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Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor, and daily distractions.
THWEATT TO TRANSFER
Redshirt freshman Taj Thweatt has entered the transfer portal. Thweatt had only played 10 total minutes in three games for the West Virginia men’s basketball team this season. He had just three points and one steal in those limited minutes. Last season, the young forward had four points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
The loss of Thweatt is not a major disappointment for the Mountaineers. It’s apparent that he had not developed much in his first season-and-a-half at WVU, and this departure could open up future minutes for other young big men, like James Okonkwo and Seny N’Diaye. Head coach Bob Huggins will also be bringing in two power forwards, Josiah Harris and Pat Suemnick, in the next recruiting class.
WVU RETAINS TOP DEFENDERS
Fears of a depleted defense in 2022 for the West Virginia football team were cooled off when WVU’s leading tackler Josh Chandler-Semedo and the team’s top sacker Dante Stills announced that they will be returning next season. The two defenders combined for 146 tackles, over 20 tackles for loss, over eight sacks, three interceptions, and three forced fumbles this season. Chandler-Semedo led the Mountaineers in tackles (including total tackles, solo tackles, and assisted tackles), interceptions, and forced fumbles. Stills led the WVU defense in sacks and tackles for loss. The two stars also shared the nod for the most quarterback hurries this year. The return of Chandler-Semedo and Stills is a relief to many fans because it will help the Mountaineers retain leadership and stability on defense.
WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP
- Despite its recent loss to #14 Texas, the West Virginia basketball team is still receiving votes in the national polls. #1 Baylor is the highest ranking of the seven Big 12 Conference teams that are receiving votes.
- Redshirt senior Killian Cardinale and sophomore Peyton Hall both finished in second place in their respective weight classes at Chattanooga’s Southern Scuffle. The West Virginia wrestling team finished in seventh place at the event.
AROUND THE BIG 12
- #7 Baylor outlasted the #8 Mississippi football team to win the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, 21-7.
- After going down 28-7 in the Fiesta Bowl, #9 Oklahoma State came back to defeat #5 Notre Dame, 37-35, on New Year’s Day.
- #16 Oklahoma earned a 47-32 win over #14 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl last week.
AROUND THE NCAA
- The first College Football Playoff Semifinal game on New Year’s Eve went to #1 Alabama, as the Crimson Tide cruised past #4 Cincinnati, 27-6.
- The College Football Playoff Final will be a rematch between the Tide and #3 Georgia, after the Bulldogs defeated #2 Michigan 34-11 in their Semifinal game.
ODDS AND ENDS
- The biggest story of the weekend in the NFL was Antonio Brown’s very bizarre exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ game against the New York Jets.
Here's a sideline view of what happened with Antonio Brown. Looks like Mike Evans was trying to calm him down but nothing was going to help. AB took everything off and left.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 2, 2022
(video via @mmmmillah)pic.twitter.com/sMii14O7bh
- The Green Bay Packers locked up the top seed in the NFC, while the Tennessee Titans are the current favorite to get the AFC’s top spot in the NFL’s latest postseason outlook.
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