#147 R.P.I. west virginia @ #176 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

bourbonstreet and Will -freakin’- Stew’ the last time they walked outta Lane Stadium together…

b.street: “…can you suspend me for the wvu game?”
Will Stewart: “…laughing…”

b.street: “No, really, I’m just a little bit biased and I might just F-bomb them to death!”

Will Stewart: “…laughing………………..(just not laughing as much).”

Vegas Line: VT+3 points:
$-Line bet $1.65 on wvu to win $1, bet $1 on VT to win $1.9o
Total: TBA

Today’s word is … punk(ed)…

(noun) (pngk)

 

wvu Backcourt: (returning starters=2)
Juwan Staten and Erron Harris give wvu a decent and some would say respectable third-year backcourt duo. To be perfectly honest, neither of these guys bothered me much coming into October training camp. However, after game#1, either they played way way over their collective 6-year heads; or I will owe them a cyber-tip of the hat comes March. Well if I wore a hat that is; because I have hair that is just too pretty for that; although I digress…

Juwan Staten does not have much hair, and Eron Harris looks a little bit like Pat Ewing (when yelling). Which he tends to do a lot of; although I digress…

Staten had some rocky moments last season and Harris was a surprise starter over Tony Henderson who sources report has some kinda severe shin-splits problem(s). If the athletic Henderson can go, he is the best long ranger sniper that wvu can deploy. A team leading 40% from beyond the arc prior to now says so, and yet he was only 3% better from the floor last campaign. Go fig’ on that? Staten led wvu in assists a year ago, with 300% more than anybody else –and additionally in G.P.A. (props on that). Staten is a Dayton transfer who plays stronger than he looks and is wvu’s best and most physical backcourt on-the-ball defender. He is wvu’s fastest backcourt baller and he also was 0% from 3-point range last year which tells you something regarding his lack thereof. Harris however was wvu’s leading scorer last season with 9.8 ppg and employs an acceptable range in the vicinity of 35% from downtown and is said to be a highly coachable player with an outstanding basketball background as a scholastic program pedigree and staff mutually go.

wvu Frontcourt: (starters back=1)
Two major departures; at least in terms of prototypical or traditional Big East 5-Position (Pt.G, SG, S/F, P-F, C) ballers depart here. The entire inaugural Big-Twelve Huggy-bear recruiting class was frontcourters and nothing less frountcurters either. Yes, they are all 18-19 year old D-1 rookies. Although after scouting wvu’s first two games personally, I can inform you that most of them can already Big-12 defend, and a couple of them can absolutely already D-1 shoot. 

Nathan Adrian is a homegrown and quite literally a hometown rookie who can flat-out shoot the rock! You leave this guy open from about 20′ at your very own 3-point peril. This kid may have something of a slower Bill Lambieer looking lower trajectory release (less the double leg kick); though he could possibly be the best pure shooter on the floor from 1 to 3pm on Tuesday. I kid thee not. Kevin Noreen was merely an ex-Minnesota Mr. Basketball with an all-’round skill-set to match. 39 ppg in high school says so as this is another wvu big that you leave open your twine”s very own peril. Top-marks as an all-Big-12 academic pick too boot; and you have to keep wondering just how close this Noreen kid is to breaking out in collegiate terms? Devin Williams is a rugged interior rebounder who arrived with a likewise rugged (6.8” 256 lb.) D-1 ready, play right away physique. This rookie may be more parts black-n-blue Big East and less parts style or Big-12. However, he is the most substantial wvu frontliner and he will not be any easy match-up on the glass for a unspecified Vee.Tee reasons. And just selfish is all of that? Though I digress…

wvu Bench: (depth=3 deep)

• Remi Debo: Frenchy JuCo transfer who netted 41% of his 3’s a year ago as more of a true-Wing who can flat-out put the biscuit in the basket; when his trick-knee is up for some treats
• Gary Browne: Puerto Rican native who started off-and-on at Pt.G last season, lacks range at 32% from the floor and 20% from 3-point land
• Brandon Watkins: legacy Hall of Fame prodigy (Uncle) eer, shot-blocking defender from the Four who can run the floor
• (Henderson -if available- would make wvu 4-deep one way or another…)

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:
Last time out (Friday night) wvu only fielded 8 scholarship players on-court; and this from a zero senior year player’s basketball club. wvu has been picked to finish in the vicinity of seventh in the 10 team Big-12 via most pre-season magazines. Comparatively, Virginia Tech was picked fifteenth of 15 in the A.c.c………or was that code for fifth in the Atlantic Sun; I forget… and/or digress…

wvu is prolly a 70% favorite here; maybe closer to 80%. And yet wvu is busing 252 miles for a very sleepy looking 1pm tip-off in what appears to be a quasi-wvu home date inside a Cassell Coliseum where most fans will be cleverly disguised as seats.

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 And that right there is our one chance to avoid an old-gold-n-blue dumpster fire here on TSL sports-fans! Catch a superior wvu basketball team napping; catch them early and jump out to an opening 10 minute lead and nursemaid that nappy looking advantage all the way home. That’s what underdogs at home need, a little leash and play from ahead slack; as the last thing coach J’s boy’s need to do is to have to chase.

Anything else is a milquetoast approach to a rivalry game in which we are facing a superior and downright hateful opponent who wants nothing better than to ESPN made for TV throat-slash all of us. If you can’t take the heat, get the hell outta Owens Dining Hal kitchen!

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Dateline August 2004 | Jamerson Athletic Center:

The last time I had to tell a Virginia Tech revenue coach that they were about to get beat like a drum it went something like this…

b.street: “If you don’t go up there (Mo’town Wv.) with a willing to fight to the bitter death attitude, you’re gonna get your ass kicked!”

Coach Beamer: (down playing it, and/or trying to play it off…)
“Well, we will try to be ready and….blah-blah-blah.”

Hells-bells, even our very own fearless leader Will Stewart just had to get in on the act with a message board bet with me; after someone who looks a whole helluva a lot like me; said infamously on the TSL.com football MB; and I qoute:

“…wvu is gonna punk us!”

10-4, Roger that, and ‘fraid so.

Same as last year Coach J’s, BOHICA buddy! Or just lay there and let wvu enjoy it!

 

Virginia Tech=55, wvu=74

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**