For Pete's Sake

West Virginia roasted for giving rings to its basketball team for making Sweet 16

West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (left) watched as his head coach Bob Huggins got ejected from Saturday night’s game at Kansas. KU won, 77-69 at Allen Fieldhouse.
West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (left) watched as his head coach Bob Huggins got ejected from Saturday night’s game at Kansas. KU won, 77-69 at Allen Fieldhouse. rsugg@kcstar.com

West Virginia basketball players returned to school last week and found a nice surprise awaiting.

Rings to honor the team’s run to the Sweet 16. Well, run might not be the best word.

As a No. 5 seed, the Mountaineers crushed 12th-seeded Murray State and 13th-seeded Marshall, which had upset Wichita State. Hard to call that a big challenge for Bob Huggins’ team.

West Virginia was then soundly beaten by Villanova, 90-78, in the Sweet 16.

Making the Sweet 16 is a nice accomplishment because, you know, only 16 teams advance that far each season. As for giving the players rings, that was a surprise to me.

Kansas gives its players rings for a Final Four appearance or a Big 12 championship, which makes a little more sense. Nevertheless, here are the rings that West Virginia players received:

While the players probably loved the rings, West Virginia was roasted for giving them away:

This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 8:25 AM.

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