Bob Huggins

Winners of nine straight games, the West Virginia Mountaineers are riding high off a conference championship.

And after shaking off some early woes, it really showed.

Thursday night, the Mountaineers put away the Washington Huskies representing the Pac-10 during a Sweet Sixteen match-up, walking into the Elite Eight, 69-56.

This comes just minutes after Syracuse, a number-one seed in this NCAA tournament, was eliminated by Butler, making West Virginia the last team from the Big East remaining.

And they're doing their best to give the conference a good name.

The Mountaineers came into the game minus starting point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant, who is out of the tournament with an injured foot, which happened during a practice just a few days ago.

Freshman Casey Mitchell would start in his place and record six points, but was cycled throughout the game with junior, Joe Mazzula.

With the victory, the Mountaineers recorded their 30th win this season, setting a new school record for wins in a season, set by a 1958-59 team lead by NBA icon Jerry West.

Washington looked evenly matched with the men from Morgantown during the first half, with WVU turning the ball over 11 times due to pressure set by the Huskies defense and some untimely mistakes by West Virginia's ball handlers.

The Huskies reached the 20-minute break, leading at halftime by two points.

Coming out of the half, West Virginia's rebounding and defense showed up, at one point going on a 24-6 run and out rebounding the Huskies 40 to 25 for the game.

Washington's shooters could not get on target, missing 11 of 14 to start the second half.

They lead as late as 15:54 in the latter half of the game, but the Mountaineers got into rhythm and never looked back.

Sophomore forward Kevin Jones lead the Mountaineers in scoring with 18 points, going 3-4 from the three-point arc and 7-11 all together.

West Virginia All-American forward Da'Sean Butler added 14 points and seven rebounds and Devin Ebanks recorded 12 points and seven rebounds.

"We wanna win and we gotta keep winning games," West Virginia Forward Da'Sean Butler said in an interview after the game, "we're one win away from the Final Four."

The Huskies were out-played during the second half, meanwhile, the officials' call happy whistles angered Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, who ripped off his sports jacket, inciting a technical foul.

Huskies' forward Justin Holiday recorded 14 points, while point guard Isaiah Thomas dropped 13 points but fouled out before the end of the game.

The Mountaineers will take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at 7:05 PM (Subject to Change) who defeated Cornell in the other East regional semi-final 62-45. Cornell had lead the game 10-2 only to see their lead vanish within a few minutes.

When asked where the team is getting all this extra energy, "Why wouldn't you wanna push extra hard?", Mountaineer's Wellington Smith said after the game.

I couldn't agree with you more.

If all goes well, I hear a mustard-colored suit calling West Virginia coach Bob Huggins' name.

Game Notes

Da'Sean Butler injured his right hand halfway through the second half but finished the game.

The Mountaineer's recorded their sixth straight game holding the opposing team under 59 points.

Huskies' Quincy Pondexter would see limited action getting in early foul trouble. He recorded only seven points and three rebounds. Venoy Overton recorded 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Four Mountaineer players recorded seven rebounds or more; Kevin Jones (8), Da'Sean Butler (7), Devin Ebanks (7), and Wellington Smith (7).

The Mountaineers shot over 75-percent from the charity stripe for the third time in this year's NCAA tournament.

Daniel Kablack is founder of mySportsChat.com and a writer for Whotheman.com

You can follow Daniel Kablack on Twitter

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—It was a bit startling to see how cheery the West Virginia players acted Wednesday during the pre-Sweet 16 media sessions after learning Darryl "Truck" Bryant would miss the rest of the season with a fractured foot.

Although this team is seemingly always in good spirits, it should come as a surprise that there was not the slightest moment the Mountaineers appeared worried over the loss of their point guard.

"I know [Bryant] has faith in us that we can win the game," senior forward Da'Sean Butler said. "I don't see where the whole panic about everything will be."

Whether they want to admit it or not, there should be a little panic in Morgantown. Coach Bob Huggins realizes he's left with just one reliable guard—Joe Mazzulla—on his roster.

"I don't know if [Mazzulla] can go 40 minutes, but I think he can go 35," Huggins said. "We're still trying to figure out which is the best direction to go."

If Mazzulla doesn't go the full 40, then that means Huggins will be forced to use reserve guard Casey Mitchell or go with a five-forward lineup. Mitchell is more of a chucker than any kind of point guard.

