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Casey Mitchell has been suspended. Again. The old violation of team rules. But seriously, good time to go on the road for Louisville and Cincinnati.
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The trip back from Charleston and the Capital Classic was not particularly enjoyable for WVU following the loss to Marshall, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t productive.
“Each person said what they thought they needed to do to help this team out and we told each other we were going to hold each other accountable for the things we said we were going to do,” said forward Cam Thoroughman.
For one Sunday in the Coliseum, the result of the conversation was clear. The Mountaineers played together on defense, guarded the 3-point line and were better in their matchup zone. They rebounded and created second and third chances. They took care of the ball and shared it on offense. They encountered what was almost an expected lull and escaped it.
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Bill Stewart’s modified employment agreement makes it pretty clear his days were numbered. This is not the finalized version of his new contract and some items will be cleaned up and presented in better detail, but the allegations levied by the NCAA obviously factored into how this all came together in November.
A lot to digest and to discuss. I am, as always, curious to see what you think.
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Apparently sophomore forward Dan Jennings got up and left the Coliseum, as well as the team, Sunday afternoon.
WVU Coach Bob Huggins said Jennings’ absence was “unexcused. Inexcusable. Never to be seen again, I guess.”
And then it got interesting. Huggins was asked if this was surprising and he replied thusly:
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The Old Gold and Blue will be back in black today and for the first time this season. WVU was 4-1 in the all-blacks last season. The loss? Duke in the Final Four.
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Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which opens today with some email:
Mike,
This depicts the unfortunate camera angle last night, and my view from the recliner.
B.
I guess the camera angles weren’t all that for the Capital Classic? If my score is correct, it’s “Things People Dislike About The Game 96, Things People Like About The Game 2.” And I’m not sure how much longer “Strongest Cheerleader Competition” can sustain its popularity. There was controversy Wednesday in what’s supposed to be a simple contest — male cheerleaders for each side hold female cheerleaders in their hands above their heads. Last one up wins.
Marshall won, but three women were holding one woman above their heads at the end. And Marshall had an extra team. People were legitimately upset when this happened.
Still, it’s pretty obvious that isn’t what tops the list of 96 or so things people don’t like. I received what I considered a pretty good email articulating the (possible) explanations for why the game is always so over-officiated. See if you agree:
The reason for the typically extraordinary number of fouls in the Marshall/WVU annual basketball game is something that can be researched and analyzed. It’s no mystery.
First, rivalry games are typically sloppy. This is especially true in football but also holds generally in other sports. In basketball, sloppy play translates into more fouls than usual. Why are rivalry games typically sloppy? Probably because more and atypical psychological factors are involved in rivalries, which bothers or breaks players’ concentration on the mechanics of the game.
Second, rivalry games are more likely to be intense and aggressive. Even if one side doesn’t get “up” for the game, the other side likely will be. Often both sides are especially jacked up. It seems Marshall almost always is. More intense and aggressive play in basketball typically means more fouls.
Third, the Marshall/WVU game (wholly unlike the Pitt/WVU rivalry game) is neither an Away game, nor a Home game, nor a Neutral Court game. It’s a Double Home game. Both teams essentially have Home-size and Home-fanatic crowds. Thus the dynamics are completely unique and unusually intense and chaotic, giving the game a kind of riotous atmosphere. This atmosphere carries over onto the floor and into both the players and referees (and coaches) minds and acts. Cam Thoroughman actually clapped enthusiastically after he got called as part of a double technical foul, a totally unique occurrence likely stemming from the unique atmosphere and circumstance of the M/WVU game. An especially chaotic or intense, riotous atmosphere will typically translate to more chaos on the floor, thus not only more fouls, but more inconsistent foul calls (which then translates into more fouls again because inconsistent fouls confuse players).
Now combine the effects of these three factors of the Marshall/WVU rivalry game: sloppy play, especially aggressive play, riotous atmosphere. The result is not unsurprising: chaos. Technical chaos. Relative chaos in the players, the refs, even the coaches and the crowd: and the ultimate result: a billion foul calls. Which is a situation that typically favors the underdog. Because it helps destroy the more talented team’s advantage in skill and technique.
These factors (and there are no doubt more) should be raised to the highest level of consciousness among the players and coaches and refs and fans, so that they may be overcome. At least the better team should want this. The underdog wants all the rivalry chaos it can get. WVU needs to wake up to the peculiar factors of this unique rivalry and learn how to master them.
Spot on, I say. But let’s not stop there. (Click the graphics to see them better.)
Attachment 1:
Here’s how you kill any momentum in a basketball game
Attachment 2:
Here’s ND-Cincy the same night by comparison (a lower scoring game, by the
way)
And that’s how we begin today. I literally had nothing to do with maybe the F Double’s best opening ever. I feel good.
Now, whatever you feel about the Capital Classic, the people who don’t like the game should probably get used to it. I can’t see the series going away. I can’t see it going home and gome — WVU doesn’t want/need to do that — and I can’t see Marshall accepting a 2-for-1 or something less than even because they do win in this series and generally provide a competitive, non-conference game that this season is good for WVU’s already-healthy RPI. Just a bad night, a curious lack of preparedness and a loss in a game WVU has lost before in the middle of a season that still turned out pretty good.
Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, get your facts straight.
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Marshall’s Johnny Thomas fell under his basket and injured his left ankle. Play was stopped after WVU missed a layup on the other end and a yell came from Marshall’s student section.
“Huggins, give him a hug.”
Ouch.
Under-the-radar moment of the night?
Flowers committed his second foul with 4:56 to go and something was thrown to the court from the side of the arena where WVU fans were seated.
An official grabbed the object and went to the scorer’s table and the public address announcer, Kennie Bass of WCHS TV, asked fans to not throw items onto the floor.
Herrion grinned, shook his head and covered his face.
I’m telling you, he was worth the price of admission, provided you could see around the heads in front of you to get a glimpse of Herrion.
And the sign of the night?
During the final media timeout, five Marshall students came down from their seats to the baseline and unrolled a large sign with a message directed at WVU’s athletic director.
“Luck: Play the game.”
Looks like it was Marshall’s night on and around the court.
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I’ve seen Bob Huggins coach a lot of games. I can only think of a few — a few — other occasions when I’ve seen Huggins as bothered by the officials as he was last night.
I’ve seen Tom Herrion coach one game. I can’t believe no one told me how fun that was going to be. Guy lives and dies on every bounce.
Back to Huggins, this is not to say he was most bothered last night — though he may have been — but I can only put his agitatedness in very small compartment. The body language, the gesturing, the resignation, the resentment, the lip reading, the things I could hear him say all made it clear he was an angry man.
So he was, of course, asked about it after the game.
“I really can’t say anything. I’d like to be able to say something because I’d have a whole lot to say.”
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In previewing last night’s 75-71 Marshall victory in the Capital Classic, we disclosed three keys:
