Of course, we’re talking about the great 1958 Mountaineer team that took a 26-1 record into the NCAA Tournament before losing to Manhattan in a miserable, foul-marred game at Madison Square Garden that saw 61 infractions called on both teams with eight players being disqualified, and the equally great 1959 WVU team that bounced back to reach the NCAA finals in Louisville, Kentucky, where it lost to California by a single point.
Smith, inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, recalled those two fabulous seasons while spending some time in Morgantown last weekend to take part in Bob Huggins’ 2016 Fantasy Basketball Camp.