Yes, a five-forward lineup failed miserably against Purdue. With Washington's strong transition attack that Huggins called the best in the country, West Virginia could be burned on the fast break.

That's a mismatch Huggins will have to deal with, but, at the same time, West Virginia's four- or five-forward lineups should also give Washington coach Lorenzo Romar headaches.

"I do know that between [Devin] Ebanks, [Da'Sean] Butler, and [Kevin] Jones, they're pretty good," Romar said. "And those guys are still playing, and they're going to be pretty effective."

Romar is right. They should be effective—extremely effective, to be precise.

Washington likely will have a sub-six-foot guard on the floor at all times and could have two on if Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton enter the game at the same time. That means one of them will be forced to guard someone a good seven or eight inches taller than he is.

With the way West Virginia's array of wing players can score and offensively rebound in the post, a disaster could be brewing.

"We're going to have to adjust to whatever they're doing just like they're probably going to adjust to whatever we're doing," guard Isaiah Thomas said.

West Virginia's adjusting will be most noticeable in terms of the scoring the school will get out of its point guard.

Thomas described Bryant's game well, but he's more than what the Washington guard gave him credit for: "His name explains it. 'Truck.' He was just a strong guard from New York City who handled the ball, and he played hard."

Bryant has developed into the team's fourth leading scorer and second-best threat from deep. His replacement, junior Joe Mazzulla, isn't much of a scorer at all, as he's played through a bum shoulder that slowly improves as the season progresses.

"My role doesn't really change," Mazzulla said. "Obviously I have to play a little bit smarter to try to stay out of foul trouble. I just try and contribute to the team and what Huggs asks."

Mazzulla shouldn't try to score more. He's not on the floor with Truck often, so when on the floor as the only guard he should continue to let the game come to him as normal and let the other four weapons on the floor score as they always do.

For more info, updates, and stories on college basketball (or even links to videos of West Virginia players dancing around like idiots in their hotels), follow @JamesonFleming on Twitter. He'll be covering the East Regionals in Syracuse and the Final Four in Indianapolis for Bleacher Report.

Coaches come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Oddly enough, these variables aren’t predictive of the results on the court unless the coach is mismatched with the type of player he’s recruiting. Allen Iverson couldn’t have played for Bob Knight. For proof, see how that whole Larry Brown thing worked out for “the Answer”. Practice, man.

Conversely, Steve Alford would have struggled on one of those fast and loose UNLV teams. Not athletically, but in terms of style and system. Tarkanian didn’t hand out staggered screens like they were $500 chips from the Golden Nugget.

I point out the examples of Knight and Tarkanian to provide you with a sizeable range of coaching philosophies on the coaching style continuum. In between these extremes are all sorts of categories. I’ve taken the liberty of dubbing my own “species,” but they’re not written in stone. It's more like a Chuck Darwin's Big Chief Tablet .

Species: Disciplinarian

Phylum : Blue Streak Cusser. Order : Mean S.O.B.

Contemporary Examples: Frank Martin, Ben Howland, Billy Gillispie, and Rick Barnes
Most Famous: Henry Iba, Don Haskins, Robert Montgomery Knight, Gene Keady

Historically, this species of coach is easily identified in the wild by rapid-fire spittle flying from his mouth at officials and players alike. The electronic age has caused the contemporary group to dial down the spit and instead portray an aura of piss and vinegar without spitting or foot stomping. Frank Martin is the exception because they only have one TV station in Manhattan, Kan.

If this coach recruits players with the correct mental makeup and toughness, he can make teams with above-average talent great. If the players can translate this coaching toughness properly, these teams will guard and rebound like no other. Later in the year, defending and rebounding skills will seem innate after dozens of football-physicality types of practices.

Offensively, the disciplinarian must have a system, great guard play, or coach in the pre-shot clock era to truly be elite. So much energy is spent on the defensive end that creative offensive play is bogged down by lack of practice time and fear of making mistakes. Also, scoring before completing three passes hurts street cred with your coach.

