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

Talking points

March 23, 2009 by Mike Casazza

– Their male counterparts unable to complete a comeback Friday, the WVU women came from ahead to lose Saturday.

– Every year, WVU baseball starts hot in nonconference play then plummets in the Big East. This year, the Mountaineers are off to a 3-0 start in the conference.

– Spring football starts Tuesday.

– Mehgan Morris, all-around champion.

– Remember this? Well, they do call that in college basketball. I saw it two other times this weekend … once by a Big East ref. Also of note from the opening weekend: lane violations on free-throw attempts, charge-count-the-basket and random interpretations of the confusing goaltending rule.

Back later for a review of Dayton.

Ebanks no enigma

March 20, 2009 by Mike Casazza

I think the most noticable thing Devin Ebanks has done this year is smile after dunking over Pitt’s Jermaine Dixon in the Big East Tournament. He’d been so buttoned-down all season that a rather brief and nondescript show of emotion was actually very revealing.

Turns out there’s more of that than we know.

“He is a clown, honestly. He is always joking around. Everybody in the locker room, they come around him, you know. And he’s just a joy to be around pretty much. That’s pretty much what I can say about the team. Everybody just loves being around him. He makes everybody smile and laugh.”

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“This is my Twitter thumb!”

by Mike Casazza

 Bill Stewart, Twitterati.

Wiseguy likes WVU to win 3

March 19, 2009 by Mike Casazza

And when I say  “wiseguy,” I mean professional gambler Alan Boston. To be truthful, Boston’s faith in WVU resides mostly in the fact he likes North Dakota State to beat Kansas.

“Now, I like North Dakota State because when Tim Miles first started that program he recruited all these freshman. They went into Marquette and won and went to Wisconsin and won. Now they are a veteran team and they are playing a team loaded with young players. They are very well coached and Kansas isn’t. This would be a culmination of all that time they spent together. I expect their gameplan will be laid out better than Kansas’ will. Bill Self is no idiot, but I like the other coach better.”

False start (Update)

by Mike Casazza

Details still coming in, but looks like WVU had a heck of a time getting to Minneapolis. The team was supposed to leave early last evening and check into the hotel some time around 10 p.m. Probably earlier. Turns out they didn’t leave until after midnight and didn’t check in until around 4 a.m. In  between? Bowling, Dairy Queen and trying desperately not to turn this into a crutch, an excuse, a burden.

I’m not sure this is the same charter company the team always uses, which would be unfortunate. Then again, maybe it’s the start of something big.

(Update follows.)

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Say it ain’t so. “NOOOOO!”

by Mike Casazza

Gus Johnson (allegedly) had a bad time in Memphis last week and was (apparently) involved in some sort of something. Hopefully, nothing comes of it that’ll keep Gus from making Minneapolis special. You can’t have March without his madness.

Apropos

March 18, 2009 by Mike Casazza

So much for the first question I’d like to ask new WVU president James Clements.

More than 10 days after it picked him as its new president, West Virginia University has yet to sign a contract with James P. Clements.

That’s awesome. In fairness — and believe me, this is not to be self-congratulatory because I wish it never happened — I’ve studied and written enough about contracts to know it’s not a big deal it’s not as catastrophic as it is made to seem.

There’s surely a terms and conditions agreement in place, which has all the bones, but not the organs, so to speak, of an employment agreement. And, of course, Clements doesn’t take over for a while, so there is time. But still …

Back to the order of the day: Getting to Minneapolis and my hotel that proudly advertised its outdoor pool. This’ll take most of the day, but tomorrow and Friday will be full of first-round stuff, especially Friday since the Daily Mail doesn’t publish on Saturdays. Sssshhh. Our secret.

So let’s have at it. Questions, comments and concerns on the game are welcome. I’ll check in as often as I can. Away we go, sponsoredy by “Dayton graduates coaching in the NCAA Tournament who look forward to a sideline catwalk competition in the second round against Jay Wright.” (This is going to happen and the NCAA will rack in a suddenly interested ratings demographic.)

Mike Brey has your bracket

March 17, 2009 by Mike Casazza

I thought it merited mention WVU played six games against the No. 1 seeds in this year’s tournament … and, really, was never beaten soundly. I think it definitely deserves stating maybe no one is as familiar with the No. 1s as is Notre Dame, which is probably one reason the Fighting Irish will be watching on TV this week.

As you fill out your bracket, Mike Brey would like a moment of your time.

I think all four No. 1 seeds will reach the Final Four. That may seem bland, but it happened last year. Let’s go with Louisville to cut down the nets as the national champion.

My Fighting Irish beat Louisville by 33 points on Feb. 12, and the Cardinals have not lost since. So when they win the national title, Coach Rick Pitino can thank me for the jump-start.

Gus Johnson

by Mike Casazza

Gus and Len Elmore are calling the games in Minneapolis. This means four things:

1) Kansas is in trouble against North Dakota State. Gus always has an upset.
2) I might give up my courtside seat and watch on TV in the media room.
3) If you can’t make it to Minneapolis, this is the best you can do.
4) You need to ask the bartender to turn the TV up. Way up.

Of course, you also have to be prepared for your game to be incredibly tense and trade momentum 20 times in the final five minutes until it’s decided by a running 55-footer at the buzzer. It just happens with Gus. “Ha-haaaaa!”

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Reuinted: Huggins and Minneapolis

by Mike Casazza

Site of the 1992 Final Four … but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Asked on a conference call Monday afternoon about his memories of Minneapolis, Huggins thought back for a moment, then answered:

“We lost twice.”

In the Final Four he was beat by — Michigan.

Hold the boos for a moment, won’t you.

His first trip to Minneapolis came as head coach at Akron in 1986, which was his first journey into the NCAA Tournament as a coach.

He lost that game in the first round to — Michigan.

You may now release the boos that the school which took Rich Rodriguez and John Beilein get every time they are mentioned in these parts.

“We lost to Michigan twice,” Huggins said.

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