3 Guys Before The Game

The clock is on AGAIN for West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker.  The search to find a replacement for Darian DeVries is Baker's fifth (basketball and football) in the last 24 months. That likely means this won't be a long search.  There's a built-in familiarity with candidates since only 51 weeks have passed since Baker last went to the market for a new men's coach.  In this episode, the "Gu...

Emergency podcast with reaction to Darian DeVries' departure to Indiana.

Initial disbelief has become anger for Mountaineer Nation. The NCAA selection committee's snub of West Virginia's basketball team has become a national story.  The sounds of discontent will soon be squelched by cheering when tournament games begin, but WVU's tournament denial will forever be a scar for Mountaineer fans.  In this episode, the "Guys" vent their frustration with a series of facts and...

It was a poor performance when it mattered the most.  West Virginia's elimination from the Big 12 Conference Championship was both surprising and deflating. A Mountaineer team that defied expectations all season suddenly lost its swagger.  Now what?  The good news is that WVU will still receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The question is whether they can rediscover their winning ways b...

An improbable season continues to get better for the West Virginia University basketball team.  The Mountaineers, picked 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll, have received an opening-round bye in this week's Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.  West Virginia earned the bye with a 72-65 win over UCF and Colorado's 76-56 victory over TCU.  WVU is seeded 8th and will meet the winner of the TCU-Colorado...

The Mountaineer basketball team will try to close a memorable regular season with a victory on Saturday against UCF.   A win would galvanize an already likely at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.  The outcome will also determine WVU's seeding in next week's Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.  In this episode, the "Guys" recap the victory at Utah and preview Saturday's sold-out game against UCF. ...

The Mountaineer basketball team hopes its defense and offense will travel.  WVU departs on a regular-season-ending road trip Friday with games at BYU and Utah. Will the lock-down defense and hot shooting displayed in its win over TCU come along for the ride? In this episode, the "Guys" dig deep into the victory over the Horned Frogs and preview Saturday's date at BYU.  Listener questions and comme...

The schedule is getting smaller and the games are getting bigger for the Mountaineer basketball team.  With four games to play, WVU needs at least two victories to maintain its NCAA tournament chances.  The next challenge is Tuesday when the Mountaineers host TCU.  The Horned Frogs beat West Virginia 65-60 in Fort Worth earlier this month.  TCU shot 23 free throws to WVU's five attempts.  In this...

A season-sweep over the Cincinnati Bearcats is exactly what the Mountaineer basketball team needed.   West Virginia's second-half rally enhances the WVU resume and provides much-needed momentum before playing at No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon.  In this episode, the "Guys" present a detailed breakdown of the victory over Cincinnati and preview the matchup against the Red Raiders.  Listener...

It's bounce-back time again for the WVU basketball team.  Saturday's loss at Baylor was another oh-so-close result that ended in defeat.   In this episode, the "Guys" recap Saturday's trip to Waco and preview Wednesday's massively important date at home against Cincinnati.  Listener texts and comments are featured in Textual Healing. 

It's back to Texas again for the Mountaineer basketball team. (Yes, again!) West Virginia plays its first and only regular season game against Baylor on Saturday in Waco.  It's a big game and a big challenge for the Mountaineers. Baylor is 11-1 at home this season.  In this episode, the "Guys" preview the matchup with the Bears and recap Tuesday's loss to BYU.  Listener questions and comments comp...

Challenge number one from the Utah delegation of the Big 12 Conference went well for the WVU basketball team.   The Mountaineers 72-61 victory over visiting Utah before a sold-out crowd was memorable.  It not only gave WVU its first ever victory over Utah, it also evened its Big 12 record at 6-6 with eight league games remaining.  The next challenge comes Tuesday when BYU visits the Coliseum for t...

It's bounce-back time, once again, for the Mountaineer basketball team.  Wednesday's loss at TCU was West Virginia's fourth loss in five games.  The 65-60 setback to the Horned Frogs will be long remembered for the disparity in free throw attempts.  TCU attempted 23 while the Mountaineers took just five.  Despite attempting 19 shots, Big 12 leading scorer Javon Small never took a free throw.  In t...

