It hasn't been that long since WVU's basketball team has played the No. 1 team in the land.
Technically, it did so last March 26 when Kentucky... well, you know.
Yet it's still a special day in the Mountain State when a No. 1 team visits Morgantown, as is the case this evening. Kansas will hit the Coliseum. ESPN2 will broadcast the game. And the crowd will be large.
According to WVU's Matt Wells, the game will either be a sellout or close to one. The number of available student tickets was bumped up from 2,300 to 3,500. They are gone.
Should be fun. There have only been five other times in Coliseum history where a No. 1 team visited. (Apparently I'm old as dirt because I've been to every one.)
Perhaps the most memorable was when West Virginia knocked off No. 1 UNLV in 1983. Greg Jones and Russel Todd were the Mountaineers' standouts at the time. Yet coach Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV, featuring Sidney Green, had lost to Cal State Fullerton before the game to erase some of the shine.
Two of the other WVU matchups with No. 1 were against Jim Calhoun's Connecticut teams. The Mountaineers were smoked by Rip Hamilton, Jake Voskuhl and, yep, Khalid El-Amin 80-45 in 1999. West Virginia then lost by six in 2006 to a Husky group that included Jeff Adrien and Rudy Gay.
The other two No. 1 teams were the Atlantic 10's Massachusetts (think Marcus Camby and Lou Roe) and Temple (think Mark Macon and Mike Vreeswyk).
Stop and consider the coaches involved: Tarkanian, Calhoun, John Calipari (UMass) and John Chaney (Temple). That's some list that'll only be enhanced by Kansas' Bill Self.
Enough of the history lesson though. Let's get to this matchup.
First, understand that as of Monday afternoon the game was a pick-em in Las Vegas. That makes sense if you look at raw numbers.
Kansas is averaging 88.4 points, while WVU is averaging 86. The Jayhawks are allowing an average of 67.3 points, while the Mountaineers are allowing 63.4.
One can go on and on. WVU is rebounding the ball better, while KU is shooting better. The Mountaineers have more steals, but the Jayhawks have more blocks.
Those in the know, however, boil this game down to a couple keys.
First, the Mountaineers almost certainly have to win the offensive showdown between Kansas' standout Perry Ellis (16 points a game) and West Virginia standout Devin Williams (14.5). The big men might not go against each other one-on-one because the coaches will seek mismatches. But the offensive winner of the two will be a telltale.
Second, watch the teams' guard play. Word I received is Dax Miles, who sat out Saturday's game against Oklahoma State with a tweaked ankle, practiced on Monday. WVU coach Bob Huggins only allows those who practice to play, so Miles should see the court.
More importantly, though, will be the play of Kansas' guards. Watch the Jayhawks' assist-to-turnover ratio. Point guards and playmakers Frank Mason III and Devonte' Graham have spent a lot of time on the court together this season. If that's the case again at the Coliseum it could really help the Jayhawks against the Mountaineers' press. Mason is averaging 5.5 assists and Graham 3.3. WVU's Jevon Carter and Tarik Phillip are both at 3.3.
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It was disappointing to hear about the discontinuation of the Marshall-WVU basketball game in Charleston.
Of all the events here is the Capital City that was always my favorite. The electricity always crackled inside the Civic Center. The games were almost always close - if almost always ugly. Shoot, I'll even miss the "strongman" cheering competition between the schools. Intense.
However, it's my hope both WVU and Marshall continue to play separately in Charleston. Let's face it, the Kanawha Valley is the state's only battle ground for fans. Charleston is still the state's largest city. And the fans of the Valley very much appreciate the visits.
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And finally...
The final Associated Press Top 25 football poll votes were due immediately after the national championship game.
As the state's voter this season, I had to prepare beforehand and be ready to submit. And while doing so, it dawned on me how both WVU and Marshall missed opportunities.
Had the Mountaineers simply defeated Kansas State they certainly would have finished ranked. Marshall, meanwhile, might have been there at 11-2 rather than 10-3. A win over Western Kentucky really, really would have helped.
What I understand, though, is there's always a next year.