Species: Chameleon

Phylum : Screamer. Order : Recruiter

Contemporary Examples: John Calipari, Jim Calhoun, Thad Matta, Bob Huggins
Most Famous: Denny Crum, Bobby Cremins, Lou Carneseca

These guys are closely related to the disciplinarian, but they’ll adjust their system to fit the talent they recruit so well. They’re flexible animals but they don’t put up with a lot bullcrap from players and officials alike. If they don’t recruit well, which is rare, they miss tournaments completely. But if they can land the kind of talented players they’re usually after, watch out, because they do a good job of handling the prima donna while still coaching him up.

Species: The Players’ Coach

Phylum : Recruiter. Order : Artist

Contemporary Examples: Jim Boeheim, Billy Donovan, Roy Williams, Bruce Pearl, Rick Pitino
Most Famous: Jerry Tarkanian, Jim Valvano, Al McGuire

These guys love basketball for the beauty of the game. You get the feeling that they appreciate the art of the sport more than the winning at times, which is a good news-bad news deal. If they have talented players, these coaches are rewarded with a free and loose style of basketball that’s impossible to defend. Their players feed off the freedom.

If the talent is lacking, their teams are exposed as being undisciplined and foolish. But even when they’re not at full strength from a talent standpoint, these teams can jump up and bite a more talented team simply because they have the green light and that particular night it never turns yellow or red.

Since these coaches put a premium on offense, they often resort to gimmicks on defense to cover warts. Valvano was renowned for junking up his defense with box-and-one or triangle-and-two. Hell, he’d foul even while up one or in a tie game for the sole purpose of getting the last shot. Too bad he didn’t always get to face Phi Slamma Jamma.

Tarkanian had the Amoeba Zone, Boeheim has the active 2-3, and both Rick Pitino and Bruce Pearl like to press. Roy Williams revolutionized the secondary break after defensive stops. These guys are artists and want to see the beautiful game, with defense being an afterthought or a precursor to scoring.

Species: The Statesmen

Phylum : The Teachers. Order : Recruiter

Contemporary Examples: Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self
Most Famous: John Thompson, John Wooden, Dean Smith

The Statesmen will recruit, teach, and build a program that competes for a national championship most years. They can X and O with the best of them, but there is always a teaching quality that allows them to connect with their players which allows them to enjoy a consistent level of success.

Team chemistry is rarely an issue, while a talent issue is even less likely. Quite frankly, these guys are the Greek gods of the sport, sitting atop Mount Olympus, looking down on the college basketball world with knowing smiles.

They always seem to land all the top players (UNC), get all the calls (Kansas), and have all the luck (Duke). But more than anything these coaches are the total package and the face of college basketball. There's a reason everyone is jealous.

But they are just one of the many faces of the sport and an example of the multiple ways coaches can have success. This is the time of year we find out which species is the king of the jungle.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

~ Charles Darwin (huge Northern Iowa fan)

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Kevin writes the leading college hoops blog  March To March

Follow him on Twitter:   @MarchToMarch

West Virginia's star guard, Da'Sean Butler, scored 28 points in a 68-59 win over the Missouri Tigers in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday to advance the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16.

The Missouri Tigers struggled offensively and looked nothing like the team that beat Clemson in the first round.

Top Tigers players, Keith Ramsey and Kim English, both scored 20 points against Clemson in the first round game held a few days ago, but were outmatched by a more athletic Mountaineers defense.

Tigers' players had trouble with the Mountaineers, who played a scrappy game, not giving Missouri many chances at fast-break points.

Free throw shooting was a major factor, as Missouri barely converted 60 percent of their free throw attempts.

On the other hand, West Virginia showed poise throughout the game, converting 76 percent of their free throw shots.

The Mountaineers' ball handling was superb throughout the first-half, giving up only one point on three turnovers against a Missouri team who prides itself on playing end-to-end defense.

That defense showed up near the latter parts of the second-half.

It was a rough game with both defenses playing extremely well in the second half.

West Virginia went almost 13 (a span from the first to second half) without a field goal.

They kept the lead by playing aggressive and getting to the free throw line.

The Tigers induced multiple turnovers to help draw the game within four-points with about two minutes remaining.

But the Mountaineers wouldn't be denied a chance at getting to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the last six years.

A series of aggressive plays by the talented West Virginia starters, all of which are from metropolitan New York, turned the last couple minutes into a free throw clinic and sealed the game for Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers.

