Long time WVU fans know that the Mountaineers have a tendency to not make things easy. Whether it is watching a 20+ point lead dwindle to single digits (like the regular season finale against UCF), or dropping their Big 12 tournament opener to #16 seed Colorado, West Virginia went from a shoo-in to make the NCAA tournament, to sweating things out. Mountaineer fans have long memories when it comes to the selection committee deciding to snub WVU, so when they stumble down the stretch and leave some doubt, it makes fans uneasy.
The women’s basketball team, however, did not hurt their chances at their Big 12 Tournament. They knocked off a good Kansas State team that will make the tourney, before playing eventual Big 12 Champ TCU tough in the semifinals. They didn’t do enough to give a big boost to their tournament seed, but again, they did nothing to hurt their seeding.
The baseball team had its best start since 1964, when they began the season 18-0. They finally lost after 13 wins to start the season, and they stand 15-1 as they begin the Big 12 season (the first series was at Oklahoma State this past weekend). They are ranked in most of the human polls, but their RPI is hurt by a strength of schedule which is ranked outside the top 200. Obviously, conference play will do a lot to improve WVU’s strength of schedule, but they will need to do well against the good conference teams to show they can beat more than the weakest teams. WVU has a legitimate goal of hosting at least a region in the NCAA tournament (which would be a Top 16 seed), and to do that they will need to finish near the top of the Big 12 standings.
The wrestling team is having its national championships this weekend. They had a very successful Big 12 Championships, where they had two champions for the first time ever (Jett Strickenberger and Peyton Hall). Two others (Jordan Titus and Ian Bush) placed well enough to earn automatic bids to the NCAAs, and one more (Dennis Robin) was an at-large pick. So five WVU wrestlers will be in Philly this weekend competing at the NCAA Championships. Strickenberger is seeded 6 at 125, and Hall is the second seed at 165. Rounding out the lineup are Titus (#31 at 141), Robin (#28 at 184) and Bush (#30 at 197). If it weren’t for injuries, WVU could have easily had two more wrestlers qualify – which would have been the most in a season since 2008).
The rifle team competed at the NCAA Championships last weekend. After the first day, they were in third place, just five points out of first place Alaska-Fairbanks and four behind second place Kentucky. But on the second day, WVU came through and beat Kentucky by one point, while Alaska faltered, and WVU won National Championship #20!! That ended an eight-year drought for the most decorated team in NCAA rifle history.
That wasn’t the only NCAA title WVU won on Saturday. Ceili McCabe wrapped up WVU’s Indoor Track and Field season by winning her first NCAA Championship in the 3000m run. McCabe outdueled the 5000m champ (and NCAA Cross Country champ from the fall) Doris Lemngole from Alabama. McCabe became WVU’s second NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champion, and fourth overall. Congratulations to both the Rifle team and Ceili McCabe!
Notes: Javon Small was named to the All-Big 12 first team. He is just the fourth Mountaineer to earn that distinction, following Juwan Staten, Jevon Carter, and Derek Culver. Also, Sincere Harris was on the All-Defensive team for the Big 12…On the women’s side, JJ Quinerly was named to the All-Big 12 First team, and was the Defensive Player of the Year. Jordan Harrison made the all-conference Third Team, and Kyah Watson was honorable mention All-Conference, plus she joined Quinerly on the All-Defensive team…In a shocker, the WVU men did not make the NCAA tournament. They were the first team out, just behind UNC – the last team in. WVU will compete in the NIT….The women’s team earned a 6-seed. On Saturday, the will face the winner of the Columbia vs Washington opening round game. The winner of WVU’s game will go on to face the winner of the UNC vs Oregon State game on Monday. All games will be at Chapel Hill, NC.
