MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two decades have elapsed since John Brannen drove from Marshall to play summertime pickup games at the University of Cincinnati. Bob Huggins knew him back then because Brannen’s cousin Bobbie was a forward who went on to become a Beacrats captain.
Come Friday night, John Brannen coaches his first game at Northern Kentucky, directing a program in its final year of Division I reclassification against the legendary Huggins, who owns 765 wins and returns a team well-stocked from a Sweet 16 run.
It’s the typical November mismatch, with West Virginia favored by 21 points, though there’s another angle of familiarity.