West Virginia will play in the round of sixteen against eleventh-seeded Washington on Thursday at 7:27 PM ET on CBS followed by the other East region semi-final game #1 seed Kentucky vs #12 seed Cornell at 9:57 PM EST.

Game Notes:

Da'Sean Butler scored a tournament high 28 points, with eight rebounds and two steals. His 19 points in the first half helped the Mountaineers hold the lead throughout the game.

Missouri freshman guard Michael Dixon came in off the bench and led the team with 15 points. Guards J.T. Tiller, Zaire Taylor, and Kim English scored 13, 10, and 10 points respectively.

Forward Laurence Bowers recorded six points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. Keith Ramsey who scored 20 in the win against Clemson, recorded just five points.

Mountaineers forward Kevin Jones scored 13 points and recorded nine rebounds. Devin Ebanks dropped 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

Bob Huggins doesn’t recruit basketball players.

He recruits tough guys who happen to play basketball. He did the same thing at Cincinnati with hard-nosed players like Danny Fortson and Steve Logan, and he’s doing it for the West Virginia Mountaineers if tonight’s rough and tumble play was any indication.

In the Big East tournament, especially tonight in the Mecca of college basketball arenas, that recruiting strategy served him and his program well. Guys like Wellington Smith, Devin Ebanks, and Kevin Jones bludgeoned a pretty athletic Georgetown team, grabbing 17 man-sized offensive boards to the Hoyas' six.

The Mountaineers also showed terrific mental toughness, hitting on 15 of 16 foul shots, each attempt bigger and more important than the next.

But when talking toughness, I’d be horribly remiss if I didn’t mention Da’Sean Butler, the toughest player, mentally and physically, I’ve seen in quite sometime.

Not only is the Butler asked to bang, board, and defend like some garbage man role-player you’ll find on most teams (you know this player, he’s usually wearing the sports goggles and two knee braces), but since Butler is the one player on WVU’s roster that can get his own shot consistently, he’s asked to do more than just dirty work.

For the Mountaineers, Butler has to stop opponents scoring runs with big shots. He’s asked to manufacture offense when the shot clock is running down.

Most importantly, especially recently, is that Butler is asked to win games in crunch time, which is exactly what he did in this tournament.

Twice.

Two walk-off homers that would make Mickey Mantle blush.

Tonight, Butler’s game winning driving layup with five seconds to go was fitting since the hard-nosed senior absorbed all kinds of contact before tear-dropping the game clincher.

If there’s a tougher player in college basketball than Da’Sean Butler, I’d like to see him. If he’s a better basketball player to boot, I’ll eat my hat.

As for the game specifics, as I mentioned, it wasn’t for the faint of heart. This will usually be the case in games involving these West Virginia Mountaineers, because not only are they recruited and coached to play physical, but their unique personnel group thrives on the defensive end. The reason West Virginia is unique defensively is that they don’t really have defined positions.

They basically start four big forwards and a single guard. Having these similarly-sized players allows the Mountaineers to switch on screens more than most teams, so every player on the floor is used to guarding on the perimeter as well jostling in the low post.

It’s also a reason that teams, like Georgetown, without really good back-to-the-basket threats will struggle against them. These types of teams can’t really punish the mismatches caused by multiple switches to the degree needed to be effective. It’s the main reason Georgetown struggled offensively until Austin Freeman warmed up.

Credit must also be given to the Hoyas for hanging around and making this an instant Big East classic.

Greg Monroe was limited by Wellington Smith, but Freeman and Chris Wright picked up the slack and fueled the late Hoya comeback bid with some hot shooting and clever ball handling.

Speaking of toughness, a tip of the cap to Chris Wright for hitting a big shot after his Fred Brown like brain cramp of intentionally fouling in a tie game with twenty seconds to go. It could have been a Chris Webber moment for the poor kid. It was good to see Wright bounce back with a big shot, even though Butler’s heroics trumped Wright’s running layup to tie the game and make amends.

So what does this game mean for both teams?

For the West Virginia Mountaineers it’s doubtful they earned a one-seed for their performance in the conference tournament, unless the Duke Blue Devils lose to Georgia Tech tomorrow. Either way, I think Duke and West Virginia end up in the same bracket regardless of what seed number you assign the team. It’s really six in one, half a dozen in the other. Strongest two and weakest one.

