(We begin with the end: Game story with quotes and the one anecdote you just might remember in March and say, “Hey, remember when this team really figured it out?”)

We’re about 30 minutes from the start of WVU and Cincinnati in the shoe that Bob Huggins kind of built … try as the town might to forget such things.

Should be a good one, if for no other reason than every game involving your Mountaineers seems to be a tight and tense affair. Four Big East teams started the day with no home losses — Notre Dame is off this weekend, Villanova lost to Georgetown and UConn lost to Louisville.

And then there are the Bearcats, who are 13-0 at Fifth Third Arena. Initial observation from courtside: Cincinnati is really big.

Here’s hoping the game is … delicious.

7:30: Tasting, tasting, tasting … good! I feel much better about the play-by-play with Mr. Sanders seated to my left.

 7:38: Keep an eye on confusion among the Bearcats. Some guy behind me yelled to leading scorer Dion Dixon, “Dion, this is your game. Not theirs.” A few minutes later, the same guy yelled at Darnell Wilks, “Take this game over. This is your game.” Wait a minute …

7:42: Cincinnati enters 18-3 and started 15-0. In the first 17 games, the Bearcats forced more turnovers than they allowed assists. That’s pretty hard to do — and no one else had that streak when UC’s ended in the 67-52 loss at Syracuse.

7:46: Prop bet for the night: Kevin Jones needs 11 points to become the 47th 1,000-point scorer in school hostory. Will he or won’t he?

7:48: Wednesday’s loss was the first in 37 games when WVU’s opponent scored fewer than 70 points. Here’s another streak to eyeball. WVU has won all 26 games under Huggins in which it shoots 50-percent or better from the floor. In losses, the Bearcats allowed Villanova and Notre Dame to shoot 45.5 percent and Syracuse 56.3. Big East opponents shoot 43.8 percent against Cincinnati … so it’s not impossible.

7:56: In case you’re curious, Huggins walked out of his locker room and toward his bench to a very loud ovation.

8:00: Oscar Robertson is in the front row. Jerry West is lacing up his Chuck Taylor’s in the locker room.

8:09: Speaking of Chucks, the UC cheerleaders are an odd bunch. This may be a one-time thing, I don’t know/care, but they’re wearing what I’d call retro uniforms: white sweaters with the “C,” black skirts, black high top canvas sneakers.

8:12: We’re 5:36 in, it’s 10-7 and Huggins has already offered two two-handed dismissals of calls he did not like. Twice WVU has gotten close to the basket and then been swallowed by the UC size, which forced turnovers.

8:17: Deniz playing the romantic tunes on back-to-back possessions.

8:18: … and a jumper? What did I just type?

8:25: UC press isn’t anything exotic, just very, very long. Not sure how long the Bearcats can hang in it and not commit a bunch of fouls, but it was worth the shot.

8:28: Highlight of my season. Kilicli on the left corner and gets the ball, all alone, of course. The crowd begs “Shoot it!” He does not. Ball goes around and it finds Kilicli, alone, of course, atop the key. Crowd  begs for a shot. Kilicli obliges and scores. And smirks.

8:30: Turnovers killing WVU. Again. Try seven TOs for nine UC points in a 21-17 game. Six of the seven have come in the past nine possessions. When the Mountaineers possess the ball, they’re OK — 8-for-15 with six assists. The Bearcats, meanwhile, have turned it over once and that led to no points.

8:33: Truck, Pepper, Flowers, Cam, Deniz. Can’t say I’ve seen this one before.

8:37: Worth mentioning Kevin Jones is 0-for-0, Truck is 1-for-4 and Flowers is 1-for-5. Their team has nine turnovers. And somehow WVU trails just 23-22 with 3:56 left in the half. How? The Mountaineers have had a large say in UC shooting 9-for-23 and WVU is controlling rebounds, 17-7. The Bearcats are taking a lot of 3s, too, and WVU is the best in the Big East at defending the 3.

8:42: Mick Cronin sent Justin Jackson to the locker room. Looked like Jackson threw an elbow into the back of Kevin Jones’ head. Jackson earned a technical and, I suppose, an early change of clothes. The lesson? Don’t mess with anyone named Justin Jackson. Truck makes two FTs — he saw the ball go in the basket, don’t underestimate that — and it’s WVU in the lead, 26-25.

8:45: Your boy James Breeding is having a great night. Got busted right in the nose by the ball after the opening tip. Just got cussed out by Cronin after Cronin begged for a timeout and then let Breeding know it took a little too long to award said timeout. Cronin shed the jacket. Truly hot under the collar. Truck goes 1-for-2 at the line and it’s 29-25 with 2:34 to go.

8:49: !

8:52: Cam makes two critical plays at the end. He had a great half. All things considered, that’s a very good half for the Mountaineers, who can’t possibly turn the ball over in the same volume and style in the second half. WVU, 33-27, at intermission.

9:10:  … and WVU begins the second half by throwing the ball right to a UC defender for a run-out layup.

9:19: We’re at five two-hand dismissals by Huggins. This half. That was a bad, bad call against Flowers, who was simply diving for a loose ball.

9:22: Joe Mazzulla, taking the game over the best way he knows how. He’s slowed Cincinnati down, at least, and his two free throws give the Mountaineers a 40-38 lead.

9:29: Justin Jackson is back in the game.

9:30: James Breeding is back in the game, too. No clue how that’s a shooting foul on Mazzulla when Pepper stripped it on the floor.

9:32: Breeding! No clue how that’s a block against Thomas when he has the ball.

9:34: Cronin senses trouble and calls a timeout — and 50-42 is the largest lead, either way, with 8:49 remaining. So interesting to watch Flowers shoot 3s. It looks like he releases on the way down. He really uses his wrist/hands to spin the ball and get the trajectory he wants. Whatever works.

9:39: We on press row were just remarking about how The Other Official — not silver fox John Cahill or hyperactive James Breeding — is hung up on the hands-in-the-lower back call. And just as we’re about to complain, we realize his name is Paul Fair. So I take it back. Good call. Fair call.

9:43: Flowers and-one makes it 53-43. WVU is 82-5 under Huggins when it leads by at least 10. And the lead means Cincinnati is going to shoot 3s to get out of the deficit. … Just ask the 6-9, 265-pound Yancy Gates, who was 1-for-9 all season and is now 1-for-10 after his miss sets up a Mazzulla layup.

9:46: OK, I’ll say it: How does WVU get home? Up 57-43 with 5:43 to go, but you know a run is coming.

9:51: Kilicli drives, attempts to jump, gets whacked, the ball flies five stories into the air and Cahill calls the foul on the floor. Huggins goes with two-hand dismissal 21.

9:55: Deniz pulls one out of the fire. Tremendous awareness to pick the ball up, and then pick his head up, to feed Jones for a layup. Screw that up and UC has the ball down eight. Now it’s 59-49 and the Bearcats turn it over to WVU.

9:57: WVU is going to Bill Stewart’s power running game. Mazzulla is going off tackle and around the ends and creating something for someone. And it’s working.

10:03: On the prop bet, Jones will finish with eight points. At least he’ll get 1,000 at home Wednesday against Seton Hall. WVU gets a win is very much needed, 66-55. Until we meet again, everyone. Thanks for the help tonight.