Bob Huggins

Going into the basketball season Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Georgetown and Villanova figured to rule the Big East Conference.  As conference play enters the second week, these four teams should indeed battle it out for the top spots.  What about the rest of the league?  Can anyone else contend or is the rest of the Big East full of pretenders?  Let’s take a look.

Connecticut (11-1, 1-1)

UConn was predicted to finish 10th in the Big East in the Preseason Coaches Poll.  All the Huskies have done is start the season 11-1 with wins over Michigan St. and Kentucky and have been ranked in the Top Five. 

So why are the Huskies here?  Connecticut has struggled in their last couple of games; a loss to Pittsburgh and an overtime win at home over a weak South Florida team.  UConn goes on the road this week with games at Notre Dame and a non-conference matchup with Texas.  Kemba Walker has been a beast but the Huskies need consistency from a couple of others if they are going to contend. 

Prediction: contender

Notre Dame (12-2, 1-1)

Notre Dame has been a nice surprise in the Big East.  The Irish opened some eyes during their non-conference schedule with wins against Wisconsin and Gonzaga. They shut down Georgetown in their Big East opener to win 69-55 before dropping a game at Syracuse on New Year’s Day. 

Led by Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough, the Irish may not have the individual talent of last year’s team but they make up for it in team chemistry.  They have played unselfishly and have improved defensively.  The key question: Can the Irish win on the road? 

Prediction: contender

Louisville (11-2, 0-0)

The Cardinals have been up and down during their pre-conference schedule, beating both UNLV and Butler but dropping a home game against Drexel.  Louisville needs to get more consistent play from Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva, as well as rebound better if they want to contend for a Big East title.  Louisville will continue to play the uptempo style that Rick Pitino loves to play and therefore makes them hard to prepare for. 

Prediction: pretender

St. John’s (9-3, 2-0)

It’s nice to see the Red Storm relevant in the Big East again.  Consistency has been the problem for St. John’s and new head coach Steve Lavin.  Losses to St. Bonaventure and Fordham in early December were head-scratchers.  However, they rebounded to post a couple of nice wins on the road over West Virginia and Providence to open Big East play. 

With an abundance of upperclassmen, look for the Red Storm to get more comfortable with Lavin as the season progresses.  With Georgetown, Notre Dame and Syracuse in the next 10 days we’ll find out where St. John’s fits in.  Make no doubt about it, though, this will be a very dangerous team when the Big East tournament rolls around. 

Prediction: contender

Cincinnati (14-0, 2-0)

The Bearcats have played a very weak non-conference schedule, not to mention only two road games.  The only win worthy of mentioning is a blowout victory over Dayton in Cincinnati.  They have also eased into Big East play with a pair of home wins over struggling DePaul and Seton Hall. 

Coach Mick Cronin feels his team isn't getting any respect.  Sure, Dion Dixon has been a nice surprise but the Bearcats still have a lot of question marks.  With a non-conference game against crosstown rival Xavier on Thursday and a road game at Villanova on Sunday we should get some answers.

Prediction: pretender

Marquette (10-4, 1-0)

Marquette is talented enough to play with anyone in the country.  Finding a way to win the big game seems to be the trouble for the Golden Eagles.  Marquette had opportunities to pull out games against Gonzaga, Wisconsin and Vanderbilt but failed to get it done.  Rebounding seems to be a common factor in the four losses.  Their opening Big East win against West Virginia provides some hope but the Golden Eagles will definitely struggle against the bigger teams in the conference.

Prediction: pretender

West Virginia (8-4, 0-2)

The fact that the Mountaineers have opened Big East play by going 0-2, not to mention losing to St. John’s at home, is a sign that it may be a difficult year for Bob Huggins and all but ensures they will finish no better than middle of the pack.  Still, on any given night Joe Mazzulla and Casey Mitchell are good enough to upset anyone in the Big East. 

Prediction: pretender

Providence (11-4, 0-2)

The Fryers are a young team that will continue to get better as the season progresses.  However, as of now they just aren’t at the level they need to be to compete for a Big East championship. 

Prediction: pretender

On Wednesday night, West Virginia lost 81-71 to St. John’s.

