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

‘I’m gonna google you and find nothing’

January 4, 2011 by Mike Casazza

That’s maybe the best trash talk I’ve witnessed and since I’m refreshing that today, it must mean one thing: WVU at DePaul!

It’s two 0-2 Big East teams in an 8 p.m. game on a Tuesday night, but it’s something I’ve been looking forward to for almost a year.

I packed my bags last night, pre-flight, for a 1 p.m. plane ride to Chicago today. I’ll check in once I hit the hotel. You might see official word on the hirings of Bill Bedenbaugh, Shannon Dawson and Robert Gillespie today. Or not. Background checks are tricky. I’m told all three are en route.

To build momentum, WVU will rebuild WVU

by Mike Casazza

Well, not a lot. For example, I don’t expect to see changes in the starting lineup or the rotation when the Mountaineers play DePaul tonight. The winner leaves the loser in the Big East’s basement.

Yet Bob Huggins, who coaches the first WVU team to be 0-2 in the Big East since 2002, and just his third 0-2 conference team ever, has a few ideas. There may be some more 2-3 zone. He’s going to ask his guards to help the rebounding effort. He plainly stated Casey Mitchell and Deniz Kilicli need to get better. Oh, and for the love of Huggs, please pay attention to the scouting report or be prepared to pay the consequences in the form of playing time.

Continue reading…

So Pitt is a mess …

January 3, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Dave Wannstedt was fired, Michael Haywood was hired, recruiting tanked, Haywood was arrested and then fired and now Wanstedt has ever so nobly told his team he won’t coach Pitt in its bowl Jan. 8. Just an absolute disaster on multiple levels, particularly since Wannstedt was leaning toward this decision for a while now was allowed to wait this long to make a call.

Call me suspicious, but this seems like a textbook “Screw you” moment. He’s made decision-makers look bad and there’s nothing those people can do to him about it. I’d have to think Wannstedt either never wanted to enter this arrangement or recently convinced himself he can’t do it.

As such, I have to ask this with all seriousness: Does this — or should this? — resonate at all with Bill Stewart?

Three cheers for mustaches!

by Mike Casazza

Couldn’t be more proud of WVU’s sports marketing department today.

They were kind of put under the microscope in the preseason with the NCAA grant and the unprecedented expectations and questions about how those folks would make the most of the situation. That story contained news about the comic book, Hoops-N-Heels, Carey’s Crew Kid’s Club and ticket promotions like a flex plan and “Think Pink.”

No one ever mentioned mustaches. Never.

It was “Mike Carey Mustache” Day at the Coliseum as West Virginia’s No. 6-ranked Mountaineers took on Central Connecticut State in their final tune up for the Big East season, each young fan in the crowd of 2,513 being given a mustache upon entry.

By halftime it appeared as though Carey would have to give mustaches out to his players as disguises to escape what surely would be an angry mob, for not in all the days that this building has stood — even in the lowest days of the Alexis Basil regime — had a game deteriorated to such low levels.

How about your 0-2 defending Big East Tournament champs?

by Mike Casazza

Only Providence, South Florida, DePaul and WVU are 0-2 in the Big East … and one of those last two will be 0-3 tomorrow night. Obviously, that’s not the company the Mountaineers want to keep. Not because those other three have been poor-performing teams the past few seasons — though they have, while WVU has not — but because it’s hard to get out of a hole in the Big East.

Say the Mountaineers lose to the Blue Demons. An 0-4 start would seem quite possible with an 11 a.m. tip Saturday at Georgetown.

Continue reading…

Two assistants on the way

January 2, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Sources report Shannon Dawson has cleared WVU’s standard background check and Bill Bedenbaugh is currently being researched. Dawson is an official addition and Bedenbaugh is headed in that direction.

A story is coming at charlestondailymail.com.

Continue reading…

Ringing in the new year early

January 1, 2011 by Mike Casazza

9:58 am: Greetings and a happy 2011 to you. Live from the Bradley Center, in Milwaukee, Wisc., where I’m spitting distance from the WVU bench. I might get in today.

Continue reading…

Never fails

December 30, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Continue reading…

He’ll have a Red Bull, I’ll have a Nestea

by Mike Casazza

Got off the plane last night and turned on my phone to see the Oklahoma State score. Oddly enough, it was 23-7 — in the second quarter. Then I got home in time to see the remainder of the game and essentially in-game commercials for Dana Holgorsen, WVU and, of course, Red Bull. This is going to be fun, I think.

I’m going into the attic today and won’t be back in this space until Saturday, when Bob Huggins returns to the Bradley Center for the first time since that memorably ugly game against Marquette two years back. A 10 am game ought to be fun there. No Friday Feedback tomorrow, but we’ll start fresh when the calendar flips.

Which reminds me, how about a resolution for everyone here: Let’s make our comments less about bickering and more about snickering, more about expositions and less about explosions. I don’t mind discourse and debate. In fact, I encourage it, but not to the point we keep getting caught in a carousel. This is a place where everyone is free to bring their thoughts to the table. Sometimes people will ask for a scoop of this idea, but aren’t going to want a slice of that one … and there’s nothing wrong with that. We’ve got a great thing here. Let’s keep it great.

Meanwhile, here’s to the future. That of WVU football and of WVU basketball, both of which look a little different today and could change some more as we travel onward.

Texts from the Champs Sports Bowl

December 29, 2010 by Mike Casazza

(Just so we’re clear, Eu will have surgery in January and sooner rather than later on that same left foot he’s had cut on twice before. I’m told it’s not too serious — he wasn’t playing with a debilitating injury all year — and he could participate in spring practice this season the same as he did last season. That’s not full-go, which is obviously less than ideal with Dana Holgorsen arriving, but he’s not being ruled out, either).

You might want to do one of those things where you make a “V”  with your left hand and cover your eyes, but leave enough room to peek through your fingers. This is a rough, though revealing edition of Texts From Game Day.

I got a majority of them in and, in truth, every one sent by a number of people. And, per usual, it’s on point.

Tuesday night was a bad night for West Virginia University. A lot of the presumptions and the stereotypes, the rumblings and the stated facts were bolded, underlined and italicized by the performance.

Everything that was bad or curious about the Mountaineers in 2010, everything that was suspected in bowl “preparation” became a contributing factor to the 23-7 loss. At the front was the very ineffective offense which once more let down the defense.

Continue reading…