Bob Huggins eviscerates Marshall's Dan D'Antoni in rant
Even though Sunday's turnover-plagued, whistle-happy matchup between in-state foes West Virginia and Marshall didn't provide many memorable moments, the postgame banter between the two head coaches has more than made up for it.
First-year Marshall coach Dan D'Antoni started the war of words after West Virginia's 69-66 victory by suggesting the Mountaineers would prove they're "afraid" of the Thundering Herd if they refused to play twice a year in the future. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins then escalated the verbal sparring by ridiculing Marshall's program and D'Antoni's insistence the Thundering Herd are "back" in a rollicking 15-minute rant at the start of his weekly radio show.
Armed with stinging barbs and cutting sarcasm, Huggins called the idea of playing Marshall twice a year "a travesty" and said he doesn't believe West Virginia gains anything from even facing the Thundering Herd once annually in Charleston. Huggins also called the notion that he's afraid of Marshall "laughable," noting the Thundering Herd's recent lack of competitiveness in the series.
"He can say I'm afraid all he wants," Huggins said. "I've probably coached 1,116 more games than he has. It's ridiculous to say something like that. We're afraid. Yeah, we're really afraid. It's crazy. We've beaten Duke. [Mike Krzyzewski's] a pretty good coach. Was I afraid? I don't think I was afraid playing Duke. Played [Jim] Boeheim. Used to play him every year. He's a great coach, I wasn't afraid. Why would I be afraid?
"The thing that's most laughable, and I'll get in trouble for saying it I know, but I'm to the point in my life where I really don't care. How about this? 'We're back.' That was their sixth loss [to West Virginia] in a row. 'We're back.' 'We're back' alright. Honestly it's laughable."
Whereas some major-conference programs deserve the flack they receive for ducking quality in-state teams from smaller conferences, it would be completely understandable if Huggins canceled the annual series with Marshall.
The matchup between West Virginia and Marshall historically hasn't benefited both programs the way it does when Virginia faces VCU or Washington meets Gonzaga, for example. For Marshall, it's a chance to topple a marquee in-state opponent on a neutral floor. For West Virginia, it's a risky game against a highly motivated opponent in which a win is expected and a loss can be an RPI killer.
Huggins articulated that point well on his show while also ridiculing the idea that Marshall-West Virginia is a rivalry.
The Mountaineers own a 9-1 record, have been to a Final Four as recently as 2010 and play in a conference that boasts seven of the top 27 teams in this week's polls. The Thundering Herd have not reached the NCAA tournament since 1987, have not won a league title since 1988 and have a 5-19 record against West Virginia since the series moved to Charleston in 1991.
"I have all the RPIs of all the people we've played this year," Huggins said. "Going into the game, Marshall was 270 in the RPI. After playing us, they jumped all the way up to 237. Now you know what that would do to us if we happen not to win? We were, I think, No. 36 coming into the game. You try not to play anybody below 200. And now they want to play twice in a year? Are you kidding me? Why don't we do what's best for West Virginia University? I don't think it's my job to support them.
"This is the fifth time in 10 years that they've been 160 in the RPI or worse. How's it in our best interest to play them? It's not in our best interest. It's not in the best interest of West Virginia basketball."
Once he'd finished eviscerating the Marshall program, Huggins took one last parting shot in the form of a warning.
Would it bother Huggins if the series disappeared? Not at all. Does Huggins intend to renew the series in years to come?
"I think if this kind of thing continues why would we?," the West Virginia coach said. "Why would we want to sit here and hear we're afraid. Go find somebody else to play."
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