West Virginia going to Duke’s bracket means Ohio State probably ends up in the Syracuse bracket. Kentucky and Kansas are going to get the top two seeds, which is very important this year. It’s a huge advantage to avoid the the pseudo-ones (as I call them), West Virginia and Ohio State, because there’s a significant fall-off in talent after the Mountaineers and Buckeyes.

So, tomorrow’s selection show should be interesting and exciting, but nothing compared to the magic that went down tonight at Madison Square Garden. I had no rooting interest in the game, and I still had goosebumps when the final horn sounded.

It’s such a treat to watch basketball played to the point where each player has left everything he has out on the hardwood. That statement as it’s applied to West Virginia is certainly true, especially Mountaineer forward Kevin Jones.

Watching the 6′8″ man-mountain weep in Bob Huggins’ arms at midcourt as John Denver’s tribute to West Virginia, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, played over the MSG’s public address system says it all as far as I’m concerned. That’s what the Madness is all about.

I guess even tough guys cry.

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This article originally appeared on March To March

Follow Kevin Berger on Twitter: @MarchToMarch

I've been a West Virginia sports fan for 18 years, seven months, and 23 days now. In that time, there have been a fair share of ups and downs.

There was a run to the Elite Eight in 2005 led by a 6'11", tattoo covered white guy who looked like the big Mon Star in Space Jam. There was Jarrod West's buzzer beater to send Bob Huggins and the Cincinnati Bearcats home and get the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16.

I've witnessed the coaches of our two biggest sports bolt to Ann Arbor for greener pastures—and I've been very pleased with the results.

In one night I witnessed the man who many thought was the savior of the West Virginia football program transform into the devil and the most hated person in the state. I then witnessed a good ole boy from New Martinsville take a team that, after losing a shot at a national championship and their head coach, had lost all hope and lead them to a Fiesta Bowl win and then get his dream job as head coach.

I've seen buzzer beaters, game-winning touchdowns, triumphant, inspiring victories, and heartbreaking, humbling losses.

But this year's Mountaineer basketball team are able to bring about so many different emotions over the course of one game that at times you aren't sure if you're watching a basketball game or a hit television drama on NBC.

First, let me talk a little about what it's like to be a WVU fan, for those of you reading who have the wrong perspective on us, which if you go off of what you see on ESPN you're wrong.

You need to know that the fans here are just about as passionate about the success of this team as you can be, without going legally insane.

We're a lot like Red Sox fans before they won their first World Series in 2004. We give our all cheering, hoping, and praying that one day our team will win a championship—whether it be in football or basketball, heck any sport would be fine with me, I'm tired of only having rifle titles.

But over and over it always seems like there is something that goes wrong for us and keeps us from winning it all.

In that Elite Eight run, it was blowing a double digit lead to Louisville to keep us out of our first Final Four since 1959.

In the 2007 season, we even had a spot in the National Championship Game locked up but lost to Pitt at Mountaineer Field to, once again, kill the hopes of all fans in Morgantown.

This basketball team seems different though.

There's something about them that makes me think that this is the team that can do it, this is the team that could bring home that first championship.

But if experience has taught me anything, it's that you can never get to carried away expecting too much from these teams yet. As they said in the atrocious movie Fever Pitch (in an awful Boston accent), "Careful kid, they'll break your heart."

All the signs are there though, so let's start with what everyone around the country knows about.

Over the course of this weekend, there has been the emergence of the new "Mr. Clutch". His name, Da'Sean Butler.

I can't remember a single player that I've ever watched play, including the great Kevin Pittsnogle, that has been as much of a big time player as Da'Sean has become this season.

After his game-winner in the Big East Championship game, Butler had hit six game-winning shots this year. I haven't really done the research on it, but I'm pretty sure that that's at least in the top three in the country.

Just ask the Lakers how much having a big time clutch performer like that can help your chances of winning a title.

That's exhibit one, now reason number two is that, unlike when John Beilein was our head coach, we have an experienced coach who has actually been on the big stage before.

Bob Huggins gets a lot of attention for his sideline antics and his selection of clothing, but he is also a pretty good coach. In three years, he has turned a three point shooting team that thought that rebounding was overrated into a tough, physical team that's offense relies a lot on rebounding the basketball.

