Impressive run by this Cincinnati team this season: 10-1 after the brawl at Xavier, 5-1 on the road this season and unbeaten in the past seven Big East road games. The Bearcats have a three-game winning streak — decided by four, four and three points — and two wins were at then-No. 11 Georgetown and No. 13 Connecticut.

Meanwhile, WVU is 30-9 at home in conference play under Bob Huggins and 19-20 on the road. Like every team, the Mountaineers are better at home, but under Huggins they seem to win the ones they’re supposed to win — 27-1 in non-conference home games, plus-15.8 in scoring margin in the 57 wins, 39 wins in the past 41 home games against unranked teams.

Now, the question I’ve created is this: Is this a game WVU is “supposed” to win?

1:40 pm: Early update on Deniz Kilicli: Game time decision.

1:46: Regarding the Huggins Coach of the Year thing, a statistic in your coach’s favor, per overtheSEC: 46 percent of WVU’s minutes go to first-year players. If you count Kevin Noreen as a first-year player, it’s 54 percent.

1:55: Cincinnati committed to playing three or four guards at a time once it was made to deal with the suspensions and the offense goes faster and moves the ball more frequently and runs more. You would think more guards and more passing and more running would mean more turnovers. Not so fast. The Bearcats have 41 turnovers in six Big East games and only 200 (10.5 per game ) in 19 games.

2:02: On the whistle today: John Cahill, Bryan Kersey and Gary Prager. Cahill is a phenomenon. Remarkably consistent, but he’s not handing out any Ts this season. Kersey is one of the busiest officials every season. He and Cahill worked together Thursday night as North Carolina State crushed Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. I can’t recall seeing Prager before. He had the first WVU v. Rutgers game, though. There was a technical foul in that game and Prager has called 30 other games and only seen three other Ts. And I’ll just throw this out there: All three have a negative home team foul margin.

2:13: Kilicli is warming up with the team. Looks like he’ll give it a whirl today.

2:49: John Flowers once again in the arena. He just fired up the student section, threw his a shirt in the crowd, chest-bumped Jay Drury and is now looking for a place to sit to watch the game.

2:53: He’s now wrapped the T-shirt he is wearing around his head and is, I believe, getting his chest painted.

2:55: Oh, boy. Dickie Simpkins. I’ll need updates in the comments, please. And when they do live shots of Justin Kutcher and Dickie, that’s flowers behind them with the blue chest and the flying WVs. Serious.

3:03: I’ve got a feeling about this crowd today. Sold out for just the third time and they are percolating.

3:04: Kilicli starts.

3:06: 7NA before the tip and the students screw it up. It’s a sing-along, not a sing-ahead.

3:10: I’m thinking Deniz is OK. Two tip-ins early as WVU leads 9-4. 3:12: Kilicli makes a very Kilicli play, from start to finish: Bad pass is deflected, he hustles and nearly recovers, but bobbles out of bounds. Huggins expresses displeasure, Kilicli pats Huggins on the back, Noreen enters for Kilicli.

3:16: Aaron Brown in and Miles out at the under-16 timeout and Miles didn’t pull the trigger a few times when left open. Can’t have that and Brown is, if nothing else, not shy.

3:18: There’s why you have to shoot it … Deniz was in the high post and Truck was up top and the defense extended to cover Truck. He back-cut and Kilicli fired a nice bounce pass. Truck missed, but the point was made — and KJ put in the rebound. Miles won’t pull his defender out to test the defense like Truck did.

3:22: WVU missed five shots on one possession. Cincinnati missed a shot and Brown made a layup … I had 16 straight misses between the two teams. By the way, Gary Browne is doing Gary Browne stuff. He never takes his eyes off the basketball. Good things happen and he’s had a put-back (missed it) and three loose ball rebounds so far.

3:27: Browne has five rebounds and an assist already. Might be a good time to mention I talked to him yesterday specifically about his ability to get to the ball. Google Picky Soto.

3:28: And Aaron Brown will shoot it. He makes a 3 and it 1-for-6/1-for-3 as he takes a seat with WVU ahead 20-14.

3:30: Ridiculous. Hinds saves a ball with a behind-the-back pass under the Cincinnati basket. It bounced off Kilicli and Browne scoops it up, runs the other way and eventually makes a layup and a free throw. WVU ahead 23-16 and taking UC’s punches early.

3:33: KJ just made a terrific pass under on the baseline and set up Kilicli in a spot where only Kilicli could catch the ball. He makes an easy layup and then KJ gets a foul on the other end that is equally terrible. He tied up Gates with his hand on the ball for at least two seconds, but Gates muscled up a shot and Cahill called a foul. Peculiar.

3:37: WVU leads by eight points and Truck is scoreless. He’s 0-for-6/0-for-3.

3:38: Gates thought he had an easy defensive rebound, but Browne flies in and somehow shoots the rebound and draws a foul on Gates. He has two and has to take a seat, much to the chagrin of the chanting crowd.

3:41: Kilicli looks pretty good so far. He has six points and four rebounds and would have a few more of both if not for made shots by teammates that Kilicli was flying in to rebound.

3:44: Dana Holgorsen getting interviewed in one of the tunnels on the floor, which is interesting because Dana Holgorsen decided there would be no media availability today before or after the football team is celebrated at halftime.

3:46: Truck gets in the scoring column with two free throws with 2:36 to go in the half. WVU leads 32-25.

3:50: Cincinnati had the ball with a chance to take the lead, but turned it over and Huggins will call his timeout with 38.3 seconds to go. Jones, with two fouls, will come back in, which is good for the offense that has struggled without him the last few possessions.

