Posted by Tony Caridi on Monday, November 14, 2008 (8:40 am)
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Here are some of my random thoughts heading into the weekend:

Elon coach Ernie Nestor told me earlier this week that he would sit around the radio with his father listening to legendary voice Jack Fleming call West Virginia basketball games. Nestor, a Phillipi native, said the first time he ever saw WVU play on television was during the 1959 season when the Mountaineers reached the national championship game.

Nestor’s Phoenix reached the championship game of last season’s Southern Conference tournament before falling to eventual NCAA Cinderella Davidson.

Look for freshman Devin Ebanks to bounce back from his 1 for 7 shooting performance in last week’s exhibition against Mountain State. Ebanks admitted to being nervous in that first game on the Coliseum floor, but that won’t last long. He is good and he knows he’s good and that’s what separates the good ones from the great ones.

Da’Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff combined to take 35 of West Virginia’s 75 shots against Mountain State. That ratio will eventually decrease, but for now those are the two guys who must take the responsibility of leading the offense.

Did you see that future West Virginia opponent Miami, Ohio nearly pulled off the shocker last night at UCLA? Coach Charlie Coles’ RedHawks visit the Coliseum on Dec. 20.

Now, a few football tidbits before they pull the plug on my laptop ...

Looking for an upset by Louisville over Cincinnati tonight? Well, 21 is the magic number. The Cardinals are 5-0 this season when scoring 21 or more points and 0-4 when held below 21.

The Cardinals have a problem throwing interceptions. Starter Hunter Cantwell has tossed 11 picks and Cincinnati is tied for the lead in the Big East in forcing interceptions with 12. Uh oh.

West Virginia scored five touchdowns against Louisville in last season’s 38-31 win. Four of the touchdowns came from players not on this season’s team: Darius Reynaud scored twice and Steve Slaton once. The only returning player to score was Pat White, who roared up the field for the game winner from 50 yards away with 1:36 to play.