The skid is over for the West Virginia University basketball team.  Sunday's victory at Cincinnati snapped a three-game losing skid, and gave WVU more Big 12 road victories than it had in the previous three years combined.  (Yeah!)  The Mountaineers will try for another league road win on Wednesday when they visit TCU.  In this episode, the "Guys" dig deep in Sunday's game and preview the first of...

The last six weeks have been a blur for Rich Rodriguez.  The Mountaineer head coach hired a new staff, retooled his roster and started preparations for spring practice.  Despite the whirlwind, Rodriguez is at peace and content.  In this episode, Coach Rod shares his thoughts with the "Guys" about coming home and reflects on his first tenure at WVU while looking toward the future.  Listener questio...

The West Virginia University basketball team has lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Now what?   WVU's nationally ranked defense has struggled in back-to-back losses to Arizona State and Kansas State.  Can the Mountaineers rediscover their defensive tenacity and shooting stroke?  They'll certainly need them on Wednesday when No. 6 Houston visits the WVU Coliseum. In this episode...

It's been a memorable week for the No. 23 West Virginia basketball team.  The Mountaineers recorded a memory-searing victory over No. 2 Iowa State on Jerry West Day, and then suffered a suprising loss at home to Arizona State.  On Saturday they'll have an opportunity to return to their winning ways at Kansas State.  The Wildcats have struggled in the Big 12 but have the talent to be dangerous.  In...

It could not have been scripted any better.  Jerry West Day inside the WVU Coliseum produced a memory that will not be forgotten by Mountaineer Nation.  West Virginia's victory over No. 2 Iowa State provided the perfect exclamation point on a day that honored its greatest player. In this episode, the "Guys" explain how WVU orchestrated the victory and preview Tuesday's game against Arizona State. ...

The biggest challenge of the season awaits the West Virginia University basketball team.  The Mountaineers, fresh off a game at No. 10 Houston, host No. 2 Iowa State on Saturday inside the WVU Coliseum.  It's another opportunity for an upset victory for a WVU team that's already defied the odds in wins over No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 23 Arizona and No. 7 Kansas. In this episode, the "Guys" recap the Color...

It's time for an extended road trip for the No. 21 West Virginia men's basketball team. The Mountaineers play in Colorado on Sunday and visit No. 12 Houston next Wednesday.  In this episode, the "Guys" recap WVU's loss to Arizona and preview the next two games.  The crew also chat about the No. 17 West Virginia women's victory at Texas Tech and the new additions to the WVU football program.  Liste...

The surprising season of West Virginia's basketball team continues to produce even more surprises.  On Monday, WVU was ranked in the Top-25 for the first time this season.  That's an amazing accomplishment for a team that did not return a single player from last season's squad.  Saturday's win over Oklahoma State was another example of tenacious defense and timely shooting.  Next up, a rematch wit...

The glow of Tuesday’s win at No. 7 Kansas continues for the Mountaineer men’s basketball team, but one big victory doesn’t make a season. In this episode, the “Guys” reflect on the historic win over the Jayhawks and preview Saturday’s Big 12 home opener against Oklahoma State.  Listener questions and comments complete the show.

It's that great stretch of days between Christmas and New Year's Day.  Chances are you're not sure what day it is and that's perfectly fine.  We do know that the bowl season continues and the conference basketball season is ready to begin.  Yeah! In this episode, the "Guys" wander around the sports world (shocker) and look ahead to West Virginia's Big 12 opener next week at No. 7 Kansas.  Listener...

The transition within the West Virginia University football program is happening quickly.  Notable names from last season's team have entered the transfer portal.  Meanwhile, weekend recruiting visits have led to the first commitments for coach Rich Rodriguez.  In this episode, the "Guys" discuss the new world of roster management and recap Sunday's basketball victory over Mercyhurst.  Listener qu...

The season is now officially over for the Mountaineer football team.  Tuesday's bowl loss to Memphis displayed great effort by WVU, but also showed why the team finished with a losing record. The season-long struggles of the Mountaineer pass defense led to its demise against the Tigers.  So now what?  There's little time to waste for a massuve roster rebuild that begins immediately for new coach R...