The West Virginia Mountaineer women’s basketball team will faceoff against the Marquette Golden Eagles tonight at the WVU Coliseum. The tipoff will be at 7:00 pm. The game will be televised on West Virginia Public Television. It is in your best interests, however, to attend the game since it’s Dairy Mart Dollar Night. Just stop by any Dairy Mart around the Morgantown area to pick up a coupon that will get you $1 admission to tonight’s game. You’ll also be grateful to sit right close to the action when you get there. I’ll be there I hope thousands more will too.
The “Eers despite last week’s beatdown against UCONN moved up two spots to number 14 in this week’s AP Poll due in part to defeating then 14th ranked Notre Dame last Sunday. Marquette sports a record of 9-6 and 1-1 in the Big East. West Virginia, according to realtimerpi.com, has a nice ranking of 24 while Marquette’s is at 105.
Coach Mike Carey still has concerns about this game since just about a week ago the Golden Eagles took Top 5 rated Rutgers down to the wire before losing to the Scarlet Knights by four. Marquette is led by all-Big East guard Krystal Ellis. Ellis averages 19.6 points per game nearly doubling the 2nd best scorer on the team. For Yinka Sanni to own the frontcourt she must contain Svetlana Kovalenko as she averages 8.4 rebounds a game.
Statistically, Marquette doesn’t stand out anywhere so if WVU can play like they did in the first half of the Notre Dame game for 40 minutes this should be a rout as long as they contain Ellis. Let’s support the women’s team tonight. It’s just one dollar if you go to Dairy Mart to get the coupon and bring it to the Blue Gate. Good luck women’s team and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!
That’s me and Coach Huggs at the Regatta Bar and Grill. I highly recommend being there since I got free food and beer tonight. Thanks Lauren for the awesome snapshot!
Here’s Tony C, Jaybird (who I ran into during one of their breaks. Very nice guy. Very humble) and Coach Huggs.
Breaking News at the Charleston Gazette: They are reporting that Dick Fraud has stolen and/or shredded papers/file pertaining to every WVU player. Sounds like Rich is playing dirty now. Not only did he leave his team high and dry but he stole papers and information that was property of WVU.
We’ve all been fired or quit a job, and we all know that you have to leave the red stapler!
MORGANTOWN - West Virginia officials are wondering if assistant coaches aren’t all that Rich Rodriguez took with him to Michigan. They believe he may also have destroyed all or most of the paperwork files relating to every player on the current Mountaineer roster and virtually all of the activities conducted by the program over the past seven years.
Soon after returning to work after the Fiesta Bowl a little more than a week ago, the staff at the Puskar Center found that most of the files - including all of the player files - that had been stored in Rodriguez’s private office were missing. In addition, all of the players’ strength and conditioning files in the weight room were gone.
“It’s unbelievable. Everything is gone, like it never existed,” said a source within the athletic department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Good, bad or indifferent, we don’t have a record of anything that has happened.”
According to the source, the files in Rodriguez’s office that are now missing included everything from records regarding summer camps - financial and otherwise - to data on boosters, recruiting and most everything related to activities within the program during Rodriguez’s seven years at WVU.
Most disturbing, though, is the absence of all of the players’ personal files, which included, among other things, contact information, scholarship money awarded, class attendance records and records on personal conduct and community service, be it positive or negative.
“If a player spoke to a school or did public service, we don’t have a record of it,” said the source. “If he broke a rule or missed class, we don’t have a record of that, either. We don’t have anything. All the good things these kids have done over the years, there’s nothing - not a picture of somebody speaking to a class, nothing. Why would somebody do that?”
West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong did not return a message seeking comment Monday night. Neither could Rodriguez be reached for comment.
Backup quarterback Jarrett Brown is getting real comfortable with his new team during practice and shootaround. Now the question would be whether or not Brown will get some immediate minutes. This is Coach Huggs take on the situation.
“He is going to come out and we’re going to try to get him as caught up as we can,” Huggins said. “I think he is gifted as an athlete. Hopefully, he is someone that in a short period of time we can put in the game. Physically, he is ready to play, and my problem is that, physically, the guys at the end of the bench are just not ready physically to play yet. We have to get some guys so much stronger, and I won’t have a strength problem with him.”
