season and unbeaten in the past seven Big East road games. The Bearcats have a three-game winning streak — decided by four, four and three points — and two wins were at then-No. 11 Georgetown and No. 13 Connecticut.

Meanwhile, WVU is 30-9 at home in conference play under Bob Huggins and 19-20 on the road. Like every team, the Mountaineers are better at home, but under Huggins they seem to win the ones they’re supposed to win — 27-1 in non-conference home games, plus-15.8 in scoring margin in the 57 wins, 39 wins in the past 41 home games against unranked teams.

Now, the question I’ve created is this: Is this a game WVU is “supposed” to win?

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Friday Feedback

January 20, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Frid– wait!

Friday Feedback 168
Clemson 33

That’s better. Fun, fast and frenetic week. Again. It got a little silly last night with whispers about a settlement in the legal deeds involving WVU and the Big East. Not true, but it must be trending that way. Really, neither side is going to win this thing, not in the sense that a judge is going stand in the middle of the ring and raise the hand of Oliver Luck or John Marinatto.

The longer this thing goes one, the more my thinking has changed. I used to think WVU was working on a clock and had to be out before the schedules were done, but I’ve come around on that. Now I’m thinking the Big East is working on the clock and sooner or later loses its leverage. The respective lawyers are working toward a middle ground and an amiable ending. Neither side will get exactly what it wants, but it’ll be over and that’s all that will matter.

As for WVU’s other ongoing story, I’m pretty sure Dana Holgorsen is going to have a defensive coordinator next season. And I’m pretty sure he’ll have a full staff. And I’m pretty sure he’s aware of all this. I’m highly entertained by the panic over this process. I’m not making fun of those people because my job is to inform those people. That said, I find some of this very peculiar , as though Holgorsen hasn’t earned a little capital or that he doesn’t know what he’s doing or that a hire isn’t any good because he people haven’t heard of him before.

I think I have the solution, though. Hire Kevin Steele — just think of how good Dana’s offense would be working against that defense every day.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, don’t overdo it.

jtmountaineer said:

I actually view Noreen as a potential Cam Thoroughman with more upside, not to take anything away from Cam, who will always be one of my favorites. They share the effort, grit, and ability to play beyond their talent. When Noreen acquires the experience and savvy Cam grew into, he’ll be the kind of Mountaineer we all cheer when he comes into the game.

I’d agree with that. Noreen is bigger — like, five inches taller and potentially 25 pounds heavier … which he’ll need time to learn to play with — and has better offensive skills and a better shot, but the rest is there, as you say. Cam was a really good passer of the basketball and Noreen is no different.

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Capital Classic recap

January 19, 2012 by Mike Casazza

WVU 78, Marshall 62 … close game, as expected! Last night’s margin of victory was the largest since the last time the game wasn’t played in the Civic Center. I would have mentioned that last night, but the arena features the same Internet wiring as it did in 1991.

Good stuff in the video — and thanks to Jared Hunt and Ashley Craig for the assist. At 3:05, check Kevin Jones and his fantastic “lucky charm” hat refer to himself in the past tense third person. At 6:10, Gary Browne cuts no corners.

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WVU v. Marshall: Flop if you like whistles

January 18, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Early news from the Civic Center. Deniz Kilicli is indeed doubtful for tonight’s game with an ankle, which would mean he’s likely not playing. He might not even dress, to end all the suspense. Your boy Kevin Noreen is expected to start — and as you can see from the above clip, he was warming up with a purpose.

When Deniz has been slowed by injury or by fouls this season, WVU has mostly leaned on the perimeter to make the chance — that is, Truck, Browne and Hinds with KJ and Miles/Noreen or Truck, Browne/Hinds and Browne with KJ and Miles/Noreen.

Not the guy you want to lose when you’re playing Marshall’s bigs and rebounders.

5:57 p.m. Early update on the Kilicli ankle angle.

6:23: Kilicli rilled his right ankle Monday and has a high ankle sprain. He was posting up and simply fell. Freak injury.

6:36: Grab your quarters. Hertz just rolled into the press room chuckling. “Got a column,” he said. It involves what is arguable the best part of this event — the Strongest Cheerleaders competition.

Just watched Keaton Miles warm up for a little bit and the kid just looks different. He was  smoothly moving through his pregame routine and making a lot of shots, but more importantly, just bouncing around the floor and nodding his head to the music and looking very confident about everything. The more I think of it, I can really agree with Bob Huggins: There really are some John Flowers parallels.

8:27: WiFi is awful on press row. My first half observation is Marshall is very athletic and has a nice chemistry when they’re rolling. Marshall also seemed to know that and then tried to exploit it by trying to blow WVU out with an assortment of alley oops and obscure decisions.

The Mountaineers, meanwhile, were scraping things together and trying to stay in the game. That possession where Aaron Brown scored on a stick-back, missed a free throw and then banked in a jumper was critical. WVU then tried to throw it away twice on the next possession, but got a point when Nique made a free throw. Marshall tried a lob pass and missed and then later threw the ball away on an inbound on the last possession of the half, where the only thing you really have to do if you’re Marshall is at least touch the ball to start the clock. Didn’t happen and Truck sneaked in and calmly made a 3 after just a terrible first half for him. Now he and his teammates have the momentum.

Give Brett McClanahan some credit

January 17, 2012 by Mike Casazza

He’s played against WVU and Marshall this season, which means he knows both sides and has broken down strengths and weaknesses on film and in scouting reports. It also means he’s a student-athlete, which means he could have done like so many of his kind  and refused to give a prediction or even much insight into tomorrow’s Capital Classic.

