Just about tip time here from the XL Center, the building in which WVU is 0-2 as part of an 0-8 record all-time on the road against UConn. The Mountaineers and could really use a win tonight to distinguish themselves, at least early on, as something more than one of a bunch of meddling teams.

Put it this way: A win on UConn’s home floor is going to look good later on this season and also go a long way toward satisfying a mythical number of wins the Mountaineers might need to gain at-large status for the NCAA Tournament. It’s nicer to nab those wins now, especially when the opponent has struggled enough to lose back-to-back games, than it is later in the season, when improvements and desperation and fatigue and injury and other variables become factors for everyone.

6:58: Big fan of Shabazz Napier. I think he’s got a great game and moves that are just very hard to handle … but his shoes are going to test me tonight. You have to see them.

6:59: Speaking of “see to believe,” Andre Drummond is enormous. That’s a legit 6-10, 270-pound freshman. He makes Alex Oriakhi look quaint. Obviously, WVU is going to have its hands full under the baskets. Shots and second chances there aren’t going to be easy.

7:02: It’s been more than a year now, but I can’t get over how much Jeremy Lamb looks like a young Nas.

7:03: Miles gets in early — foul with five seconds left on the shot clock. Drummond dunks on the inbound.

7:05: Interesting that UConn has put 6-7 Niels Giffey on Truck.

7:06: … and Calhoun subs as Shabazz gets Truck now.

7:08: Deniz runs the floor after a Truck steal. Truck misses, but Deniz cleans up. Two offensive rebounds, two second-chances for the Turk.

7:12: We’ve played 5:04 and UConn doesn’t have a rebound. WVU has four and three are offensive for six second-chance points. Ryan Boatright, once a WVU commit who backed away when Hinds committed, is on the floor now. He and Hinds are guarding one another.

7:16: I’m assuming Huggins didn’t want Deniz fouling Drummond on a jumper, but Drummond walked to the line 14-for-40 on FTs this season. He went 1-for-2. Deniz has two fouls and either WVU, the refs or both don’t know it.

7:18: There goes Deniz. The scorer’s caught it. And now Truck has two and that one was unlucky. Happened right in front of me. Circle it! He’s playing well and WVU is down 14-13.

7:20: Browne is a very confident young man. He saw the defender back off, so he shot it and never really hesitated.

7:22: Said this before, too: Browne gets to the ball maybe better than anyone else on this team.

7:27: KJ 15-for-60 from 3 … almost 25 percent. Also, he was open on Browne’s drive, but Browne saw Browne under the hoop. He had two shots blocked.

7:28: KJ and Noreen doing a nice-enough job keeping the ball out of the post and Shabazz turns it over on a five second violation. The ball was inbounded at 8:03. The official blew the whistle at 7:59. OK…WVU is outscoring UConn 6-2 without Truck.

7:32: Aaron Brown is going to get on on the rim tonight, but you do have to like WVU’s pace and trying to out run the shot blockers.

7:34: KJ has a look about him tonight…

7:35: Big swing. WVU has a break and UConn discourages Hinds on a layup and Boatright makes a 3 to make it 25-23. UConn saving itself by guarding the rim here.

7:35: KJ begging for the ball on the inbound. Eff it, too fast for me. He made it. Never seen him really beg for it like he is tonight.

7:44: Internet wigged out on me during Calhoun’s timeout, but we’re back and WVU is up 33-26 with 1:41 to go in the half.

7:50: Issues continues there, but it’s 33-28 at halftime. UConn is 11-for-18 … and cooled off … while WVU is 13-for-35. The Huskies have no offensive rebounds, which is big, but they’ve also blocked six shots and altered about just as many.

7:59: WVU has held the lead 11 times in 16 games this season and is 9-2. Also of note, WVU has a 15-2 edge in points off turnovers and a 9-0 edge in second-chance points. The Huskies have no offensive rebounds.

8:03: Curious to see how Huggins uses Deniz and/or Miles in the second half. WVU was beating UConn to the basket, which means guards are the guys to use in the second half to keep up that pace. He was going to do it in the first half, but Truck got his second foul.

8:04: Browne, Truck and Hinds will start the second half.

8:06: Huggins with the quick timeout. First real momentum moment for the Huskies and the first adversity moment for WVU. That was an uninspiring first possession for the Mountaineers and, obviously, Huggins wasn’t happy with it or the two defensive possessions wrapped around it. No ball pressure.

8:10: Browne would be a great football or soccer player. He always gets to the ball. Two big plays there, but they go unrewarded. WVU missing good shots at a bad time here.

8:17: WVU starts 0-for-8 in the second half, but it was really a matter of time before someone — and namely KJ, who had one one  rebound in the first half — started scoring on offensive rebounds. Back-to-back second-chance baskets by KJ make it 37-34. UConn still doesn’t have an offensive rebound.

8:19: Press row, we call that play the wink because when Darris Nichols ran it, the man of few words would wink. That play has been very good to WVU through the Huggins years.

8:25: Kilicli is getting good position inside, which means KJ and sneak in for offensive rebounds, like he has. Also, down 43-36, Jim Calhoun just got a T during the timeout here.

8:29: As poorly as WVU started this half, Kilicli’s hook built the largest lead of the game.

8:32: Save KJ’s back-to-back second-chance scores, UConn is getting a bunch of one-shot possessions. It’s 46-40 with 9:54 remaining and UConn turns it over for the second time on an inbound, this time out of a timeout. Calhoun is not pleased.

8:35: Terrible call on the travel. the refs want you to know they’re here.

8:36: Lamb is doing a real nice job on Truck and Olander is working the high post. Fun game! It’s 48-48 after Boatright rips Hinds for a dunk.

8:38: Going to say WVU hasn’t been in a game like this in a building like this so far this year. And I wonder if it’s beginning to look that way. A 12-2 run by UConn and WVU is 1-for-5 with four turnovers. Truck looks very affected by the events of this game, too. The team had three turnovers the entire first half.

8:46: Down 53-51, WVU goes zone. Boatright wins.

8:48: One basket in eight-plus minutes here for WVU.

8:49: Olander fould Kilicli at the rim. UConn approves, but Deniz goes 1-for-2. Boatright airball, Brown, of course, finds it and hits KJ for a run-out dunk. Lamb nearly dribbled out of bounds, but recovers and drops in a jumper. Deniz goes 1-for-2 and it’s 57-56 as Drummond is fouled — and the crowd goes “NOOO!”

8:57: Drummond is a pretty skilled, smooth player for his age and size and WVU hasn’t and the answer. Worse yet, that was a bad time for, I think, the first second-chance basket. WVU comes away empty, UConn stumbles and somehow calls a timeout without the ball. It’s 60-57 with 44 seconds to go.

8:59: I’m not sure how that wouldn’t be WVU’s ball. The UConn player lost it, right?

10:38: Internet! I didn’t know the last few minutes didn’t make it. UConn won 64-57, in case you were wondering.