MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- As much as coach Bob Huggins liked watching his West Virginia teams full-court press force turnovers last season, he cringed at how frequently his own ballhandlers threw away possessions.With three veteran guards returning, better ballhandling could make this a special season for the 20th-ranked Mountaineers, who open play by hosting Mount St. Marys on Friday (7 p.m. ET).West Virginia was picked to finish second to Kansas in the Big 12 -- the Mountaineers highest projection in five years since switching conferences.That doesnt mean anything unless you back it up. And now weve got to go back it up, Huggins said.Last seasons 26-9 record, which included a runner-up finish to the Jayhawks during the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament, brought more frenetic defense tempered by frantic offense. While forcing the second-most turnovers per game (17.8) in the nation, the West Virginia ranked 303rd out of 346 Division I teams in turnovers committed (14.2).We need to not throw it out of bounds so much, Huggins said. Our ball security was as bad as its been probably in my nine years here.That sloppiness surfaced during a first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament. A 70-56 upset loss to 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin saw West Virginia produce 22 turnovers and only 16 field goals.Such upside-down ratios may be a thing of the past now that dual point guards Tarik Philip (9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds) and Jevon Carter (9.5 points, 1.6 steals) return, along with shooting guard Daxter Miles (9.4 points, 1.4 steals). After playing together for two years, the trio set an offseason pace in hopes their shooting catches up with their gritty defense.Huggins will need offensive help after losing top scorers Jaysean Paige (13.7 points), the Big 12s sixth man of the year, and Devin Williams (13.3 points, 9.5 rebounds), the leagues leading rebounder.This league has come down to last possessions a lot, and youve got to get hard rebounds, Huggins said. Dev could do that for us, so were going to have to have other guys step up.Much is expected of late-developing forward Elijah Macon, who arrived at West Virginia as a top-100 recruit three years ago but has yet to come close to that potential.Sophomore small forward Esa Ahmad (4.9 points, 2.7 rebounds) also anticipates bigger contributions after making 34 starts last season.The sleeper standout could be senior Nathan Adrian, a 6-foot-9 forward who shot nearly 50 percent from 3-point range while averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. He has been a breakout scorer in scrimmages and exhibitions.Mount St. Marys, 1-25 all-time against ranked teams and 14-19 last season, returns three starters and was picked fourth in the Northeast Conference.The Mount has dropped seven consecutive season openers to a string of power programs that includes Maryland, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Dayton, Oklahoma and West Virginia in 2013.Jamion Christian enters his fifth season as coach with a 63-65 record, though his exciting teams have blended pressure defense and a 3-point attack.This is a mentally tough group, Christian told the Frederick (Md.) News-Post about the teams schedule, which also features Iowa State, Minnesota, Michigan and Arkansas. I feel it wants a challenge like this and can handle it.Mount St. Marys features dynamic 5-foot-5 guard Junior Robinson, a second-team all-conference performer last season, when he averaged 12.2 points and 3.1 assists. Cheap Adidas Shoes Free Shipping . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Cheap Adidas Shoes Authentic . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. http://www.cheapshoesadidas.com/ . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Adidas Shoes From China . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Adidas Shoes Clearance Store . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. BOSTON -- All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas said those who believe the Boston Celtics are better without him dont even believe what theyre saying.Thomas, sidelined by a groin injury, wasnt with the team when it posted a lopsided 117-87 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. That led to speculation on Boston sports radio and local TV about whether Boston might be better without Thomas because of the ball movement the team displayed in his absence.Asked if hed heard any of the chatter before Fridays 101-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Thomas downplayed it.Theyre a better team without me. The ball moves better without me. I see it all, Thomas said. They gotta write something. They say the stupidest things so they get the headlines and everybody can talk about it. I cant control that. At this point, I laugh about it now. Because its like, if you really think that, OK, thats fine. I know what I mean to my teammates, I know what I mean to this organization and to (coach) Brad Stevens. The ball moved a little better without me. I guess so.Added Thomas: It is what it is. But people that say that, they dont even believe it. They go home at night, theyre not believing that. Theyre just saying it to get a reaction. Im trying my best not to react. If it was anybody else, we wouldnt be talking about that. Im 5-9, thats the only reason why they say that. Im fine with that. I know what I bring to the table. My teammates know what I bring. As long as they are happy, Im fine. Im not going to react. I try not to. I try to think of what Kobe [Bryant] said: Be a lion. Just lock in and dont worry about what others say.Thomas, who missed his second consecutive game Friday against the Raptors, is hoping to be back on the floor Wednesday when Boston visits the San Antonio Spurs in a national TV game on ESPN.Thomas strained his groin late in the first half of Mondays loss to the Houston Rockkets.dddddddddddd. He flew home to Boston early and received a platelet-rich plasma injection Wednesday. Thomas is hoping to travel with the team on a two-game road trip that starts Sunday in Oklahoma City, even as team decision-makers encourage him to take it slow in his recovery.I want to play but [team brass] keep telling me no, Thomas said. They keep wanting to be very patient with this because they dont want to reinjure it. Its an injury that can get reinjured and be a problem the rest of the season. So I dont want that. And on top of that, it gives me time to heal all the other injuries I have.Asked who might make the final determination about when he can return to action after hes medically cleared, Thomas suggested it was team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.The big dog, Danny, hes really not in favor of [me] going [on the upcoming trip], but Im trying to convince him to just let me go, Thomas said. I think they -- if Im there, they know Im going to try to play. Im shooting for Wednesday for the most part. I think thats more realistic than Sunday. Hopefully I can play on Wednesday.Thomas is hopeful the plasma?injection will expedite his return and said Friday was one of the days where its felt its best.Stevens noted that a groin strain can typically sideline a player for 10-14 days, but believes Thomas will be back sooner.Weve talked about Isaiah being pretty ambitious in his return, said Stevens. And hes been getting treatment around the clock, so well see. Hell be officially listed as day-to-day.Added Stevens: Our medical staff is great. ... They feel like hes not looking long term. Its not going to be a long-term [injury], for sure. We have to make sure we dont bring him back [Friday] or too soon so that it doesnt become one. ' ' '