I don’t know what could happen that would make you think leaving the middle of a game you’re in is a good idea, but West Virginia’s Danny Jennings felt that he couldn’t take sitting on the bench anymore and walked away. Maybe he got pissed that his jersey was misspelled again.

According to multiple reports, the reserve forward left the Mountaineers bench early in the second half of Sunday’s 56-46 victory over South Florida and did not return the rest of the game. An angry West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said in his postgame news conference that the absence was both “unexcused” and “inexcusable,” adding that Jennings is “never to be seen again, I guess.”

“I understand you have to report it and that’s fine, but can we talk about the guys who play?” Huggins said. “Because he didn’t play anyway. And hasn’t played.

“The truth of the matter is he’s been a non-entity. You know, we started him to try to get some other guys motivated and things, and he did work hard in practice for a while, but he hasn’t — I mean, look at his career stats. We didn’t just lose Kevin Jones. You know what I’m saying? It’s a sidebar.” -The Dagger.

Reading what Huggins said after the game, it seems like Jennings on the team wasn’t something that looked like it would work. Huggins seems like a guy that loves his players, and I mean loves his players, but he sounded like a pretty big ass with his comments. Then again, Jennings’ side of the story hasn’t been revealed yet, so it could be possible that what Huggins said about his failed attempts to get Jennings involved are true. I’m sure Jennings, who averaged about two points and two rebounds in eight minutes, will have no trouble finding another college program that will take his impressive scoring skills and determination.

It was bad enough that Duke beat West Virginia to advance to the national championship game, but we also had to watch one of the Mountaineers suffer a career-threatening injury during what seemed like garbage time. De’Sean Butler, who was a slated first-round pick in at least one NBA Mock Draft, was diagnosed with a torn ACL. But that wasn’t on Huggins.

Sports information director Bryan Messerly said the MRI also revealed a sprain of the medial collateral ligament and two bone bruises.

Butler, West Virginia’s leading scorer, drew a foul after driving into Duke’s Brian Zoubek under the basket with 8:59 left in the second half of the 78-57 loss. –ESPN.

No, the big news was how West Virginia coach Bob Huggins left the bench to comfort the hysterical Butler, who probably could see the cash from a potential NBA contract floating out of his pockets as he writhed in pain. Sure, basketball shorts don’t have pockets, but bear with me. Huggins’ tender touch showed both a caring love for his player and a bizarre ignorance of personal space that’s difficult to qualify. See the images for yourself after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

As much as America seems to hate Bob Huggins, we seem to hate Duke more. And with the overachieving Michigan State and Butler in the other national semifinal, it seems reasonable to assume that Bob Huggins’ West Virginia squad is America’s best hope from keeping Mike Krzyzewski from his fourth NCAA Tournament championship.

To back up for a second, it seems impossible to talk about Duke’s win over Baylor last night without bringing up The Charge. The call came late in the second half against Baylor’s Quincy Acy after driving to the hoop and colliding with Duke’s Brian Zoubek as Acy’s shot rolled in. Many saw that as a blocking foul on Zoubek, who would have been disqualified with five fouls at that point. Instead, Duke immediately managed an 8-0 run and essentially put the game away.

What’s amazing is that after a tournament with The Charge, Saint Mary’s collapse in the regional semis and Calipari’s Band Of Traveling Freshmen, Bob Huggins heads into Nashville smelling like a rose. You know, if a rose could wear a jumpsuit. Duke, for the record, will have the longest trip to Lucas Oil Stadium. It would only make sense to send them home first.

The “Backyard Brawl,” the moniker given for the rivalry between Pittsburgh and West Virginia, took an unpleasant turn last night. After a late second-half comeback by Pittsburgh in their game against West Virginia, some fan in the Mountaineer crowd threw something toward the Pitt bench, launching a bizarre sequence of events and technical fouls that eventually led to West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, in a delightful fit of irony, lecturing the crowd on their behavior.

Huggins grabbed a microphone and addressed the fans a short time after objects were thrown on the court with 12:08 left, telling the crowd, “don’t throw anything on the floor. That’s stupid.”

As the crowd applauded him, Huggins then asked if someone did it again, “point him out so we can throw him out of here.”

It’s just part of the legacy of the Mecca of the burning couch.

West Virginia’s students were sent several e-mails by a university official in recent weeks over their behavior at games. They were asked to tone down their language after profanities were heard on national TV in a Jan. 23 win over Ohio State. Against Louisville last Saturday, fans chanted the name of a woman that Cardinals coach Rick Pitino admitted having sex with outside his marriage. –Y! Sports.

The object turned out to be a coin that hit a Pittsburgh assistant coach in the face. West Virginia was assessed a technical foul as a result. Huggins had a DUI charge in 2004 that eventually led to his dismissal at Cincinnati, so it’s hilarious to me to see him lecturing others on how to behave in public. That said, the beatnik that mistook the basketball court for a water fountain at the mall has no business being anywhere in public. We’re in a recession, yo. Keep that money in your pocket and pass the savings onto yourself.

I've never been one to understand the monochromatic get-up college hoops coaches feel like they need to occasionally whip out, ala Bruce Weber in the 2005 title game.

I suppose when you're leading West Fucking Virginia, you're forever going to be a slave to fashion. You can probably chuck a mean battery as well.

Indeed, Bob Huggins was either going the Col. Mustard or Huggy Bear route last night in his first return to Cincinnati since being ousted in 2005 as head coach.

It was none too golden as the Bearcats drubbed the Mountaineers 62-39.

Huggins was later found pantomiming for quarters outside the arena. Don't turn your back, he'll do something wacky. If you're a lady, he'll wave at you. Sorry dude, deposit the change.

-Christmas Ape