Yet the Nitro High graduate eschewed the common cliches and neutrality that might let him tiptoe the line dividing the two schools and picked a winner.

Reminder: Big day of chatter tomorrow. Chuck McGill leads off at noon. JackBo follows at 1 p.m. I clean up at 2 p.m.

Might this be last mid-conference Capital Classic?

by Mike Casazza

Not a big believer in coincidences and we now have Bob Huggins, perhaps innocently, spilling the way he feels and has long felt about the spot the Capital Classic holds on his schedule followed promptly by Mike Hamrick revealing this arrangement might be near its end.

On Monday, Hamrick, the Marshall athletic director, said the Herd is “very comfortable with the game being played where it is on the schedule.”

Hamrick said he had heard previously on the Charleston Civic Center date as it related to Huggins’ future hopes and wishes, but wouldn’t get any more specific other than to say that WVU’s pending move from the Big East to the Big 12 could be involved.

It’s not going to be easy to move this game and you’ll love — and I mean loathe — one reason why.

You might want to get Joe DeForest a backwards cap

January 16, 2012 by Mike Casazza

WVU’s new defensive assistant, and at least co-coordinator, seems like a pretty good fella with a flair for the sound byte.

“Oh my God, 11 years in one place,” Joe said. “Can you name five coaches that spent 11 years at one place? Oklahoma State will go down as the job that defines me, and it always will. I love the fact that (Ashley’s) going (to OSU).

“We could not have hit it any better. We hit the lotto, but now it’s time to see if we can hit the Powerball.”

Additionally, Brian Stewart is going to Maryland. That’s the one name out there I kept hearing, and from the beginning I was told it wouldn’t happen. There is some desire to hasten the hirings now because of the recruiting calendar. The contact period started Friday and runs through the 28th. Signing day is Feb. 1.

‘Marshall is better than these guys’

by Mike Casazza

I got the sense WVU wasn’t too impressed with Rutgers and a fake tough guy attitude. The day before the game, Deniz Kilicli accurately predicted the Scarlet Knights would be pumped up, play way too aggressively, foul a lot and soon be down 20 or so points. And then after the game, he was asked what WVU had seen go wrong in Monday’s loss to UConn that was better and decisive Saturday after the 84-60 win against Rutgers.

“We didn’t play UConn, that’s one thing,” Kilicli said. “We played Rutgers, not UConn. It’s easy. It’s pretty simple. They don’t have two or three players that can play. They have one freshman who kind of plays one day and doesn’t want to play on the other.”

Well, that’s that then.

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WVU v. Rutgers: Back in black

January 14, 2012 by Mike Casazza

WVU is wearing its black uniforms today, which I find interesting for this reason: When the Mountaineers debuted them in the 2009-10 season, Huggins said he picked the game because it was one his team would win.

The opponent? Rutgers. Take that, Scarlet Knights!

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Friday Feedback

January 13, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Welcome back to the Friday Feedback, floundering for far too long, but now hopefully back on track — wait, did I say that before? Well, this time I mean it. The schedule is normal now through the NCAA Tournament, which leads me to an interesting dilemma and discussion, one I’ve mentioned in passing before and would like to revisit now.

I’ve got a big-time family wedding March 17. In Fort Worth. That happens to be the first Saturday of the NCAA Tournament. My family is cool. They understand the schedule conflict. The bride gets it. They say it’s no problem if I miss it — and I sense they’re only concerned if my wife is there. Conversely, JackBo would be more than happy to cover the NCAA Tournament in my stead. He, too, gets it. So, is essence, I have a free pass either way, but neither is an occasion to miss.

A while ago, back when I learned the wedding date and realized I had a potential problem, I was honestly shopping around for plane tickets. I didn’t buy one, but I was looking. Then, I think right around the time WVU was battling Baylor, I started to panic a little. The basketball team is actually pretty good — and shame on me for doubting, yes?

Right now, I know this thing can go any way. I can miss the wedding for the NCAA Tournament. I can miss the NCAA Tournament for the wedding. I can miss the wedding for the NIT. I can miss the NIT for the wedding. Ideally, and not surprisingly, I’d like to cover the NCAA Tournament. The NIT, not so much. I’d also like to be at this family event. Then again, I’m sure part of me would be bummed out if WVU was a one-and-done team and I covered it and missed the wedding. And I’d be furious if I went to the wedding and WVU went 2-0. Of course, WVU could play Thursday or Friday and, in theory only, lose its first game and I could be in the air ASAP.

So there are many options. Here’s the problem: You ever shopped for airfare to DFW or DLF? It’s not pretty. It’s pricey (Unless you know some secrets I do not … hint, hint). You’re better off buying a ticket early, but as far as I can tell, expensive is expensive and if I bought a ticket, say, a week before the wedding, convinced WVU was a NIT team, I’d be paying a lot, but not a whole lot more.

Here’s a predicament — and, really, an exercise in predicting the rest of the season: You’re in my shoes and you have to make a decision TODAY. What would you do? My current idea: I’m booking early flights hoping there are scenarios where the flights are oversold and I can graciously surrender my seat for vouchers.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, make the best of a bad situation.

glibglub said:

It’s true about the Gettysburg Address comparison. My kid had to recite Huggs’ entire U Conn postgame locker room speech in school last week.

Just kidding. I have no children. You’re welcome, society.

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