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

Gumby, three bare-chested men say ‘Beat Pitt’

February 7, 2011 by Mike Casazza

And so we begin. The Coliseum is ready. Are you?

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Picked a good day to take this approach

by Mike Casazza

OK, so Ashton Gibbs and his 16.3 points per game are gone tonight and Pitt’s offense, which is No. 2 in the Big East in scoring, will be affected as it goes up against WVU, which is  No. 1 in scoring defense and No. 4 in field-goal percentage defense in Big East games.

Prior to that, though, the idea was — and probably still is — the Mountaineers cannot simply lean on rebounding and defense and expect to win. They’ll have to outwardly outscore some of the remaining opponents.

WVU’s demanding stretch of games to end the season began with the Wildcats, who were the first of seven ranked opponents in the last nine games.

Of the remaining six ranked teams, all six average more points than WVU. Five of the six have a better field goal percentage than the Mountaineers and the exception is seventh-ranked UConn. The Huskies have the conference’s second-leading scorer in point guard and national player of the year candidate Kemba Walker.

WVU has had trouble containing opposing guards. Saturday Villanova’s Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns combined for 33 points and nine assists. They made 12 of 21 shots and 5 of 8 3-point attempts.

“There will definitely come a point in time where we’d like to, but we won’t be able to hold every team to under 50 or 60 points,” West Virginia forward Kevin Jones said. “That’s the time we have to take advantage of our opportunities and score more than we have.”

369 days ago today

by Mike Casazza

We remember last season’s WVU-Pitt game at the Coliseum for a variety of reasons and most of them are ugly and forgettable. Yet that was also the night Deniz Kilicli’s 20-game suspension ended and he introduced himself with nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. In honor of certain full-circleness, behold the Turk doing what he does when what he does isn’t basketball.

Bat signal: TFGD?

by Mike Casazza

Texts From Game Day?

Your call … though I’d wager to think everyone is all in, what with this being Pitt. At home. On ESPN. With leading scorer Ashton Gibbs out with a knee.  

But, as in most things here, it’s up to you.

Saturday free-for-all

February 5, 2011 by Mike Casazza

More WPA2 problems so no live blog today. My Apologies. Write your local congressperson. And write along today to help the few who somehow don’t have ESPN.

Just a few pregame notes:

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Friday free-for-all

February 4, 2011 by Mike Casazza

No Feedback. Most of the items were addressed within the comments and in yesterday’s chat, but I’m also working on something and have a flight to Philadelphia later.

I won’t leave you empty blogged, though. Fun little activity, courtesy Sam:

“A team of Huggins-coached Beilein players against a team of Huggins-coached Huggins players. Discuss.”

Uh, yes. Will do.

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Edit: Live chat at 2 p.m. today

February 3, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Sorry if this messes up your Outlook calendars. I know I said 1 p.m. yesterday, but I forgot the new football coaches are meeting with the media from 12:30-1 p.m. today. Let’s get interrogative at 2 p.m. Here’s your link for the live event, as well as for your pre-emptive submissions into the queue.

Plenty to talk about today, including all the ins and outs of signing day, last night’s very ugly basketball spectacle, the immediate future for basketball, the prolonged future for the football recruits and all the other shenanigans I’m sure you’ll offer. Do not disappoint.

This is it until then. See you there.

Throw your hands in the air

February 2, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Signing day is in bed. The signing period lasts through April 1 and you might see some more people added as WVU moves closer to the NCAA limit of 25. Briefly about that, the Mountaineers had plans to sign more than 17 and at least three players surprised them or let them down today — and that doesn’t count Jermichael Selders. The relationship between player and school dissolved gradually and amicably.

That’s one of many things we can go over in our 1 p.m. chat tomorrow.For now, prepare thyself for Herb Pope, Jeremy Hazzell and Seton Hall.

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Here’s what everyone is bonkers about today

by Mike Casazza

Behold, the National Letter-of-Intent. 

I’m off to the press conference to see people talk about kids signing these things.

Dustin Garrison weathers life and all it’s handed him

by Mike Casazza

Dustin Garrison is small for football, a mere 5 feet, 8 inches and 165 pounds. Some people I’ve talked to say that’s a stretch, by one measure or both. Watch the film and you can tell he can see and run and run away. (Aside: There’s a 20-minute video of him out there. I may or may not have watched it after talking to the kid.)

Garrison also put up video game numbers as a senior at Pearland High, which was only the unbeaten state champion in the highest classification of Texas high school football. Yet he had no FBS scholarship offers and was talking himself into a career at Sam Houston State or Northwestern State or some other FCS school.

Then things changed for him when things changed at WVU. One day, not long before Christmas, Robert Gillespie called Garrison. The Oklahoma State running backs coach said he’d be taking a new job soon. He wouldn’t say where, but asked Garrison watch OK State in the Alamo Bowl. Garrison did and was impressed and then on his own discovered Gillespie was headed to WVU, a school Garrison had never once considered.

Wednesday he signed and sent his National Letter-of-Intent. He’ll try to wear No. 29 at WVU.

Why?

That, believe it or not, is where Garrison’s story gets really interesting and emotional.