Time for West Virginia to Deliver

The athleticism is second to none, the length fills the court like few teams in the country, but the results have been less than great.  The West Virginia Mountaineers rolled into West Lafayette on New Years Day with an undefeated record.  They left with a tarnished reputation--perhaps it was too early to anoint the 'Eers.

Then there was a two point loss at Notre Dame.  Exactly the kind of loss that makes any hoops fan wonder if Dub-V has the focus to contend like an elite team.  The Fighting Irish shot 53.5% from the field against the notoriously "long" West Virginia squad.

A creative man could put together a nice reality show with Bob Huggins and Jim Boeheim spending an offseason together.  One, Huggins, a big sloppy guy with coaching stops at blue collar programs--Cinci, K-State, and now West Virginia.  You can almost see sweat dripping down his brow as he devours a Big Mac on the beach. 

Boeheim is the neurotic, professorial type with a career spent at the country club of the Big East.  I can see the vintage Boeheim 'squint of disbelief'--the same one that comes out every time a call goes the other--making an appearance when a greased up Huggins tracks sand across the carpet and drinks milk straight from Boeheim's carton before returning to the beach.   

Both coaches know how to win big games, but I think Huggins lives for a game like today's. A chance for his group of athletes to let it all hang out in their own arena against college basketball's establishment.

Much like the state and school Huggins represents, the big coach walks with a chip on his shoulder.  He gets knocked for being 'dirty,' a reputation that can be impossible to shed.  His teams have been labeled "Huggs Thugs," and he's produced a few guys as known for their personality as their skill: Kenyon Martin and Michael Beasley, for example. 

The Coliseum in Morgantown will be rocking today.  Thousands of West Virginians will be looking to send the country club contingent back to upstate New York--and good ol' Huggs? He'll be sweating up a storm on the sidelines, waiting to steal a sip from the Big East's best program.

Streak for the Cast pick of the Day: I took the Mountaineer's at home against the Cuse.  My streak is up to four after the Bobcats took down San Antonio last night.