Now how does Brown fit into the rotation? He is listed as 6-4 220 pounds. He has about two and a half years of eligibility left since he is a redshirt sophomore. According to Scout.com he was a 2-star caliber point guard at Palm Beach Lakes High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. He made all-state in his senior season there. With Darris Nichols starting the 1 spot, Joe Mazzulla backing him up plus Truck Bryant coming to WVU next season I expect Brown to play either the 2 or 3 spot. He will get probably 15-20 minutes a game at most depending on how he much he understands Coach Huggs’ playbook or spelling someone who’s under serious foul trouble or even when Coach Huggs decides to play some small ball.
He can be physical when it comes to defense and rebounding but in no way he is the answer in the frontcourt. Sure there are some smaller players out there at one time or another who can be a beast on the boards and Brown sure has the tenacity to be able to do it. On the other hand he can stroke the three point shot. I’m not saying he’ll shoot as good as The Rainmaker but Read the rest »
I speak for every Mountaineer Fan when I say that words can describe how exciting it was watching Steve Slaton run the football for the Mountaineers. He will be greatly missed…. Not only for his running ability but for his leadership on and off the field. A class act any way you look at it.
Everyone here at WVMountaineerSports.com wishes you well Steve!
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!
SITE NOTE:I am going to put together a photo and video gallery to honor Steve Slatons years at WVU. Good luck in the NFL (I hope the Steelers pick you up so I can have a reason to like them!)
The West Virginia basketball team finished their brutal four-game stretch with a 81-61 beatdown over the Syracuse Orange. The Rainmaker was at it again as he scored 23 points off of 7 of 11 shooting from three. He led three other players in double figures.
The action in the first half was exhilarating to watch at times. To begin with Joe Alexander posted up, turned around and jumped over Arinze Onuaku to make the sick two-handed jam. (note to self: need to compile a Top 10 highlight video of Joe Alexander’s jams). Following that one, Wellington Smith beat his man off the dribble for the two-handed flush. Then came the highlight of the game as Syracuse was transitioning the ball down court only to find a wide open Rick Jackson underneath to what appeared to be a slam dunk. Out of nowhere, freshman John Flowers swatted the ball away from the hands of Jackson firing up the crowd. That swat fell into the hands of Darris Nichols who went coast to coast for the running floater. On the next possession, Flowers forced a turnover and fell once again into the hands of Nichols who then threw the ball to the Rainmaker in front of the ‘Cuse bench to drain the three making it 18-12 with 9:24 remaining. As the action went on Nichols started to torch the nets with a turn around J followed by, minutes later, a long trey over the stiff 2-3 zone and then he capped it off with a running 14 footer to gave the ‘Eers a 27-18 advantage with 3:04 remaining.
Ruoff was like Pacman Jones attending feature night at Scores. He rained back to back treys to give the ‘Eers a 13 point lead. To cap off the first half, Rainmaker missed a rare trey only to be tipped in by the waiting hands of Flowers as time ran out. That give the Mountaineers a 35-20 lead at the half.
WVU started the second half on a 7-2 run to lead by 21 at 42-21. Then the Rainmaker was at it again as he drained another one to take a 45-22 lead with 16:30 remaining in the game. The Orange tried to dictate their up-tempo style but West Virginia’s speed off the dribble and their aggresiveness was too much. The ‘Eers still gave up the offensive rebounds for put backs but not such a big deal this time as the Orange are pretty young and Devendorf’s injury doesn’t help matters for them either. The Rainmaker decided to rain some more threes to increase their lead to 26 at 76-50 with 5:30 left. To finish every last drop of that sweet OJ Rainmaker made a sweet dish to Flowers for the two-handed flush. Coach Huggs sent in the reserves and that was that.
West Virginia runs their record to 13-4 with a 2-2 Big East record while the Cuse falls to 12-5 with also an 2-2 Big East record. As I stated earlier Jarrett Brown has joined the basketball team and was dressed in a suit and tie on the bench. I’ll get more details about this in my next blog. In the meantime, WVU will play their next game Thursday night at The Coliseum to play the Red Storm of St. John’s. So we swept the doubleheader. What a great day to be a Mountaineer!
Breaking news here at wvmountaineersports.com. West Virginia’s backup quarterback Jarrett Brown has joined the Mountaineer basketball team and is dressed for the Syracuse game. More details to follow after the game.