It was the first time they lost to the Red Storm since all the way back in 2002, Gale Catlett’s last season in Morgantown. All game long, the Mountaineers were flat out beat by a St. John’s team who, despite being much improved from last season, shouldn’t have beaten West Virginia at the Coliseum.

But this isn’t your normal West Virginia basketball team. This group just doesn’t have it like it did last season.

The first thing that the Mountaineers are missing, and it was very evident on Wednesday, is a legitimate go-to scorer that the team can look to to make a big shot with the game on the line. Of course last year, Da’Sean Butler filled this role, making game-winner after game-winner to lead WVU to a Big East Tournament Championship and its first Final Four appearance since the Jerry West era.

And when Butler graduated, that role was left empty and nobody has yet to step in to fill it for this team.

Against the Red Storm, when the Mountaineers cut the lead to three points, who took the shot to try to tie the game up?

Dalton Pepper.

Not who you want taking a big shot.

Through the first few games of the season, it looked like Casey Mitchell was going to be the guy to step into the role that Butler filled last season after his performance in the first seven games of the year. Mitchell was averaging 21.7 points per game, including a four-game stretch where he scored at least 25 points.

But since then, the senior has cooled off remarkably and, quite frankly, is just too streaky to be considered as a go-to guy on any team in the Big East.

Another guy that a lot of people have thought of as a possibility to be the main guy with the game on the line is junior point guard Truck Bryant. Armed with a similar playing style as Connecticut point guard Kemba Walker, unfortunately Truck can be thrown in the same boat as Mitchell as somebody who just hasn’t been consistent enough to be considered a top-level scorer like Walker has emerged as in the early part of the season for the Huskies.

And then there’s Kevin Jones. At the beginning of the season, he was the obvious pick to be the main scorer and, by far, one of the top players in the Big East. In fact, he was even picked as the Big East Player of the Year by a few college basketball writers — including this one.

Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, Jones just hasn’t adapted to the role of being the team’s main attraction as well as some had hoped. In fact, it looks like he’s much more comfortable as a secondary player, much like he was when Butler and Devin Ebanks were at WVU a year ago.

The second major problem that this West Virginia team is going to have as they get into Big East play is the lack of a post presence that it has.

In the Big East, you need to have a big, physical team in order to have success. This WVU team just doesn’t have it.

When you look at Deniz Kilicli and Danny Jennings, you see two big bodies you have the ability to be something special. They both have had little bursts early in the season that could make you believe that, given time, they could be very productive players in Bob Huggins’ system and the Big East. But they just don’t look like they’re getting it at this point in the season and that’s going to be very detrimental in the amount of success that this team is going to be able to have against some of the top teams in the conference.

Kilicli is a very gifted player on the offensive end of the floor, but still hasn’t improved as much on the defensive end and rebounding as much as he was expected to over the offseason. And Jennings is about the polar opposite of Kilicli. A much better defensive player, Jennings provides West Virginia with a reliable rebounder and a major threat to block shots. But if you want to see the true definition of being lost on the offensive end, look no further than the 6-foot-8 sophomore.

The two guys who are supposed to be major threats in the low post, just aren’t quite good enough just yet, to help the Mountaineers make a run in the Big East this season. And it’s not that they don’t have the talent to do it, it just doesn’t look like they have improved enough from where they were last season to make a large impact.

Look at all the Big East champions from the past five years, every one of them have had both a big-time, impact scorer and a reliable post presence down low.

West Virginia doesn’t have either right now and until that changes, expect a lot of troubles for the Mountaineers in Big East play.

Michael Carvelli covers West Virginia University men's and women's basketball for The Daily Athenaeum and you can follow him on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Carvelli3.

Ryan Boatright didn’t exactly start his Mountaineer career off with a bang, as one of the top high school recruits in the country invoked a little Lebron Jamesism by announcing, “I look forward to taking my talent elsewhere to the University of West Virginia.”  Once he straps on the blue and gold, Boatright will notice that it’s actually WVU-West Virginia University, but nonetheless, it is likely Bobby Huggins and the Mountaineer faithful will overlook the misstep and be happy to see this dynamic guard running the point in the very near future.  