The players have bought in to the new philosophy and they are looking better than ever. These three years with Huggins here have solidified us as a legitimate national title contender and one of the best teams in the Big East year in and year out.

Another reason that you have to love Huggs is because as a fan, you know that he really wants to make this program a winner. He's from here, he knows how much this school and this basketball team means to the people of the state, and he will do whatever he can to make sure that this team will win a national title.

If you have any disagreements with that, you can just listen to his postgame comments after WVU's loss to UConn earlier in the year.

For the final reason that I think that this team can be different and make some noise in the tournament, I recently started reading Bill Simmons' new book The Book of Basketball.

This team has, what Simmons described in the book as, "The Secret."

The key to a team's success is not all about who is the most talented, or who has the most McDonald's All-Americans, but it's about chemistry and how well everyone gets along with each other.

On this team, no individual is going to have a lot of success without working with every other player on the floor.

For instance, in last night's game, Butler's final shot means nothing without Casey Mitchell and Joe Mazzulla's free throws. And those mean even less without Wellington Smith having an awesome day defensively against Georgetown's lottery pick, Greg Monroe.

This team works so well together and everyone knows their role on the team.

Butler's the clutch scorer, Jones and Ebanks are the rebounders who can give a scoring spark, Smith is the defensive stopper, Truck's the shooting point guard and Mazzulla is the distributor, Kilicli, Thoroughman, and Jennings are the bodies off the bench and Mitchell is the sharp shooter.

But the fans are the heartbeat and that it doesn't plan on stopping for these "cardiac kids" just yet. 

Maybe playing on three consecutive nights in three close games proved to be better than playing for four straight games, with three of those four games being decided by wider margins of victory.

So was the case for No. 6 West Virginia, as the Mountaineers won its first Big East tournament title over No. 22 Georgetown, 60-58, on a layup by star Da'Sean Butler with 4.3 seconds left Saturday night.

The Hoyas seemed to be in control early in the first half, leading by seven at one point, 8-1. Sophomore phenom Greg Monroe scored or was involved in the first few shots, as the Mountaineers looked out of sync, not connecting on any of its field goals.

But after Georgetown got complacent, West Virginia mounted a strong comeback on a 19-11 run of its own to lead at halftime, 32-28.

That turnaround is credited to head coach Bob Huggins, who had power forward Wellington Smith (11 points, 10 rebounds) guard Monroe tightly, shutting him down for at least the last 10 minutes of the first half.

The second half was much more exciting, although Georgetown never reclaimed the lead. The largest margin that West Virginia led by was nine points, 43-34, with 12:30 to go.

With 12 minutes left, however, Georgetown kept the came close, denying the Huggins-coached team of mostly New York-New Jersey-bred players from blowing the Hoyas out.

At 11:30, Georgetown was down by four points, 43-39.

At 10:00, Georgetown, on a 7-0 run for close to two minutes, scored again, 43-41.

The two teams went back and forth in reaching closer to the Big East championship, with the Hoyas on a 10-2 run with four minutes left, 52-49.

With two minutes left, Georgetown was down by one, 52-51, and did not tie the game until Austin Freeman (14 points, two steals) hit a clutch three-pointer with 53.1 seconds left, 56-56.

The title shifted in West Virginia's favor at first when Chris Wright fouled Joe Mazzulla with 27.6 seconds left. Mazzulla hit both free throws, leading to a 58-56 score.

Wright, who led his team with 20 points and seven assists, overcame the embarrassment of fouling Mazzulla earlier.

Off a dazzling spin move, the small guard tied the game again, 58-58, on a bank-shot floater with 17 seconds left.

That was the last time that Georgetown came so close to winning the game and title.

As West Virginia's chances of winning it all exponentially got better, they almost disappeared just as quickly when Butler missed a three-point attempt, with both teams in a mad scramble for the loose ball afterwards.

When the sixth-ranked Mountaineers regained possession, Huggins, knowing that the game was still in his team's control, was forced to a call a timeout with nine ticks left on the clock.

That seemed to be the best move, as Butler, just a few feet from the free throw line, sashayed his way to the basket, scoring on an improbably well-contested shot (and game-winner) for the final score of 60-58.

Wright had a chance to tie the game again with mere seconds remaining, but fell short as time ran out.