3:52: KJ never touched the ball. Browne missed a 3 and Cheikh Mbodj dunked to give the Bearcats the 33-32 lead at the half. It’s the first time they’ve led all game. A 12-2 run ends the half. KJ had WVU’s last basket with 4:07 left.

4:11: And we’re back and the officials are not making any friends among the fans today. And as spotty as Truck’s offense has been, I actually think his defense, which is usually there no matter what, has been as bad. He gives up a second easy basket to Dixon in this half and Huggins has seen enough of that. Enter Browne at the next whistle.

4:14: Here we go. Miles with a steal and he picks up his dribble 35 feet from the basket, but assists Hinds for a layup. UC scores on a putback and Huggins windmills in Noreen. Kilicli no-looks a backdoor pass to a cutting Truck for a layup. Miles swats two shots but the Bearcats make a 3 and lead 42-40.

4:16: Huggins was wearing out Kersey for the first 60 or so seconds of this timeout. Kersey seems very interested in something hanging in the rafters. He’s paying no attention to Huggins, and that brings Huggins back for a second round.

4:18: KJ, Noreen, Miles, Hinds and Browne. How is this going to work? It begins as KJ makes a 3.

4:21: Good possession for WVU against a zone. Nothing was rushed and everyone took their time until Noreen and Miles had a two-man game with Miles feeding Noreen for a layup — he missed the free throw that could have tied the score 46-46.

4:22: Miles blocks a shot and then goes way out of character with a dribbling exhibition and a leaping pass to absolutely no one. He takes a seat.

4:32: Internet fiasco fixed, UC makes a 3 to go up 53-49 and Huggins takes a timeout.

4:36: Truck makes a layup off an offensive rebound — let’s see what happens now — and then Deniz scores inside to tie the score 55-55. A WVU foul gets the Bearcats a media timeout with 7:43 remaining.

4:38: Browne recovers an air ball. Truck steps  in for a jumper that’s about to get a friendly roll and Deniz, who crashed hard early, dunks the rebound … for basket interference.

4:41: Woman behind me speaking to someone on WVU’s team … not sure who: “Don’t shoot the ball. Just pass it!” Hinds 3 keeps WVU’s head above water here. It’s 60-58 with 4:50 to go. UC misses, Browne leads a fast break and finds Hinds, who somehow loses the ball, but Browne is trailing and get the ball and scored. It’s uncanny. Tie score .

4:42: Not for long. Justin Jackson scored for UC and Truck misses a corner 3 with a little contact. Cashmere Wright makes a very big 3 on the other end.

4:44: Browne scores inside on a nifty move and UC misses. Huggins calls a timeout with the ball and 2:54 to go and he’ll also get the media timeout at the next whistle.

4:46: Gates fouls Deniz on the baseline, but UC has fouls to give. By the way, Cronin hasn’t called a timeout yet. Rare to see in a road game with momentum swaying like it has.

4:48: Kilicli is fouled again and goes 1-or-2 at the line. Need points, of course. That makes it 65-63.

4:50: That’s big-time. KJ makes a 3 in transition and with Gates way behind the play to go up 66-65. The Bearcats call that timeout with 1:43 remaining.

4:51: Wright comes right back with a floater and we’ve got another timeout with 1:23 to go here.

4:53: Crunch time possession goes to Deniz, who is suffocated under the hoop and misses. Gates short arms a shot, but the rebound is tipped out and Wright is fouled with 28 seconds left. He makes both for a 69-66 lead.

4:55: Huggins usually has something good out of a timeout. That hasn’t been the case today. Just 24.3 seconds left here.

4:56: My goodness, Gary Browne. Kind of called his own number there and drilled a 3 with 11.1 seconds to go. WVU calls the timeout and has none left. Again, I did talk to him yesterday. Young man was 7-for-27 from 3 before that.

5:00: Chaos. UC misses an easy one at the rim. Miles gets the rebound and passes ahead to Truck, who looked to have a free path to the basket but lost the ball. Truck and Dixon fight for it, KJ calls a jump ball and the scorer’s table stops the clock with 2.1 seconds to go — about four seconds before Cahill calls for a jump ball. We’re reviewing it now, but I think this has to be overtime.

5:02: Hmm, did KJ call a timeout he didn’t have?

5:03: Overtime. That’s the right call.

5:04: This is WVU’s fourth overtime game (2-1). It’s UC’s second (0-1, loss to Marshall).

5:08: KJ makes two free throws and WVU survives a long possession and a few shots right at the rim by Cincinnati. Hinds races the other way and is fouled. He makes two free throws — and this crowd has been fantastic the past several minutes.

5:10: CEJ! The defense hasn’t been too bad, either. Hinds strips after his players gets by and UC has nine seconds on the shot clock. WVU has five players on the floor. Four have at least 11 points. The fifth is Truck.

5:11: Odd. No one guarded UC’s best player out of the timeout and Sean Kilpatrick makes a 3. Then Truck misses another — and he was wide open.  He has to shoot that.

5:14: Seriously, Gary Brown. He steals a pass on the inbound and makes a layup when UC goaltends. It’s 75-72.

5:14: Gates  misses from close again, but Browne can’t box out Parker, who tips it in. Deniz answers with very nice post patience and a score.

5:15: This is fun, right? UC misses and KJ, for some reason, throws it ahead to Truck. He is fouled, but there’s no call and he instead turns it over. UC has the ball with 13.6 seconds … and I don’t know why KJ didn’t just hold onto the ball. UC had to foul.

5:18: That’s odd, too. UC misses a dunk to end its chances. High quality game, high quality win for WVU.