Boatright is widely considered a top 50 high school recruit for the class of 2011, and during his announcement cited Bob Huggins record of success with smaller guards, specifically Nick Van Exel, when Huggins was at Cincinnati.  While his initial playing time will be largely determined by the success of current junior Mountaineer point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant, and incoming freshman Noah Cottrill, there is little doubt that Huggins sees Boatright as a tremendous talent.  Widely considered the best scoring guard in the country, Boatright will immediately upgrade the firepower in the Mountaineer backcourt.

What remains to be seen is how Boatright’s decision will impact another top potential Mountaineer recruit, Jabarie Hinds.  Hinds is from Mount Vernon, New York, and knows fellow former Mount Vernon prep standout and current Mountaineer star Kevin Jones quite well.  Many thought that might give West Virginia an inside track in recruiting the star point guard.  But with Boatright’s commitment and the freshman Cottrill already in Morgantown, it’s going to take one heck of a sales job by Huggins, if he still intends to pursue Hinds.    

What really makes the Boatright decision great for Mountaineer fans is that all great players love to play with a top notch point guard, and what Boatright brings is immediate credibility to the Mountaineer’s 2011 recruiting class.  With Huggins and the program in hot pursuit of two more top 100 recruits in center Michael Chandler and power forward Mike Shaw, it will be an enormous advantage for the coaches to extol the virtues of having top flight point guard Boatright delivering the ball to both big men in the post.

Signing day is Nov. 10, but it is being widely reported that verbal commitments are likely from both Shaw and Chandler within the next week.  West Virginia will keep its collective fingers crossed that either one or both young men choose to join the talented Boatright in Morgantown.

This past weekend I made the trip up to Indianapolis with a few friends for the Final Four with the intentions of being there to witness West Virginia finally get to the National Championship.

While we were eating before the game, we were talking about how this was one of the top five greatest days of our lives because, let's face it, we weren't going to lose to Duke.

We were more athletic, we defended better, we had the most clutch big-game player in the country in Da'Sean Butler.

Before the WVU game, my friend who sat in the student seats with me decided that we should upgrade from our seats for the Butler-Michigan State game to some empty seats in a better spot.

Talk about excited.

I was at the Final Four actually getting to see the Mountaineers play in it. It was a dream 18-and-a-half years in the making come true.

Unfortunately getting a better view of the game meant that I also got a better view of Butler going down with what turned out to be a torn ACL.

After I pulled my head away from my hands, the first thing that I saw when I looked up was the huge sign that covered the wall of Lucas Oil Stadium that read, "The Road Ends Here".

The game had been over for awhile before that, but that was the moment that it sunk in. The run is over, we weren't going to win.

And it wasn't like we lost because of that injury, or because we weren't hitting shots. It wasn't even because of the officiating (although, in my opinion, they weren't entirely helpful).

The Mountaineers just got beat.

Duke didn't miss. WVU not getting a hand in the shooter's face about 65 percent of the time didn't help their cause much, but the Blue Devils were absolutely lights out.

Singler, Scheyer, Smith.

Those were the three guys that you knew that the Mountaineers couldn't let beat them. Personally, I would've rather seen Zoubek or the Plumlees beat us than the three guys that we had a week to prepare to stop.

One thing that I really don't like to do is criticize coaches, especially the ones on the level of Bob Huggins.

I'm not a Hall of Fame coach and I haven't led two teams to the Final Four, obviously. But on Saturday night, I just didn't quite understand what he was doing with his substitutions.

This season, the times that we have done the best have been the times that Huggs went nine and sometimes even 10 guys deep with the rotation. The times they've struggled, they only used seven or eight.

On Saturday, West Virginia did the latter, and boy did they struggle.

Not only did they use less players than usual, the rotation of the players that they used during the game was surprisingly switched up.

The three names that come to mind with that are Deniz Kilicli, Cam Thoroughman, and Casey Mitchell.

All season when we have needed a couple big defensive stops, Thoroughman has always been the guy that Huggins has brought in. 

Cam went from playing about eight to 10 minutes a game, to getting one minute in the Final Four game.

So, let me get this straight. A guy who's been one of our better defensive players in the post, doesn't get into the game that we probably could've used him a lot in.

