2014-03-03



Spring practice opens, women get huge win over Baylor, baseball sweeps tournament, hoops notes, Big 12 roundup & more



Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's nationally recognized best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by To Øl Snowball Saison Ale.

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Now: Monday, Mar. 3 - WV MetroNews
Chase Connor discusses his career-game while Devin Williams shares the adjustment he’s been making down in the paint over the last month.

Baseball Sweeps Tourney with Win - WVU Athletics
WVU sweeps the weekend tourney in Myrtle Beach.

No. 1 Rifle Wins Fifth Straight GARC Title! - WVU Athletics
The No. 1- ranked West Virginia University rifle team shot a two-day total of 4700 and won its fifth straight Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships by a 28-point margin

Mountaineers Score Season High in Win - WVU Athletics
The WVU gymnastics team defeated No. 22 Ohio State with season-high score.

These NCAA Football Concept Uniforms Are Incredible - Total Frat Move
Yes, WVU is included

A second chance for WVU? - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Which leads an inquiring mind like mine to wonder if Dana Holgorsen doesn't succeed as WVU's head football coach if Rodriguez would be considered for his er, second coming.

Women's Hoops:

Mountaineers Battle Bears to Victory - WVU Athletics
The No. 11/10 West Virginia women’s basketball team defeated No. 6/5 Baylor 71-69, Sunday

Video: West Virginia stuns Baylor in Waco - WV MetroNews
Sunday's Big 12 showdown at the jam-packed Ferrell Center saw the No. 11 Mountaineers pull off epic upset.

West Virginia hands Baylor first Big 12 loss at home since 2010 - ESPN
Ever the self-proclaimed downer, West Virginia coach Mike Carey was quick to tell his No. 11 Mountaineers they still have one more game before being able to at least have a share of the Big 12 title.

WVU springs late trap on No. 6 Baylor for monumental win - WV MetroNews
The No. 11 Mountaineers prevailed 71-69, snapping Baylor's 35-game home conference winning streak.

HERTZEL COLUMN: WVU’s tough win over BU was special - Times West Virginian
The biggest victory in the history of West Virginia women’s basketball was also the toughest, and that is what made it so special.

West Virginia Mountaineers right at home in Big 12 Conference - ESPN
In its second season in the Big 12, West Virginia has won its way into second place in the league.

News of Note:

Hoops

Walk-on Frosh Gives WVU Big Lift - WVU Athletics
Connor's 3s provide boost to Mountaineers.

Connor's Hard Work Pays Off for WVU - WVillustrated
Mountaineer walk-on makes an impact beyond practice in WVU's win over TCU, shows what his teammates already knew.

WVU basketball: Mountaineers show some positive signs down the stretch - Charleston Daily Mail
There were some encouraging late-season signs Saturday as West Virginia avoided only the third four-game losing streak in Bob Huggins' career by beating lowly TCU.

Mountaineers’ NCAA push entering home stretch - Charleston Gazette
With a roster that for two weeks now has included just eight healthy scholarship players, West Virginia has needed help from unexpected sources.

Spring Football

WVU releases spring depth chart - WV MetroNews
West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen unveiled a spring practice depth chart on Sunday, with one rather notable omission.

WVU football: Spring begins with several questions - Charleston Daily Mail
On the day when he hoped to begin finding the most important answers during his time on campus, West Virginia football coach Dana Holgorsen was well aware of the biggest questions.

Dana Holgorsen Spring Practice Remarks - WVU Athletics (autoplay audio)
WVU coach previews first day of spring ball.

WVU Opens Spring Practice - BGN
Three months after its 2013 season came to a close in Morgantown, the West Virginia football team took to the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility on a snowy Sunday afternoon to kick off spring practice.

West Virginia notebook: Snow doesn't stop start of spring practice - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The weather outside was frightful, indeed, but there was a buzz Sunday afternoon inside the Caperton Indoor Facility as West Virginia opened spring camp with its first practice.

