No. 21 Mountaineers Seek Eighth Straight Win in Clash With Arizona

Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didnt already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure.

And if theres something we missed, be sure to talk about it in the comments.

WVU Men's Basketball: Snow Day Special | West Virginia University Athletics 9 inches of snow for $9 off Upper Baseline = $16 Tickets to the WVU vs.

Arizona Men's Basketball game on January 7th at 7PM! This is an online-only offer and this price will only be valid by purchasing through this link.

All sales are final, no refunds, returns or exchanges! FOOTBALL WVU football wide receiver Preston Fox announces retirement from playing football | Gold and Blue Nation Amid a wave of transfer portal news, one fan favorite from the West Virginia University football team is stepping away from the game.

Noel Devine hiring sends clear message | Blue Gold News While there is a new age edge to the feeling around West Virginia football now that a couple of weeks have rolled by since Rich Rodriguez was hired to bring the program back to prominence, there is also a twinge of nostalgia involved with it because it is obvious that the Mountaineers are trying to take two steps forward by taking one step back.

Jeff Casteel returns to WVU football staff as bandits coach | WV MetroNews The architect of several successful defensive units for the Mountaineers is back on staff at West Virginia University.

Jeff Casteel has been hired by Rich Rodriguez to coach WVUs bandits.

Dial Named Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations | West Virginia University Athletics Dial will direct and oversee the daily operations of the football office, manage budgets and expenditures, work with the administration on capital projects, plan and administer travel and work with senior administration on all football issues including policy, personnel and scheduling.

Rutledge Named Football Chief of Staff | West Virginia University Athletics Rutledge will implement strategic planning and staffing for the football office and oversee the areas of recruiting, operations, scouting and office administrative staff.

He will also serve as one of football's liaisons to various units in the Athletics Department including senior administration, marketing, digital media, development, communications, creative and student-athlete enhancement.

BASKETBALL West Virginia welcomes Arizona in search of eighth straight win | WV MetroNews While the Wildcats will almost certainly be opposing a different Mountaineer team than in the first meeting less than six weeks ago, Arizona has also changed since, and for the better.

WVU's Small collects multiple weekly awards | Gold and Blue Nation West Virginia University senior guard Javon Small has been named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, the NCAA March Madness Player of the Week and the Jersey Mikes Naismith Trophy Player of the Week for the week of Jan.

6.

Powell grows into a key role as West Virginia readies for Arizona | Blue Gold News Jonathan Powell had to endure the indignities that come with a freshman trying to find his varsity legs but with the backing of the coach and the staff, who believed in his talent and work ethic, Powell has become a force that opponents have to respect as he has moved into DeVries spot in the starting lineup.

Perimeter defense key in strong start under DeVries | WV MetroNews Making an average of 10.1 triples per game, West Virginia is 32nd nationally and third among Big 12 teams in that category while shooting 35.1 percent from deep.

Of perhaps even more importance has been the Mountaineers ability to defend the perimeter, with opponents having made 75-of-274 threes for 27.4 percent shooting from long range.

WVUs three-point defensive percentage is the best in the Big 12 and No.

8 nationally.

Mountaineers set for first two-game road trip in Big 12 play | WV MetroNews The normal rhythm and routine of the Big 12 Conference schedule now begins for the No.

17 West Virginia womens basketball team.

After playing nine games in the first four weeks of the season and then just three games over following next month, the Mountaineers will now settle into a pattern of two-game weeks over the next two months.

West Virginia Up One Spot to No.

17 in AP Poll | West Virginia University Athletics The West Virginia University women's basketball team moved up one spot to No.

17 in the 10th edition of the AP Top 25 Women's Basketball Poll, released on Monday.

WVU offense dips into portal again for Iowa TE | Blue Gold News Pascuzzi, who has one year of eligibility remaining, was with the Hawkeyes from 2201-24 as a walk-on.

After redshirting in his first season, the two-time Big Ten All-Academic selection played in a total of 22 games from 2022-24, recording two catches for 41 yards while seeing regular action as a blocker.

WVU portal incoming list grows with placekicker | Blue Gold News The flurry of incoming transfers to West Virginia's football team continued on Monday with Ethan Head, who previously was at Tulane.

He is the sixth player known to have announced commitments to WVU over the past two days.

Seattle Seahawks' Geno Smith Enjoys Career Day, Sets Stage For Interesting Offseason | Seattle Seahawks on SI Finishing the season with one of the best games of his NFL career, Geno Smith's future with the Seahawks will once again be under the microscope.

Zach Frazier Was The NFL's Best Pass-Blocking Rookie OL In 2024 | Steelers Depot Steelers C Zach Frazier finished the 2024 regular season as the best pass-blocking rookie OL in the NFL from a pressure-rates perspective.

Unbeaten Tennessee strengthens grip on No.

1 in AP Top 25 | ESPN Tennessee tightened its grip on No.

1 in the AP Top 25 on Monday following a pair of lopsided wins, including one over SEC rival Arkansas, that left the Volunteers as the only undefeated team in men's Division I college basketball.

NDSU extends FCS dominance, wins 10th championship in 14 seasons | ESPN Cam Miller ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more in his 54th consecutive start as North Dakota State's quarterback, and the Bison won their record 10th Football Championship Subdivision title, beating top-seeded and previously undefeated Montana State 35-32 on Monday night.

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