Meanwhile, since he has become eligible to play in the Pitt game in Morgantown, Kilicli has gone into the game to be an offensive—not a defensive —spark.

Last Saturday, we were making a run and had cut the lead to six or so. This would be a decent time to, if you're going to make a sub, bring in one of our guys that can be defensive stoppers.

In comes the Turk.

He came right in, immediately hit his soon-to-be trademarked jump hook, the crowd goes crazy. It's the same stuff that usually happens. But this time, things after that bucket started going a little downhill.

His next shot, another jump hook, was an airball. He made two turnovers, committed a foul, and by the time he came out, the deficit had gone to 14.

Not one of his best days.

What confused me about this, other than why Kilicli was struggling, was the fact that when Huggs, who usually keeps his players (especially the bigs) on a short leash as far as mistakes go, saw Deniz struggle like this he didn't pull him for Thoroughman, Flowers, or someone that was more fresh.

And then there's Casey Mitchell.

The former Junior College Player of the Year who began the season in the starting five, after a few games saw himself planted on the end of the bench, and when it was time for WVU's big run in March, had started playing well again and looked like he was going to be a huge factor off the bench against Duke.

Or so I thought.

He played five minutes in the game and finished with two points, coming off of free throws.

Truthfully I'm not really that surprised that Mitchell didn't get in. For the most part the offense wasn't playing bad at all (I don't know how many times we've shot 50 percent in the first half) and we really needed guys to play defense, which is not one of Casey's strong points.

Now that that's done with, time to get away from that negative crap and finish this thing up.

After the game, we waited for a cab for about an hour and a half. I don't think I said more than five or six words that whole time.

It wasn't all because I was mad about the loss. I think it was just because I didn't know what to say.

This team has been so important to everyone in the state and the school. They brought us all so much joy.

As coach Huggins stressed so much throughout the season, they were special .

The buzzer beaters, the championships, the Twitter videos. They weren't only the most talented team that we've had since I can remember, they were the most memorable.

Let's just say that I wouldn't wait outside of the Bridgeport airport freezing cold for four hours for just any team to get off the plane and drive by us on their bus.

But even with all of the joy that this run in the tournament has given myself, and the rest of Mountaineer Nation, I think that I would give it up for Da'Sean Butler to be healthy.

The great thing about Da' is that he wouldn't do it.

That's what's great about this whole team in general. It's one thing for a team to go out and take care of business, but these guys were doing this for the state, to show something to all the people who make fun of this state. 

They gave us hope and they knew how much they meant to us. That's the thing that made these guys stand out the most.

While we were waiting for the cab, those were the things that were running through my mind. All the things that this team had gone through this year. The good (Big East Tourney, Elite Eight game), the bad (Purdue game), the ugly (Final Four, the injury).

But I think that that's what being a sports fan is all about. That complete range of emotions that a team can make you go through throughout the course of a season. They make you laugh, they make you cry (and in this team's case, sometimes cry from laughing), and if you're lucky enough they'll do what this team did and give you a couple of months that you will never forget.

It was a great ride. All we can do is hope next year only gets better.

Follow Me on Twitter: twitter.com/Carvelli3 to stay up to date on my work.

Entering Saturday, April 3rd, 2010, I had trouble deciding who to root for in the second semifinal game of the NCAA Tournament.

It was between Duke and West Virginia.

Duke is Duke. The Blue Devils are hated by so many college basketball fans. 

And then West Virginia is coached by Bob Huggins.

Up until Saturday night's game, Huggins was second on my list of most hated college basketball coaches (right behind John Calipari).

Huggins has his poor graduation rates and his stupid jumpsuit. How could this man be loved so much in West Virginia?

On Saturday night, I got my answer. 

Da'Sean Butler crashed to the floor after a collision with Duke's Brian Zoubek with 8:59 left in the first half.

Right away, Huggins went running out to Butler, who was lying on the court. 

Huggins went over to him and talked to him and comforted him . Huggins was so close to him, that for a second I though he might give Butler a comforting kiss on the lips.

In fact, after seeing his extreme compassion for his players throughout Saturday's game, I would not be surprised if he needed to hold something back due to being in front of 70,000 people and on national television. 

Huggins continued to coach from the sidelines for the next eight minutes. He then did what almost all coaches would do by taking a timeout with 1:08 left to remove his starters. 