WVU fans arriving for the men’s game against Syracuse treated themselves to a near heart attack as the Notre Dame women’s team nearly came back from a 22 point deficit to cut the lead to a single point with 1:22 remaining but the WVU women’s basketball team made all 8 free throws to barely get by the 14th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame 56-50. Meg Bulger led the ‘Eers with 17 points, 13 in the first half, while Yinka Sanni scored 15 points, 12 in the second half.
WVU shot out of the gate very aggressively as they broke out to a 17-4 lead. Their tenacious defense was by far their best as they held the Irish to 11 points with a frigid 18 percent from the field. WVU ultimately built their first half lead to 20 with the halftime score of 31-11.
Sanni took charge in the second half scoring WVU’s first 6 points to take the lead to 22 at 37-15 with 16:29 remaining. Notre Dame tried to make a considerable effort to comeback in the second half cutting the lead down to 14 at 39-25 but LaQuita Owens dropped a 3 from the left baseline to bring it back to 17 with 10:42 left. Notre Dame’s hard charging full-court in your face D gave the Irish ample opportunity to come back once again cutting the lead to single digits off a Brittany Mallory 3 pointer with 4:20 remaining.
As the half went on, the WVU women played real tight. They were playing not to lose as Coach Mike Carey would say afterwards. Then the Irish, just like that, rained a couple 3s from Charel Allen and Mallory once more to cut the lead to three at 44-41 with 2:26 left in regulation. Then some free throws were exchanged with the Irish down by a one. Then Sanni posted up at midcourt to catch Chakhia Cole’s inbound baseball pass and took the foul. A 62% foul shooter heading into the game she calmly hit 2 free throws to lead 52-48 with :25 seconds left. Notre Dame ran out of steam and the WVU women won the first game of the doubleheader.
This is only the second win vs the Irish in the series. Notre Dame still owns a 15-2 record against WVU. The women’s team will play the Marquette Golden Eagles Wednesday night at The Coliseum. Alright men’s team let’s sweep this doubleheader and make it a great day to be a Mountaineer!
This morning I opened up the Post Gazette (I live behind enemy lines in Pittsburgh) and on the back of the Sports section there is a huge half page ad for the Mountaineers! Good way to remind some of the recruits in the WPIAL that WVU is a team that can get you to the Big Game and win the Big East.. unlike sPitt… and we’re only 45 minutes down I-79!!!
Sure we’re excited that the Mountaineer men’s basketball team is facing the Orange of Syracuse Sunday afternoon but it is in your best interest to come to the Coliseum early. At high noon, the West Virginia women’s basketball team will face 14th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. WVU hopefully has licked all wounds of a beatdown laid by the Number 1 ranked UCONN Huskies Wednesday night to complete for this one.
To breakdown the Irish they have a record of 13-2 with those 2 losses to Top 5 powerhouses Maryland and Tennessee by an average of 20 points. They scored their first Big East win of the year against Louisville Tuesday night by the score of 82-74. The highlight for this game is who will win the battle between senior Yinka Sanni and the Irish’s top player Charel Allen. Allen averages 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Their defense is solid giving up 37% of their shots from the field and force 23 turnovers a game.
Seniors Chakhia Cole and Meg Bulger will need to step their game up to have a chance. Cole scored 7 points the other night vs UCONN and fouled out as well. Bulger shot 1 of 8 from the field vs UCONN. For West Virginia to win as a team they must control the ball and control Allen.
Please come out to this game Sunday. Coach Mike Carey will thank you for it and then save your strength for the Syracuse game. Let’s win this doubleheader. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS!
Breaking News at the Charleston Gazette: They are reporting that Dick Fraud has stolen and/or shredded papers/file pertaining to every WVU player. Sounds like Rich is playing dirty now. Not only did he leave his team high and dry but he stole papers and information that was property of WVU.
Backup quarterback Jarrett Brown is getting real comfortable with his new team during practice and shootaround. Now the question would be whether or not Brown will get some immediate minutes. This is Coach Huggs take on the situation.
The West Virginia basketball team finished their brutal four-game stretch with a 81-61 beatdown over the Syracuse Orange. The Rainmaker was at it again as he scored 23 points off of 7 of 11 shooting from three. He led three other players in double figures.
Loading ...
