Xavier fans' worst nightmare

23. March 2008  - Published by Jimmy Dinsmore
Comments (6)

Xavier fans have notoriously hated Bob Huggins. One could say that the very existence of Huggins at UC helped to fuel the X-UC rivalry. Now, X fans get to see Huggins again, only this time in the Sweet 16 and on the sideline of the West Virginia Mountaineers. Huggins has had mixed success in the NCAA tourney while at UC. He went to a Final Four, an Elite 8 and a couple Sweet 16s, but he also had early exits. In his first year coaching WVU, Huggins took the #7 seed Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 after beating Duke. Maybe the change of address has helped Huggins rediscover that tourney success formula. Either way, WVU faces a big challenge in Xavier. Make no mistake, and put the cordial attitude that will be spouted to the media by Huggins, Bob wants to win this game - badly. And, as a UC fan, longing to find something to grab hold of in this tourney (other than winning my brackets), I've now found it. Just as I wanted (very badly) UC to beat Huggins in Morgantown (which they did), I now (even more badly) want WVU to knock off X and send them home. This will eat the obnoxious X fans up, thinking that they lost to "Thuggins". Let's not forget the classlessness the X fans gave Huggins when he brought Kansas State to town as they had people dressed as jailbirds, signs up about Huggins' DUI, etc. No, Xavier, has NEVER had any player in trouble. They are above it all. They also were NEVER jealous of what Huggins was able to do while at UC (which was steal the limelight away from Xavier). Their fans have never gotten over it and will always hate Huggins. So, it would seem only fitting that Huggins beat what could be X's best team ever and deny them a shot at the Elite 8.

This match up will either be sweet vindication for X fans or their worst nightmare. I'm hoping for the latter. Go Mountaineers. 

Edit: And just found this fantastic article on Bob. It's a must read. As someone who covered and talked with and (sort of ) knew Bob while I was at UC working for and running the News Record on campus, I can say this article truly sums up the enigma that is Bob Huggins. Perfectly.

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Comments

Dan Clasgens
Dan Clasgens
3/23/2008 12:41:05 PM #
Was I the only one surprised to see Huggins win a second round game in the tournament? I think it speaks volumes for how down Duke is. Xavier should roll WVU.
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
3/23/2008 12:56:09 PM #
Yes it does show how down Duke is, but don't assume this is a slam dunk for X. Xavier has only played about 3/4 of a game of good basketball in two games in this tourney. Teams that do that, generally don't get much further.
Adam Bartel
Adam Bartel
3/23/2008 2:18:37 PM #
As far as Huggins' winning record as a tournament coach at UC, it's also fair to note that yesterday's win was his first over a higher seeded team since 1992.  I'm not sure how exactly this is X's worst nightmare yet.  I think WVU matches up well with X, but any proclamations of nightmare status are a little premature.

As to his being an "enigma", I was lucky enough to be in Kansas City the day when Huggins bailed on K-State to take the WVU job.  The way he treated that school was utter garbage; listening to talk radio that day was just a barrage of anger unlike anything I'd heard in a very long time.  I still have the Kansas City Star edition from the day after (unfortunately you have to pay to read the story on archive).  I'm sure WVU views him as a god; I'm sure he won't be crossing the state lines into Kansas anytime soon either.
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
3/23/2008 6:23:03 PM #
First of all K-State should fall to their knees and thank Huggs for what he did to that program. Those are/were his recruits (Beasley and Walker). He made them respectable. Anybody who thought he wouldn't leave for WVU is an idiot. It's not like he intended to leave K-State, but when his Alma Mater opened up, he wasn't going to pass it up for a second time.
It would be X's worst nightmare to lose to "Thuggins" in the NCAA tourney. I'm not saying they will, just this isn't what X fans wanted to see.
Adam Bartel
Adam Bartel
3/23/2008 7:29:01 PM #
I think you're revising history a bit.  First, no one wanted to touch Huggins two years ago.  South Florida wouldn't take him for crying out loud.  K-State gave him an opportunity where no one else would.  How viable of an option would a coach two years out of circulation have been at WVU?  Perhaps he would have gotten the job anyways, perhaps not.

Interestingly, the Star edition I had specifically references the WVU situation.  Right after Huggins took the K-State job in 2006, there were rumors that Beilein was about to bolt.  KSU's A.D. specifically asked him if he would leave if the WVU job became available, and he said no.

KSU for the most part deserved what they got for jumping into bed with Huggins; that doesn't absolve him of lying through his teeth to them.
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
3/23/2008 10:53:31 PM #
gosh, he's the first coach in the history of collegiate sports to say one thing and do another. He's a real SOB for that. And man, he really hurt K-State, what with the future NBA lottery pick in Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. What a jerk. He really screwed over a program that would never have gotten a sniff from guys of that caliber. And everyone knew (even K-State's AD) that when the WVU job came open that Huggs would go for it. The AD wasn't stupid. It was a we'll give you a chance to get back into things and put UC behind you and you put us on the map in the Big 12 and beyond. Both parties accomplished what they wanted.
Adam, just for clarity sake, what CBB team do you ally with? I think I could widdle it down to one of two teams, but I was just wondering.
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