As the players got their ovations, the camera shifted to show the West Virginia teammates embracing each other on the sideline.

While two West Virginia players hugged, Huggins pulled them over to get in on the love. 

Not only does Huggins infinitely love his players, but the players love him back. He continues to get complements from players and coaches.

West Virginia's Wellington Smith said that playing for Huggins is "a great experience and [he] would not trade it for anything in the world."

Frank Martin, the current coach of Kansas State and a former assistant of Huggins, said, "There's not a better human being in this business than Bob Huggins."

I had always heard about how Huggins is a great guy, coach, friend, and mentor, but I had never been able to believe it.

To me, he was always just another sleazy guy like Tommy Amaker and John Calipari.

Now, despite him still having a little bit of that sleazy side hanging onto him, I can see what makes him so beloved at West Virginia.

I guess that now I can see why he is Bob "Huggy Bear" Huggins.

For more college basketball news, follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter by clicking here .

It has been a strange ride for West Virginia, as senior De’Sean Butler has hit six game-winning shots along the way to the school’s first Final Four appearance since 1959, when Jerry West led the Mountaineers to the championship game.

On Saturday night, West Virginia will tip off against the Duke Blue Devils in a prime time semifinal matchup.

Coach K’s squad has been a streaky offensive group all tournament long. Their big three (Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith) can put points on the board in a hurry, and their tall front line, led by Brian Zoubek, can dominate the glass.

Arguably, the Mountaineers play the best defense in the country, and can match the Blue Devils with their physicality. They can create offense off their defense, as head coach Bob Huggins employs a 1-3-1 zone that has forced opponents to shoot only 33 percent from inside and 20 percent from beyond the three-point arc in this year’s tournament.West Virginia’s lengthy defenders can negate Scheyer’s love to drive to the basket off of ball screens.

Huggins never allows his team to get into a fast-paced contest with their opponents, as the Mountaineers have a difficulty in the transition game.  

West Virginia is great at scoring points off missed shots, as no one in the country can hit the offensive glass like the Mountaineers. They averaged 15 offensive rebounds and have out-rebounded their opponents by 5 in every tournament game. It has been out of necessity, as West Virginia shoots only 40 percent from the field.

The Mountaineers starting lineup is comprised of players from the New York City area, and they all have the mindset of doing whatever it takes on the court to win the game.

Very little trash talking will come out of their mouth, as their style of play is no nonsense and intense. One moment they look pathetic shooting the basketball, then the next they’re making shots and getting stops on defense.

On Saturday, they must spread the Blue Devil defense out and force Duke to play individually.

If successful, then we might see the Mountaineers once again in the finals on Monday night.

Now that the West Virginia basketball team is in the Final Four, Mountaineer fans are experiencing a golden moment in time, a wave of euphoria and pride for which most of them are relatively unfamiliar.

The last time the Mountaineer basketball team went this far was 51-seasons ago, 1959, the year I was born. It goes without saying that I don’t remember any of it firsthand.

My father, another long-time Mountaineer fan, used to regale me with tales of Jerry West, arguably the most famous athlete ever produced in the Mountain State.

The man was a legend in our state; he is now the logo of a national sport.

But other than Jerry West, and a few brief appearances in the Elite Eight or Sweet 16, Mountaineer fans have generally been a wallflower at the Big Dance.

But that was the past. Now our dance card is full.

The Mountaineers are only two games away from a national championship; they are only 80 minutes away from glory. By walking out on the hardwood, they stand on the precipice of greatness.

To claim that remarkably elusive title would place all of their names in the annals of sports history.

But in the state of West Virginia, it would truly make their names immortal!

The day Kennedy was assassinated, when man first walked on the moon, when the space shuttle exploded, and when those towers tumbled to the earth—those memories are indelibly etched in the minds of Americans everywhere.

In much the same way that people never forget where they were those historic events took place. West Virginians will never forget the names of those who brought this notoriety and honor to their state.

But in the Mountain State, our proud, loyal, hard-working residents will forever embrace these young men who have lifted our program to the mountaintop of the sports world.

