After wearing those Lemonheads sneakers for a long time and then switching to white kicks for Wednesday’s 0-fer game, Truck Bryant is in black Nikes today — you’ll have to trust me. I’ll withhold comment/judgment because I don’t know the inspiration here, but generally people who are switching shoes or following some sort of superstition worry me. Beilein’s teams had guys who messed around with that sort of thing and it never went well. A few guys isnce then have had similar experiments and results.

But who knows, those white things may have just been uncomfortable. These things might be shoes he’s been breaking in a while. If he goes wild today, I’ll ask.

Speaking of going wild, Brian O’Connell, who was the ref on the backside of the missed goaltending call at Syracuse, is on the whistle today with John Cahill and John Gaffney. Cahill, who had the Duke v. UNC game Wednesday, worked Thursday with O’Connell for North Carolina State v. Georgia Tech in Atlanta. This will be Cahill’s fourth WVU game and O’Connell’s second this season. Gaffney hasn’t had the Mountaineers.

10:57 am: Rick Pitino has a 10-6 record against teams coached by Bob Huggins (1-0 Kentucky vs. Cincinnati; 5-4 Louisville vs. Cincinnati; 4-2 Louisville vs. West Virginia).

11:43: Um, Truck is back in the Lemonheads. Weird.

11:49: I sit on the aisle on press row and people walk up and down the stairs past me throughout the game. I’ve caught three separate groups today talking about Red Panda. I’m thinking about checking out with two minutes left in the first half, using the restroom, getting a Nestea and coming back to my seat for halftime and TRP.

11:59: And thus ends the Keaton Miles Experiment. After 25 starts, he’ll come off the bench today (maybe?) and is replaced in the starting lineup by Gary Browne.

12:03 pm: WVU had won the last six tips, if my notes are right. I think the Mountaineers will live with Dieng hoisting 18-footers though.

12:06: Hinds assertive at the beginning again, which is a good sign for WVU. Miles has a towel onhis head on teh bench, but seems engaged in a 5-5 game.

12:07: Deniz has two turnovers already. Had one last game.

12:07: I’d have to say Kuric is on the Jealousy All-Star team … guys you might like or hate, but, secretly, are jealous of. Scholar, shooter, famed dunker and Homecoming King. Two 3s already. Neat story.

12:11: Gary Browne out, Aaron Browne in after the timeout.

12:13: OK, so out of the timeout, Louisville jumps into a zone and Truck has to get Huggins’ attention, I guess because WVU wasn’t prepared. Aaron Brown then throws the ball right to a defender, who instinctively hits it out of bounds. Brown out, Miles in. Hinds feed Deniz for a layup after the inbound.

12:15: Wayne Blackshear about to make his college debut. McDonald’s and Parade All-American has been out with a shoulder all season. That’s overshadowed by Truck’s first basket and a WARM ovation. He is fouled and makes the gree throw and cuts the UofL lead to 14-13. Let’s watch Blackshear.

12:17: Truck! Passes on one shot and then goes “Eh, what the eff…” and makes a 3 as the equipment manager finds a sweater.

12:17: Truck misses a 3, but he’s so hot that he warms up Miles, who scored on the rebound and missed a free-throw. Baby steps. First basket since the St. John’s game.

12:18: … and then he blocks a shot to start a fast break. You have to like the mojo at play, right?

12:21: Well, Nique has to have a minus ration in the good play-bad play column. And welcome to college, Mr. Blackshear. Corner 3 gives Cardinals the 20-18 lead. Must be nice to incorporate a high school superstar in February.

12:24: My goodness. Kilicli saw that happening before it ever happened. Very clear that was going to end up in a Hinds layup or a Kilicli tip-dunk. Almost had a broken backboard, too. Can’t do that to Red Panda, though.

12:26: Jump Around! Nailed it! Splendid usage. WVU playing quite well on offense, defense and rebounding … all THREE sides of the ball. Some nice passing sets KJ up for an easy 3 and Louisville needs a second timeout. Mountaineers are 11-for-16. … Well, 12-for-18. Hinds with a steal, Truck misses a layup and Kilicli cleans up again.

12:27: Too fast ! WVU contesting every shot. Behanan misses inside, Dieng rebounds and Kilicli towers over the big man and forces a travel. This is the best WVU has looked since maybe the Cincinnati game.

12:31: Blackshear scores on a runner and ends WVU’s 12-0 run.

12:34: I’m guessing Kilicli has just figured things out recently. He’s composed and confident. That was a diving layup he finessed off the glass.

12:36: KJ scores on a goal tend and the crowd cheers wildly. Wonder if they noticed O’Connell under the hoop ready to make the call. Cahill had it, but O’Connell was coming.

12:37: Rutledge stays up on a screen and pokes at Siva’s dribble, then retreats, but Siva beat him to the paint and then the basket and Rutledge wasn’t back in time to stop the shot. Basket, foul, three-point play.

12:39: Rutledge got KJ a 16-second break. First time the came out since the Cincinnati game … and he played 41 minutes that day.

12:40: Maybe no one can handle Kilicli? He’s getting his space and his moves against everyone these past three games. And everyone seems to forget he will not go right unless he has to.

12:41: Aaron Brown with an open 3 for a 40-27 lead and Pitino looks disgusted. WVU is 15-for-25.