West Virginia made the same number of free throws and three-point field goals as Georgetown, 14 and four, respectively. But it also played more proficiently on defense and dominated the boards, grabbing 36 rebounds (19 offensive) to the Hoyas' 19.

The Mountaineer bench had an extremely important role, too, adding 15 points from four different players, compared to the Hoyas' seven points from two substitutes.

Although shut out of a Big East-record eight tourney wins and Monroe was not as much of a factor as in the semifinals against Marquette (11 points and six rebounds), the Hoyas will likely receive a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

In the meantime, this win was a sure homecoming for most of the Mountaineers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, with six of their players representing either New York or New Jersey, including Big East tournament MVP Butler (20 points on 7-of-19 field goals, 5-for-5 from the line).

It is interesting to see if their first title will result in a No. 1 seed tomorrow on Selection Sunday. 

West Virginia's Kevin Jones had 14 points and Devin Ebanks finished the game with eight rebounds.

In one of the most exciting games of the conference tournament season, the West Virginia Mountaineers (27-6, 14-5) used their speed and athleticism to edge the Georgetown Hoyas 60-58 on Saturday.

The Big East is widely revered as the nation's cream of the crop in regards to college basketball. It wouldn't be a surprise to see this year's national champion emerge from the mega-conference—will it be the Mountaineers from Morgantown, W.Va.?

Bob Huggins' boys chased the Syracuse Orange for league supremacy in the regular season, and with the early exit in the Big East tourney of Jim Boeheim's club, questions about the legitimacy of Huggins' crew have been raised.

So just how good are these kids from West Virginia?

They're sensationally good.

After Da'Sean Butler's 20-point rampage against Greg Monroe and company, it's hard to say that he wasn't deserving of the conference's Player of the Year honors. Wes Johnson of Syracuse is a great player, but Butler is a unique specimen.

A talent on both ends of the court, West Virginia's 6'7" Jersey boy showed the nation he's worth his salt at one of the game's grandest venues—the legendary Madison Square Garden.

Spike Lee must have been in awe to see Newark's own work the way he did. It was unbelievable. Being a Brooklyn guy, Lee had no choice but to praise the kid from the Garden State.

Lee likely reverted to his old commercial shoots with the legend himself, Michael Jordan, and wondered in reference to Butler if it was the shoes (ya know, ya know, ya know?).

If you're 25 or older, you caught that one.

Don't overlook the rest of Huggins' squad. Devin Ebanks, Kevin Jones (a forward who plays like a guard at times), and Wellington Smith are ultra-talents in their own rights.

When you have two uber-athletic forwards like Ebanks and Butler, and combine them with Jones' methodical play—you have a contender.

Smith, another product of New Jersey, is a physical 6'7" 245-pounder who isn't afraid of a little contact.

Let the strategizing begin.

It's not rocket science.

It's chess.

Huggins is the first coach to bring a Big East title to Morgantown. There's something in the air that says that the Mountaineers are just getting started.

What else is there left for them to prove?

In the regular season, the No. 6 Mountaineers beat all the Big East's upper echelon teams except Syracuse. The Morgantowners lost by a point to the Orange in a game that was decided by a free throw's margin in the first half.

It came down to the wire.

Granted, there were the quintessential nail-biters with Pitt, Cincinnati, and Louisville. Why, even the Big East semifinal with Notre Dame would make a guy's heart skip a beat.

The point is that the Mountaineers have continued to get the job done.

Game in, game out.

That's why they will hoist a banner boasting of their 2010 Big East triumph in the Coliseum—and that's why they cut down the nets in the Garden. 

If Huggins' team isn't on your list of contenders—grab a pen and a pad and scribble the words "Final Four -caliber team."

While you're at it, you might as well jot down "National Championship contender" as well.

A funny thing happened on the way to Connecticut's latest upset of a top-tier Big East team Monday night.

Bob Huggins, coach of the visiting No. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers, got two technical fouls and was automatically ejected.

ESPN had a nice tight shot on Huggins as he was giving official Mike Stuart the business. It didn't look like Huggins was asking if Stuart enjoyed his weekend.

Many Twitter users, including this one, were able to deciper the code Huggins has never been afraid to use on officials for more than two decades. It appeared to include many F-bombs, and ESPN college basketball reporter Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz ), seated courtside, Tweeted that "Bob Huggins just used mother and you know what right in Mike Stuart's face. Stuart listened and finally tossed him."