From Parkersburg to Martinsburg, from Weirton to Bluefield, from the Big Sandy to the Potomac, on every porch and backyard gathering, you will hear their radios, blaring the play-by-play. In businesses, homes, and classrooms, televisions and radios have been loudly tuned to not miss a detail of their beloved Mountaineers.

Their broadcasts are being pumped deep within the heart of the earth, down into the mines, so coal mining companies will have enough people to fully man their shifts.

In the pages of West Virginia lore, the names of Da’Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks, and every single member of this team will be known. They will assume their place alongside those of Jerry West, Chuck Yeager, Sam Huff, Major Harris, Check Howley, Pat White, Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, Ed Etzel, James Jett, and Mary Lou Retton.

Not every person in this list was born in the Mountain State; but they are all West Virginians!

These young men and their coaching staff, eighty minutes from glory, their pictures will adorn the walls of homes and businesses throughout the state.

Expectant mothers will chose to call their children Truck, Devin or Cam. Their names and memories will be discussed around dining room tables, water coolers, and watering holes for years and years to come.

But for now, we can only imagine what it will actually feel like should we prevail in those 80 minutes to glory.

The swell of pride would be nothing like the state has ever witnessed.

The people of this state have followed Mountaineer sports for much too long to ever think West Virginia has no chance whatsoever. Over those years, they have endured many disappointments; they have rejoiced over so many great victories.

Yet it was those same disappointments that made these times so special!

The people here love the state of West Virginia; they worship their flagship university. And they have cherished these special moments with this outstanding team and its exceptional coaching staff.

Eighty minutes from glory, this may finally be our time for an NCAA championship in basketball.

Perhaps it is fate; perhaps it is redemption. After all, Jerry West’s son, Jonnie is on this team.

The people of West Virginia, Almost Heaven , are no strangers to the mountain top; but like Moses, we have never entered into that sacred land. We have always seen it afar off.

This time, those country roads may take us home. Coach Bob Huggins, one of our own, may finally lead us there.

Just eighty minutes to glory.

If there was any reason in the world for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins to be happy, what he helped his team do tonight should be enough.

Saturday night, the Mountaineers defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the East Region Final, 73-66.

In the beginning, the Mountaineers looked outmatched by the Wildcats, who have an advantage in height, with 6'11" DeMarcus Cousins, and speed.

Speed that West Virginia lacked due to the absence of point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant, the quick-footed play-caller from New York, who broke a bone in his foot during practice about two-weeks ago.

John Wall was having a field day as well, weaving through the West Virginia defense that just seemed like it wasn't fast enough. He recorded eight points in the first half.

The Wildcats' started the first-half looking like the better team, but dominance with a young team can only last so long.

And with a little luck from behind the line, and the Mountaineers were on their way.

West Virginia hit eight three-pointers in the first half and went an amazing 8 of 15 from the three-point arc. They held a 24-20 lead with 2:40 left in the first half before hitting their first free-throws.

The Mountaineers took the lead into half-time, 28-26.

Starting the second-half, that trademark Bob Huggins 1-3-1 showed up.

Even getting out-rebounded, West Virginia took care to try to get some points on every possession.

Within a few minutes, they were up by 10 as Joe Mazzula really took off. The junior point guard who nearly recorded a triple-double against Duke two years ago in the Second-round of the NCAA tournament, recorded 13 points before fouling out with 2:20 left in the game.

Exchanging baskets with West Virginia, the Wildcats were making nearly no progress the last five minutes of the game.

It took a three-point jumper by Darnell Dodson to bring the lead within ten points, with less then two-minutes remaining. 

Through a series of fouls and a couple turnovers by West Virginia, the Wildcats brought the game within six points with 30 seconds remaining.

A time-out by Da'Sean Butler would give Coach Huggins a few extra minutes to scream at his players and try to get them together to finish the game out.

Kentucky's Dodson would hit another three-pointer with 25 seconds left to bring the game within four points.

That's as close as they would get.

A missed three-pointer by Darnell Dodson and a couple free-throws by Da'Sean Butler, and West Virginia wrapped up it's first Final Four appearance in 51 years.

Game Notes

Elite Defense: West Virginia has held it's opponent under 65 points for seven straight games.

