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

The bracket is tipped …

March 13, 2011 by Mike Casazza

… and here we are. It’s an hour until the Selection Show starts. I figured I’d offer an open post for your immediate reactions — because there’s one potential matchup in particular that might cause some really interesting reactions.

Fire away, friends.

Update: 12:15 p.m. tip Thursday. WVU will have about 36 hours to prepare for its opponent. And pity Clemson/UAB. They play at 9 p.m. in Dayton. Figure it ends at 11:15. Media. Straight to a plane. Arrive in Tampa. Check in at hotel at … 4 a.m. Practice in the morning. Yikes.

Friday Feedback

March 11, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which wasn’t very surprised by Wednesday night’s game and isn’t changing the prospects for the remainder of the postseason. West Virginia’s 31st game was noteworthy only because it was a loss in the Big East Tournament and the first is the past 12 games in March.

Apart from that, the 31st game wasn’t much different from the 21st or many others to come before or after that.

West Virginia’s loss in the second round – and its first game – of the Big East Conference tournament was its 11th of the basketball season.

In the previous 10 defeats the Mountaineers averaged 39.2 percent shooting.

Slot that in the national rankings this season and it’s right below Arkansas-Pine Bluff and right above Eastern Michigan. When the Mountaineers (20-11) are off, they’re awfully off. What they do in losses would qualify as the 323rd-best shooting percentage among 335 Division I teams.

Coach Bob Huggins arrived at his press conference following the 67-61 loss to Marquette on Wednesday night, having just looked at a boxscore.

Take a wild guess what his Mountaineers shot in defeat – 39.2 percent.

“It’s been a year-long problem,” he said. “We just don’t make open shots. I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve said it and said it and said it. We just don’t make open shots.”

That’s what distinguishes the very good postseason teams. The ones that go far generally make open shots — and see WVU v. Kentucky as a prime example. What continues to perplex everyone about these Mountaineers is how they’ll have it for one half or one game or even one week and then have no clue where it went or how to find it again.

How long the Mountaineers play the rest of this season might depend on how well players shoot, but their longevity is more likely to be shaped by how — or if — they can cover up the shooting numbers that are probably going to be poor. WVU didn’t do that Wednesday night and careless turnovers, bad transition defense and a negative rebounding margin made the lengthy field-goal droughts stand out even more. Shooting can rescue you and abandon you in March. Fundamentals never fail.

Onto the Feedback. As always comments appear as posted. In other words, stay committed.

glibglub said:

I dunno, Ford Childress kinda sounds like an ill-fated sedan concept.

Let’s begin there this week.

Continue reading…

‘The story of our season’

March 10, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Those are the words of John Flowers following Wednesday night’s 67-61 loss to Marquette, and no offense to Mr. Flowers, but what he says is certainly apropos.

In foul trouble from the very beginning, Flowers played just21 minutes. WVU has now lost 11 games this season and its best defensive player has played fewer than 30 minutes seven times.

But let’s be fair and also obvious. It wasn’t all John Flowers and that stat is meant only to point out the Mountaineers were Wednesday night who they were for the majority of this season.

Continue reading…

WVU v. Marquette: Have at it

March 9, 2011 by Mike Casazza

We’re starting at an acceptable time tonight, but I’m still staring at a hard deadline, so I defer to you for this. I’ll check in from time to time and as warrants … good luck to you.

Lon-gone: Galloway to Wake Forest

by Mike Casazza

WVU’s wide receivers coach will take the same position at the same school that gave you Jeff Mullen.

Big East says ‘My bad’

by Mike Casazza

This didn’t take long:

The Big East Conference acknowledges that two separate officiating errors occurred at the conclusion of the St. John’s vs. Rutgers game. Both missed violations should have caused the game clock to stop and a change of possession to occur prior to the end of the game. Neither error is reviewable or correctable under NCAA playing rules.

John Marinatto
Commissioner

Here’s the clip of the play in question. Pictures, and especially in this case, are better than words.

But speaking of words, Mike Rice handled the situation about as well as anyone could have expected afterward. He was honest, not quite happy, but also willing to accept mistakes happen.