Here's some more of what folks were Tweeting about Huggins in the closing minute of UConn's 73-62 win, another resume builder for the surging Huskies:

@MattZemek_CFN: "I'm reading Bob Huggins's lips, and it's not a pretty sight... errrr, sound..... errrr, sight. You know what I mean."

@OSULighty23: "Huggins a goon lol........... he always let the refs know whats on his mind."

@goodmanonfox: "Bob Huggins might have set the record for most F-bombs dropped on a ref and he tossed with two technicals."

@Miss_JenniferC: "I kept waiting for Huggins to flip off the stupid UConn student section as he left lol."

@kevinreitmeyer: "Stay classy Huggins! And you wonder where the students get it from?!"

@ScottBonz: "For those on the highway tonight, namely @asavla. Be safe. An angry and possibly drunk Bob huggins is on the road. Good win."

@WildcatBlueBlog: "Cousins and Bledsoe combined cannot hold a candle to Huggins and his temper. What a mess."

@PJASchultz: "It was kind of a bullshit ejection. Ref was definitely looking for it. ..and I hate Huggins!"

@jhorrigan24: "Did Bob Huggins get ejected for 2 technical fouls or for not wearing a shirt and tie? Class act."

@john_kersten: "Eff uconn. Huggins got tossed so he didn't have to shake that ass of a coach Calhoun."

@BlakeMellinger: "Bob Huggins just got tossed at UCONN. The official had no business being at WVU huddle, he instigated the entire confrontation."

@z_timmons: "What's the Vegas over/under on # of miles Huggins makes it before being pulled over for DUI tonight?

@Gabejones23: "Huggins has just been ejected for the same thing Calhoun has done his entire career."

West Virginia fans need to understand something.  When they walk into the WVU Coliseum tonight to watch their fourth-ranked Mountaineers take on No. 5 Villanova, they don't only represent themselves, they represent the university. 

They represent the young men who play with passion, determination, and class each and every time they don the blue and gold jersey.

Be loud. Be raucous. Be intimidating.  Don't be an idiot.

West Virginia's impressive 19-point victory over Pittsburgh in Morgantown last Wednesday was marred by the actions of a few unruly fans.  As a former student, I was embarrassed, angry even!

Winning with class is severely underrated.

Tonight is a chance for the Mountaineer faithful to redeem themselves, win or lose, in the national spotlight. 

Extra security will encourage better behavior and the Morgantown drunk tank will gladly house anyone who decides that 14th shot of Wild Turkey gives him the right to pelt opposing players and coaches with debris from the stands.

For those that do stay for the entire game, it should be a good one. 

Villanova is coming off their first Big East loss, a 103-90 whipping at Georgetown. That might turn out to be a good sign for Jay Wright's team, which hasn't lost back-to-back games since March of 2008.

The Mountaineers have won four of the last five in the series, however, including a 21-point blowout last year in Morgantown.

West Virginia's size poses a match up problem for most teams with four starters listed at 6'7" or taller.  Villanova starts a very small lineup in comparison, often running a four-guard set.

If Villanova can't keep the Mountaineer bigs off the glass, it will be a long night for star point guard Scottie Reynolds and company.

Reynolds has struggled in his career against the Mountaineers, being held to just over nine points per game and averaging five turnovers a contest.  In last year's loss in Morgantown, he watched his WVU counterpart, Da'Sean Butler, torch the Wildcats for 43 points.  Don't think for a second he's forgotten that.

Both teams have balanced scoring but completely different styles of play. 

Nobody in the country gets out and runs like Villanova, part of the reason why they lead the Big East in scoring offense.  Their smaller, quicker lineup allows them to do that, and do it well.

West Virginia wants to keep a less frenetic pace.  Bob Huggins' guys do it with defense, holding teams to just 61.5 points per game. 

Four guys average double-digit scoring, headed by the versatile play of Butler—and like Villanova, every guy on the floor can knock it down from behind the arc.

Tonight's victor will gain ground on Syracuse in talks concerning who may be the class of the brutal Big East.  Let's just hope it's won with class as well.

Semler's Prediction:  WVU 81  'Nova 76