Mountaineers raise their muskets once again

West Viginia University is my "Cinderella" for '08.  Why?  Several things stand out:  Coach Bob Huggins is a "fighter" and he has turned his team into a low turnover defensive 5; Joe Alexander has emerged as a positive "go-to" guy; senior point guard, Darris Nichols, has started more games than 99% of all other point guards and knows his teammates better than any other point guard; WVU has beaten U. C. L. A. at Pauley Pavillion and in Morgantown two times in these past three years...the same team who has lost in the last two Final Fours; WVU has turned into a strong rebounding team with shot blockers, Wellington Smith and Alexander; the Mountaineers had 1-point losses to Pitt in Pittsburgh, Georgetown in Morgantown, a 2-point loss at Tennessee, and an overtime loss to Oklahoma away from Morgantown; they annihilated Auburn on the road and beat Marquette at home, Pitt at home, handily, and Connecticut in the Big East Tourney; the Mountaineers have four ... [link]