Kentucky's John Wall lead the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points and nine rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins recorded 15 points and eight rebounds, while Patrick Patterson recorded 13 rebounds and eight points.

Four West Virginia players scored in double-figures: Da'Sean Butler (18), Joe Mazzula (17), Kevin Jones (13), Devin Ebanks (12).

Kevin Jones had nine rebounds while Devin Ebanks recorded seven and Da'Sean Butler recorded six.

Last time West Virginia advanced to the Final Four, Jerry West's Mountaineers ended up losing to California 71-70 in the championship game.

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Pretty good start to the Sweet 16, huh? Gus Johnson and Jay Bilas in full effect, buzzer beaters, heat checks, and upsets. What more can you ask for? Savor it. Embrace it. Go buy a nerf hoop and replay it, because we only have a little over a week left of the Madness until we begin the long march to next March.

Butler vs. Syracuse.

The game came down to valuing the basketball. Butler had seven turnovers and Syracuse had 18. That’s your ballgame. For virtually the entire year, we’ve been telling you that Syracuse lacked that elite guard on offense that could manufacture offense in a half-court setting for the Orange, while protecting the basketball. Rautins and Jardine are really good guards, but neither player is a true point guard. Throw in Onuaku’s injury and the Orange were swimming upstream for most of this game.

Butler’s Willie Veasley was 5-of-7 from the field, but two of those buckets might as well have been Diego Maradona mano de dios. A generous roll on a three ball and an improbable tip did the trick for Butler down the stretch with under two minutes to go to seal the deal for the Bulldogs.

Look, Butler has the least amount of talent on their side of the bracket, but they continue to win. If I’m a big-time school with some dough to throw around, I throw it at Butler coach Brad Stevens, and watch that young man’s career blossom. Coach Steven’s Court? Has a great ring to it.

West Virginia vs. Washington

Washington finally met up with a team that straight up guards your ass. The Mountaineers smothered the Huskies in the half court and not only dominated the glass, but also turned over "U Dub" at an alarming rate. In the preview , we typed that it was supposed to be a rebounding vs. turnover game. Unfortunately for Washington, the Huskies were killed on the glass and turned it over 21 times.

West Virginia pulled off this defensive masterpiece by varying their defense between a trapping zone and a bump, and grind man-to-man.

We also predicted a technical foul in this game, but Coach Romar waited too long to get his, electing to get one with just under eight minutes to go. After he was whistled, the Huskies got every call. Before that, not so much. When will coaches learn to go ahead and pick these T’s up early in the game? If you don’t believe me, go ask Jim Calhoun .

West Virginia is for real, folks. They guard, they’re athletic, and they buy what Coach Huggins is selling. They can absolutely beat Kentucky if they can control tempo in the game. If Cornell can make a game against Kentucky a half-court grinder, why can’t the Mountaineers?

Cornell vs. Kentucky

Speaking of Kentucky…

Look, I told you Kentucky would roll. Cornell benefited from playing two teams in the opening rounds, Temple and Wisconsin, who were willing dance partners in the waltz of the half court. The pace allowed Cornell to focus on what it does best—efficiently running half-court offense, and setting up their disciplined half-court defense.

Kentucky was a different animal for Cornell. The Wildcat’s size and length prevented Cornell from getting easy points in and around the bucket.

As for offense, Kentucky’s ability to punish Cornell in transition when the game was fast-paced and then pound the smaller Cornell frontcourt with Cousins when things slowed down was the difference in the ball game. Kentucky can win in multiple ways and in this tournament, that’s a huge advantage.

It doesn’t hurt that they play four or five NBA players at any given time.

Xavier at Kansas State

In the game of the night, KSU needed double overtime to dispatch of a game Musketeer club. In the preview, I mentioned that if Xavier’s front court could compete on the glass and stay out of foul trouble, the XU guards could shoot their way to a big upset. That almost happened. Jordan Crawford and company hit improbable shot, after improbable shot to take the favored Wildcats to the brink. In the end, Kansas State’s depth carried the day in 50 minutes of electric double-overtime basketball action.

Madness to the X degree. Congratulations to the winners. See you Saturday.

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Kevin writes the leading college hoops blog March To March .

Follow him on Twitter: @MarchToMarch