Who? The Mountaineers of West Virginia.
What? In the Appalachians, mountains are serious business. What I find interesting about the West Virginia Mountaineer tradition is that the identity of the student is very public, unlike most schools and mascots.
Where? Morgantown, West Virginia.
When? Sunday the 20th, versus Houston in Waco.
Why? They're in the tournament because they started off strong. They're in a disadvantageous 9 seed because they fell apart at the end of the Big East season.
How? They were an at-large selection from the Big East.
Surprise? By the end of the season, people were starting to wonder.Who's driving this thing, anyway? Mike Carey, since 2002. He reminds me of a cranky Dan Hughes- oh, and he's one of the best strategists in the Big East.
RPI: 29
SOS: 46
Record: 23-9 (8-8 Big East)
Best win: Iowa State (N)
Worst loss: Pittsburgh (H)
Notable results: Connecticut (L, H, 57-51) In a lot of ways, it's hard finding a result that's odd for the Mountaineers, because for much of the season they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
Do not leave senior guard Liz Repella open. She loves to take the three (179 attempts on the year). And from my experience of West Virginia, watch out for Madina Ali. She's a very physical post, in the mold of most of Mike Carey's posts. West Virginia doesn't back down from anyone.