Bob Huggins: Playing West Virginia Better Be Annoying

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As West Virginia comes off its 30th season with 20 wins or more in school history and returns three of its top five scorers, perhaps it is easy to understand why the fellow league coaches picked the Mountaineers to finish second in the Big 12 this season. Bob Huggins surely doesn’t think so.

In typical great fashion, the Mountaineers’ head coach took to the podium at the Sprint Center to provide some comic relief and insight after being selected behind Kansas by the league’s coaches at Big 12 Media Day on Tuesday.

“All those guys lied," Huggins said. "They lied. There isn't one of those guys that don't think they're going to beat us. So why would they vote for a second if they think they're going to beat us? I don't believe them. Kansas' dominance is really -- it comes down to three things: They've got a great coach, they've got great players, and they never lose at home. Until we start beating them at home -- and we had chances, we had chances. We missed free throws and a lot of crazy things happened at Allen Fieldhouse now. So we end up losing. If we had beaten them, I think somebody else would have had a chance to maybe tie for the league championship or whatever.

“But we've got to beat them at home. People have to go into Allen Fieldhouse and win once in a while. Because the rest of us all lose at home, and I think if you look at it, that's without a question the difference. That has a lot to do with the job that [KU coach Bill Self] does. Bill does a great job. And they have really good players.

“But I don't know why that would taint anything, you know what I'm saying? Because they've been one of the top three or four teams in the country for how many years, and that's not going to change. They can be in whatever league you want to put them in, and they're still going to be. Don't listen to those people.”

Part of what makes West Virginia so tough is its pressing and up-tempo play. FloHoops’ Brett Regan caught up with the veteran head coach during Big 12 Media Day.