WVU is wearing its black uniforms today, which I find interesting for this reason: When the Mountaineers debuted them in the 2009-10 season, Huggins said he picked the game because it was one his team would win.

The opponent? Rutgers. Take that, Scarlet Knights!

2:00: I’ll put this out there right now: Keaton Miles will have a good game today. I know this because I talked to the kid yesterday. Great conversation with a youngster with his head on right nad his attitude pointed in the right direction. Can’t wait to write thestory … which means he’ll be very good today and everyone else will write about him before my newspaper resumes Monday.

2:03: 7NA. We’re not even messing around today!

2:04: Jim Burr. Wally Rutecki and someone named Lamar Simpson. We’ve ever seen that guy before.

2:06: … Miles with an assist for a Truck 3.

2:07: Rutgers is going to wear out the triple threat today. Every player catches the ball and fakes a pass or a drive before doing anything else.

2:08: … Miles with a calm, smooth 19-footer.

2:09: Nice crowd and WVU has very good energy early on today. Rutgers, a Division I team with 13 scholarships and playing in the Big East, has a bench with players clapping and chanting “defense, defense, defense.” KJ is fouled in transition and makes two free throws for a 10-4 lead.

2:11: Mike Rice sheds the sports jacket and is getting after Rutecki. I should add Rutgers has six fouls at the 15:43 mark. WVU has none.

2:14: … Miles helps break a press and feeds Kilicli for an easy score and Rice goes postal and gets a T. He thinks Kilicli used his elbow a touch too much on his spin move.  It’s 14-4.

2:18: Truck checking his temperature here … and it’s getting chills. Rutgers surviving on second shots to make it 17-12, but Aaron Brown gets a second-chance shot of his own to make it 19-12 and Rice calls another timeout.

2:20: Truck with a third 3 in five attempts makes it a 10-point game again, this time 22-12. Remember Dane Miller? Really good player and an all-rookie pick in 2010 (http://www.scarletknights.com/basketball-men/roster/detail.asp?id=3577). His numbers are no better — actually, they’re worse this year — and he was thought to be one of the league’s up-and-comers not that long ago.

2:24: Oh, hey ,a Keaton Miles jumper. He’d made eight shots all season and two baskets in five Big East games before today. Wonderful. Two-man game between Truck and Deniz — oh, come one … 7NA?!?! — and Rutgers calls a third timeout down 26-12. Quick: Which is gone first? Rice or his timeouts? He’s got one T and two timeouts.

2:27: Deniz gets a steal and starts a fast break and throws maybe the worst pass I’ve ever seen, though I think he was dreaming of a no-look alley oop to Miles, so I’m good with the outcome. No offense …

2:28: This is getting bad here. Rutgers keeps throwing the ball away and WVU keeps scoring. It’s 28-12 with 9:50 to go in the half and WVU still hasn’t committed a foul.

2:30: Boy, I’ve got the touch today … Kilicli rumbles through the china shop and purchses a charging foul and then a ticky-tack foul 30 feet from the hoop on the other end. Two fouls real fast and he’s on the bench.

2:32: … Miles is open for a jumper, the defense extends, Miles steps in and wraps a pass around a defender to give KJ a simple layup. People are laughing at me on press row now. I hope you don’t mind if I root aganst Miles now.

2:37: A Rutgers charge and the team ahs nine turnovers and nine fouls. WVU has three turnovers and three fouls. That kind of game.

2:38: Phew! Miles had a chance to dunk, or at leasy lay one off the glass, but had it blocked. WVU is up 32-15 and KJ is 1-for-5.

2:40: Noreen and Kilicli have two fouls and nere comes Nique Rutledge. (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/Sports/201201120163) For some reason, the “link to” function isn’t working on the blog today. Maybe I’m just getting conditioned for Wednesday night’s nuisances.

2:42: Gary Browne with a sweet steal and pass for a KJ dunk. I hope people appreciate Browne’s skill at getting to the ball. It’s really something else, even in tight spaces.

2:43: Come on, Miles! Killing me.