Q. Mike, where did you get access to the YouTube so quickly and what did you see, the stepping out-of-bounds or the foul or —

COACH RICE: Again, the judgment calls I have to believe that they are right. I watched him step out on our SID’s iPad or iPhone. Yeah, it’s, again, it was 1.7 — whatever it was, he literally took three steps and — it was a mistake. I’m not going to — the game should have been one more play, does that mean we’re going to win? Certainly not. It was a mistake and that’s what happens in basketball. I made a ton of mistakes in the last 48 hours in my life.

Six seeds No. 6 seed must plant in the Garden

by Mike Casazza

Tip is still several hours away, but considering how UConn handled Georgetown, the marquee game is quite likely being saved for last.

Who knows what the drama will come from St. John’s v. Rutgers and Cincinnati v. South Florida, but you can be confident two teams are going to play their posteriors off when West Virginia plays Marquette.

Neither team knows any other way, to be honest, but WVU is defending a title and Marquette is playing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Up goes the ante.

The Golden Eagles had the first day’s most impressive performance and WVU fans I’ve interacted with were and are spooked. I get that. I also tried to help them get the concept that Providence came out impossibly flat for a coach who might be gone soon. The Friars also don’t, or can’t, guard or rebound.

Those are things you can’t say about WVU on just about any day. The Mountaineers can win, of course, and there are a few things to monitor during what you know is going to be a close game.

Continue reading…

It’s the Big East Tournament and Oll Stewart has spoken

by Mike Casazza

Maybe we should have seen this coming. No, this isn’t quite the same as last year’s episode — certainly not nearly as miscalculated and the timing of this publication wasn’t his choice — but Bill Stewart is a headline again at the Big East Tournament and talking about the things of which dreams are made.

“I will fund-raise, do special projects for the president, the university,” he says. “I could be a great liaison with the state capitol in Charleston. There are a lot of things I can do to lobby for higher education. I am very close with the president. I don’t think I will just be a fundraiser who goes to caravans. But first I’m looking forward to working with Dana.”

Won’t it be difficult to work side-by-side with a coach who is going to take your job?

“Nope,” Stewart says.

Won’t it be difficult to not have any hard feelings?

“That is baloney,” he says. “We are going to show a defining moment next year. The new coaches have been so respectful. Things are going pretty good. It has been a dream come true. A dream come true.”

So Marquette was very good last night

by Mike Casazza

Marquette probably stepped off of, or a few steps away from, the NCAA Tournament’s bubble last night. The Golden Eagles won, 87-66, in a game that was almost equal parts not that close and closer than that seems.

I’ll give you a second to digest that.

Nevertheless, the Big East’s No. 1 scoring offense has scored 80 points 15 times now this season … and they missed by a point in a win against WVU earlier this season.

The interesting thing about Marquette’s appearance here was how it was the one team that came here playing for a NCAA Tournament bid. Well, as a team, it embraced the occasion and certainly impressed some with its style in victory.

“Hopefully the win helps. Obviously it doesn’t hurt,” said coach Buzz Williams when asked about Marquette’s chances to be picked for the NCAA Tournament. “Does it mean that we’re in? I don’t know. But I know that we played as well as we’ve played in a long time.”

WVU is here, might as well try to win it

by Mike Casazza

Here’s another one of those fun little basketball debates. Would you rather win — or play into the final of — your conference tournament and take the physical toll into the NCAA Tournament or would you rather cash out early and cash in on the extra time to rest before the NCAA Tournament?

Bob Huggins has done both and he’s had entirely mixed and sometimes unexpected results that don’t follow the logical flow in the NCAA Tournament. There is no great evidence to suggest one is better than the other, other than what a coach feels.

WVU is again a given for the NCAA field and again trying to improve the seed it will receive on Selection Sunday.

The goal of the regular season is to not only make the postseason, but be in the most advantageous situation possible. Ask WVU Coach Bob Huggins what tournament matters more, however, and his answer is not only a contrary stance, but one that underscores his need to win.

“The next one,” he said last week as WVU readied for the end of the regular season and brushed aside the notion a Big East tournament loss can be a blessing because teams need a break between the conference and NCAA tournaments.

“You know who says that? Guys that lose. ‘Well, you know, it’ll be good for us now because we can rest.’

“That’s who comes up with those things. Everyone wants to win. ‘Yeah, we needed the rest. This is good for us.’ I don’t buy that.”