Michael Stephens welcomes you to today’s game
February 12, 2011 by Mike CasazzaMr. Stephens, Wally Rutecki and Ray Natili have whistles around their necks today. Rutecki, by the way, presided over the game-ending four-point play at Rutgers Wednesday.
During stoppages today, may I suggest “Inside the East” and the WVU feature, which itself features someone who was not feeling very well that morning and looks it, as well as a terrific feature on Andrew Luck. Pete Thamel is one of the best.
3:55 pm: The depth of DePaul’s problems: 24-game losing streak against Big East teams (23 in the regular season), 26-game losing streak against against ranked opponents, 28-game road losing streak. Then again, 13 of the 16 Big East teams have beaten a ranked team this season. The exceptions? Woeful South Florida, NCAA tournament hopeful Cincinnati and DePaul.
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Friday Feedback
February 11, 2011 by Mike Casazza
Well, that’s … I’m just … why wait? Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, watch your fingers.
Bill said:
All these scoring droughts are starting to wear me down. Its almost like I am watching Bill Stewart/Jeff Mullen_ brand of football.
It needs a shot of Red Bull.
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Live chat at 1 pm … as if a chat could be anything but live
February 10, 2011 by Mike CasazzaIt’s recently occurred to me how silly it is to call it a live chat because it has to be live, right? __regardless, it’s on at 1 p.m. again and I can’t promise you what shape I’ll be in because I’m about to watch the “FNL” finale and I’ve been told to be prepared. For what? I have no idea.
Meantime, perhaps you have a better name for this live chat. And please remember, “Super Terrific Happy Hour” has been claimed … though that’d be an excellent homage. Formulate some questions and either drop them here or in the queue. This is your link for the chat.
And this is a link to something a few people find unsettling. What’s your take?
Marlon LeBlanc would like your feedback
February 9, 2011 by Mike CasazzaA tweet from the men’s soccer coach Jan. 28:
Golden Anniversary for WVU soccer in 2011. We are wearing a 1966 throwback Nike replica jersey on opening night. Would anyone buy them?
I can hear you now: “Depends. What do they look like?”
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Why I can’t wait until the UConn football game
by Mike CasazzaEven with the quarterback carousel at the University of Connecticut the past few years — and hasn’t that been going on for as long as WVU has played the Huskies? — I’d never heard of Johnny McEntee.
The undistinguished backup from the Left Coast has changed that and made himself an overnight YouTube sensation. Enjoy.
And then there’s this
by Mike Casazza
Colin Dunlap (8:23 AM):
Labor…in labor.
Colin Dunlap (9:59 AM):
Female Darran Rose 4 lbs 15 oz…Male Declan Patrick 5 lbs 10 oz…doing ok…born at 837, 839am
Something amiss at the Coliseum?
by Mike CasazzaWhere does WVU go from here?
February 8, 2011 by Mike CasazzaWell, beside to the gym to put up some shots. And out to recruit some players, which is what Bob Huggins is up to today.
Is this an NCAA Tournament team? You could argue either way.
Ken Pomeroy and his statistical analysis supposes a 19-11 record and a 10-8 mark in the Big East. RealtimeRPI.com goes with 20-10 and 11-7. In either case, those WVU regular seasons are locks for the NCAA Tournament.
Feel better?
Texts From Big Monday
by Mike CasazzaI’m not sure of the exact numbers, but I’d say I’ve gotten the same amount of email, sent last night or this morning, about the officials as I did after the Capital Classic debacle. Was it that bad? It didn’t seem that bad to me in the moment and I haven’t watched the game on replay … and I check my expectations at the door when WVU and Pitt play and try to kill one another.
I’ll let you filter through that topic.
As for the game, the trend continues for WVU. Nothing comes easy except the explanations for the losses. Saturday WVU couldn’t shoot. Monday, the Mountaineers couldn’t rebound or get stops.
“They outmanned us, is what happened,” Huggins said. “They just beat us to death on the offensive glass and drove it where they wanted to drive it. They just outmanned us.”
The Panthers (22-2, 10-1 Big East) matched their best start in Big East play by scoring points on 25 of their 30 possessions in the second half.
The five empty possessions were three turnovers, one one-shot possession where WVU grabbed the defensive rebound and two missed free throws on Pitt’s final possession.
“They probably took two or three jump shots the entire second half,” said WVU point guard Joe Mazzulla. “The rest of it was layups and second-chance points.”
You think about that. Five empty possessions in an entire half of basketball. It’s a continuation of a concern for WVU: The defense and the rebounding just aren’t there — or where the team would like them to be. The Mountaineers can’t lean on them and expect to score enough points to win, or in cases like the past two games, to match scores to win. And when scoring is habitually difficult — below 70 six straight games, the longest streak under Huggins — you almost can’t win.
Almost. Worst-in-the-Big East DePaul comes to town Saturday and WVU killed the Demons by two points last month. Hard to call anything a gimme right now and what if Cleveland Melvin gets hot and drives to the basket and makes some jumpers and scores 30 points? Points matter right now and WVU just isn’t getting them at a time it isn’t preventing them.
Yeah, I always find something wrong. You’ve been putting up with my stuff just way to long. I’m so gifted at finding what I don’t like the most, so I think it’s time or us to have a text.
(5:50 PM):
Gumby? Why the heck not! Any chance it is Dan Dakich in that get up?
(6:29 PM):
Yoi need to do something about this pjing situation.. You wont believe this [stuff].
(6:32 PM):
We got all the way in only to be directed out on the other side b/c they were [extremely] full. This is [ridiculous].
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