First Entry/Comments on WVU vs Ohio St.

Greetings.

As a fairly avid sports fan, I finally decided to start this blog so I could vent and share my feelings, predictions, and opinions of my favorite teams. This will mostly entail West Virginia Mountaineers football and basketball, though I will also touch on Atlanta Braves Baseball and Phoenix Suns basketball. Now, not to waste time.

Today's West Virginia vs. Ohio State basketball game started out in the same sluggish fashion West Virginia fans are becoming uncomfortably accustomed to. Lethargic defense, stagnant offense. No energy. Too much dribbling on O. The Buckeyes jumped on top early and controlled the first half, as Evan Turner systematically picked apart the Mountaineer defense. OSU led by 12 at halftime and the hometown fans feared for the worst. However, unlike in games against Seton Hall, Purdue, and Syracuse, West Virginia came out inspired in the second half. They moved the ball well against OSU's zone, using a high post man at the top of the key to distribute the ball to shooters. DaSean Butler made the clutch shots he needed to, and Kevin Jones was strong on the glass with 11 boards. Defensively, WVU controlled Turner in the second half, allowing him just 5 points after intermission. Joe Mazzulla, who continues to show incredible toughness game in and game out, hounded Turner, who all but ran over Mountaineer defenders on several occasions to no call from the officials. Another noteworthy fact was that the Mountaineers did not catch up on a single huge run fueled by momentum and a highly partisan home crowd, but rather by a steady and relentless effort on defense and a patient and effective offense. If West Virginia can start playing entire games like they played the second half today, they really will be the final four contenders the preseason media talked them up to be.
P.O.G. - DaSean Butler: 21 pts. 8 rebs. 5 assts. 1blk.

Also, over the next month or two, I will be counting down the best Mountaineer football wins of the decade, from 2000-2009.