Holgorsen vows team will ‘work harder’ as spring practice opens - Times West Virginian
It is a team trying to bounce back from a disastrous 4-8 season a year, and it is being born with high hopes for a big-time bounce-back season.

Five key question going into West Virginia spring football drills - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
After West Virginia’s disappointing 4-8 season, athletic director Oliver Luck reaffirmed his trust in coach Dana Holgorsen but said he had "high expectations" for the 2014 season, which opens Aug. 30 against Alabama in Atlanta.

Spring practice primer: 5 big questions facing West Virginia - WV MetroNews
From evaluating an undersized QB to deploying a nickel-based defense, Allan Taylor breaks down the key topics facing the Mountaineers.

Holgorsen Opens Spring Practice - EerSports
Today marked the first day of West Virginia’s spring practice, but the weather in and around Morgantown was not very "spring-like." With snowing pouring down and multiple inches already on the ground, canceling practice was considered… but not for very long.

Holgorsen's Take: Spring Practice 3-2-14 - WVSports.com
West Virginia were greeted with snow and blustery conditions as the Mountaineers opened spring drills Sunday afternoon, but head coach Dana Holgorsen said that both the coaches and team just couldn't wait any longer to get things started.

Spring Practice Report: 3-2-14 - WVSports.com
It was the first practice of spring football for the West Virginia Mountaineers Sunday after, and while the temperature kept falling outside of the Puskar Center, play heated up in the Caperton Indoor Facility as players took to the field to shake off the offseason rust.

Quick Hits: WVU Opens Spring Football in Snow - WVillustrated
News, notes and video from the first of 12 spring practices for the Mountaineers in preparation for the 2014 season.

Gibson on assignments: Cogdell working with linebackers, Bradley takes D-line - WV MetroNews
New defensive coordinator specifies roles of assistants as WVU preps to open spring practice.

Howard gets opportunity to take charge - Exponent Telegram
"If you don’t believe you can, who will?" — A tweet from Skyler Howard, WVU QB

Mountaineer OC Dawson a converted West Virginian - Register-Herald
When offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson looks around the practice field today as West Virginia University kicks off its 2014 spring drills, he’ll surely feel a little out of place.

BGN Video: Spring Drills - BGN
West Virginia kicked off the first of three mandatory unpadded practices Sunday afternoon despite inclement weather. Here, a look at quarterbacks, running backs, the offensive line and special teams, the latter coached in part by Tom Bradley.

WATCH: WVU Coach Holgorsen Talks on First Day of Spring Football - WVillustrated
Watch full video of WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen as he addressed the media on the first day of Mountaineer Spring Football practices.

PHOTO GALLERY: WVU Football Starts Spring Practices - WVillustrated
Browse photos from the first day of 2014 West Virginia Football Spring practices.

Big 12 pre-spring breakdown: Final - ESPN
7. WEST VIRGINIA

WVSports.com TV: Spring Drills - WVSports.com

Around the League (and Beyond):

Baylor making case for NCAA tournament - Waco Tribune

Here's how to give Melvin Ejim the Cyclone send-off he deserves - Des Moines Register

No reason to celebrate: Jayhawks lose at OSU, win Big 12 outright - Lawrence Journal World

K-State hopes Iwundu’s struggles are behind him - Kansas City Star

Oklahoma basketball notebook: Sooners complete rare sweep of rivals Texas and OSU - Oklahoman (autoplay)

Oklahoma State basketball: Cowboys show they're still a force to reckon with - Oklahoman (autoplay)

Big 12 Race Tightens As Texas, Iowa State Lose On Road - Burnt Orange Nation

Realigned staff takes look at TCU quarterbacks - Dallas-Fort Worth Star Telegram

QB Michael Brewer to Transfer to Virginia Tech - Viva The Matadors

What's On Tap:

Kansas State Wildcats vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys - ESPN
9 pm tonight from Gallagher-Iba on ESPN/ESPN3

Video of Interest:

Coach Randy Mazey shares postgame thoughts after the Mountaineers defeated James Madison, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a Brazilian beauty. CLICK HERE for today's gallery of Analu Campos.



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