2:45: I will say this: Miles was building toward this game. I thought he was really good against Georgetown and had some nice moments in tough matchups against UConn. It’s all we talked about yesterday. I might leave.

2:53: Miles needs a break. He gets a nice reaction as he heads to the bench with six points, three rebounds and four assists. About the only thing WVU hasn’t done well, as usual, is shoot free throws. They’re 8-for-15, but after Truck misses two, Hinds makes a 3. It’s 48-20.

2:56: WVU uses its first-half timeout with 24.2 seconds to go and ahead 48-22. Justin Jackson leans in on press row and says, to no one, “Gotta draw one up for Miles here …” I swear, I will walk out if it happens.

2:58: Empty possession and it’s 48-22. Halftime score of the game 10 days ago? Twas 51-26.

3:20: Just all sorts of career highs for Miles today … except steals! Good luck getting six in teh second half after getting none in the first, fella.

3:23: Also, during halftime, I guess Dana Holgorsen confirmed the addition of Joe DeForest. Awesome to get the official news there.

3:24: If I didn’t know any better — and I don’t — I would have guessed there was a halftime bet placed on who could get an intentional foul forst for Rutgers. The winner, and amid some competition, is Jerome Seagears, who grabbed KJ by the head after fouling him.

3:26: And here comes the WVU press release on Joe DeForest. Yes! Interestingly, the release doesn’t give JDF a title and says Holgorsen “will announce the coaching responsibilities of his new hires once his staff is complete.” Translation: “This is not our defensive coordinator. At least, not yet. Let me get back to you, OK?”

3:33: Lots of Tebow T-shirts and jerseys in the crowd today. Kilicli powers in for a two to make it 59-21 and WVU is shooting free throws the rest of the way after not even six minutes of the second half.

3:35: Rutecki deals a T to Huggins, who didn’t think Kilicli was guilty of a foul a few moments earlier … and I’m inclined to agree. By the way, KJ has dunked twice today and once whilst flatfooted.

3:39: Hey, don’t look now but Rutgers is ona 13-2 run it’s 63-45 and … ah, never mind.

3:40: Dance Team is on the floor performing to “It’s Raining Men.” Guy in front of me: “If you wish …”

3:44: (Sigh) KJ gets clobbered and Jim Burr doesn’t call it. Rutgers rattles in a 3 and Seagears gets a soft foul near mid-court from RuTTTecki … who slaps Seagears with a T, the third Rutechnically has handed out this afternoon. How he didn’t send Rice packing, I’ll never know, because Rice did everything but grab the dry-erase board and pen “TOSS ME PLEASE” during an animated tirade. It’s 65-48 and Seagears is out of the game now with the T and the intentional foul as part of his five-foul day.

3:49: I’m watching Rice to see if he can stay tucked in the final 9:32 here.

3:54: Thirty-eight fouls with 8:16 to go — and this is merely a walk-thru for Wednesday. Which reminds me, WVU is but 20-for-35 at the free throw line. Does Tom Herrion make this part of his strategy?

4:04: Miles has seven assists. He had two in Big East play and 12 all season and — holy cow, KJ tried to one-hand jam an offensive rebound. He sits with 24 points and 14 rebounds. If my eyes are correct, this is the first time he’s had 20 points or more in three straight games.

4:07: Miles was great in the first half, but I think he’s played equally well and maybe actually better in the second half. He’s run offense and set up baskets and he hasn’t forced anything on offense simply because he had it going a little in the first half. That’s kind of how he’s rounded into shape lately — make strengths strengths and let the other stuuff develop with confidence.

4:11: Rutgers had a 16-3 run to make it 81-51. WVU answered with a 17-3 run to go up 81-51 now.

4:12: Hinds, McCune, PHW, Noreen and Nique out on the floor to play out the string here.

4:15: Someone is going to come out of the stands if PHW doesn’t hoist a 3 soon.

4:17: PHW gets theball on the left wing and doesn’t shoot and the crowd is angry. They’ll have to live with 84-60 as the final score today.

6:23: A first for Kevin Jones pushes WVU past Rutgers for a second time: http://www.charlestondailymail.com/Sports/201201140040