12:46: Blackshear makes a 3 out of a timeout, Siva drives on Kilicli for a score and then Truck turns it over against the press — and that’s back-to-back possessions where WVU was very bothered and looked caught off guard — and Smith makes a layup. It’s suddenly 40-34 as Huggins takes a timeout.

12:48: That’s going in the time capsule. Kilicli is called for a foul under the Louisville basket and didn’t much agree … so he threw the ball high in the air. Easy technical foul and impossible to accurately describe the Huggins reaction. Hands clenched, fists pumping, utterly astonished? Kilicli is in a wonderful rhythm…and now has three fouls.

12:51: This is great. Nique launches a missile off the glass and it fired back to Truck, who jumps  into a defender and tried to draw a foul. No call. Rutledge is battling for the loose ball and gets fouled and then angrily fired the ball and into KJ’s grasp. He tries to calm Rutledge, who hurried to the line and air balls a free throw and then goes high and long on the second. Smith makes a basket to cut the lead to five points. KJ misses a 3, Truck misses a tip in but Rutledge, of all people, scored on the third shot to end the half. Fun stuff at the end of the half.

1:10: Currently uploading Red Panda video. Truck makes a 3 to start the second half and it’s 47-37. Big shot.

1:11: I don’t know how much of this is having no scouting report on Blackshear, but he has 11 points and looks  like he can play. He changed Louisville an awful lot. In February.

1:13: Hinds flies into a defender, walks, passed to KJ, who hits a 3. Neither Pitino nor Huggins were happy with that.

1:14: KJ with another 3. He’s 3-for-4 today. Season-high for him and it’s 53-42 as Pitino calls a third timeout. Really, good thing for them Blackshear showed up today. They’re in a bad way if not for him. Curious to see how good his wind is in his first game.

1:18: WVU still up eight, so having to sit Deniz isn’t hurting. Louisville is 8-for-16 from 3 and 9-for-24 from 2. WVU is 7-17/13-33 for 52.1 percent. Louisville opponents are shooting 36 percent in all games and 38 percent in conference games. The Cardinals block five shots per game but have just two today and have given up 20 points in the paint. Good inside-outside combo for WVU. WVU has only four mid-range baskets right now. Everything else is in the paint, a 3 or a free throw.

1:22: Two more in the paint, and I suppose one way to avoid Dieng at the rim is to throw up circus stuff like Gary Browne just did.

1:24: Rutledge makes a nice move to get free on the post and is fouled. He goes to the free-throw line and the crowd buzzes, likely because they have a chance to catch a basketball here.

1:25: Well, I’ll be … 2-for-2.

1:25: WVU up 10 and running and Nique gets the ball inside. And dribbles. And loses the dribble. And Kuric scores on the other end. Kilicli checking in at the next whistle and the Mountaineers are up 57-49.

1:27: Browne gets lost making a switch and Smith makes a 3 and its 57-52. Here we go…

1:27: With 12:10 remaining, Louisville has been called for six fouls and WVU just one. Even in, what, three minutes? Pitino is making his case.

1:28: WVU looks pretty winded right now. There’s going to come a time when Brown and Miles are in and they’ll have to do something valuable.

1:33: Red Panda update: 78% uploaded.

1:33: Score update: WVU, 63-54. Kilicli’s playing with people.

1:35: Score update: WVU, 63-58. Basket, turnover on the inbound, basket, near turnover on the inbound, timeout. Press is going to be very effective is WVU is fatiguing.

1:38: Valuable points squandered when Kilicli misses the front end of the 1-and-1, but Browne gets fouled working for the long rebound and makes both free throws. Foul count  is 9-2 with 9:21 to go.

1:39: Back-to-back possessions Truck’s quick hands force a turnover. He picks Siva and gets fouled as they battle for the loose ball … but goes 1-for-2. It’s 66-58.

1:40: Browne is especially shaky against this press. He didn’t get much help there, but I’m not sure Red Panda would have caught the pass he just made after picking up his dribble and getting real close to the 10-second call. And Smith scores on the other end of it to make it 66-62.

1:42: Louisville’s 11th foul sends Truck to the foul line … and it’s a pretty easy block call after they gave Truck the baseline. WVU is 9-for-11 at the foul line this half and 5-for-10 from the floor.

1:45: Truck goes 1-for-2 and this is a critical four minutes, I think. the Cardinals just look stronger and fresher right now and Deniz got beat for a rebound and picked up his fourth foul at the 7:21 mark. Enter Nique after Behanan makes two free throws to get the Cardinals within four, the closest they’ve been since it was 24-20.

1:46: Red Panda!

1:48: Big moment for Rutledge. Takes a charge, scores inside, blocks a layup.

1:51: Rutledge with a foul. He has four now but stays in the game.

1:55: Ridiculous chants from the student section after 36 good minutes from them. WVU needed a timeout before that to get the ball in against the press. Both teams have two left and the Mountaineers lead 71-68 with 3:54 remaining.

1:57: Gary Browne had a chance to get two loose balls on defense and got neither. Kuric tied the score 71-71 with a 3, Hinds turned it over on the inbound — and it looked like Truck got two-hand shoved in the back, but Smith scored to take a 73-71 lead. If this goes bad for the Mountaineers, I can’t imagine them getting back up the rest of the season. It would be a killer.

1:59: Browne got that loose ball, but Truck gave it right back with an unpopular offensive foul. He gone.

2:00: Foul count was 10-2, is now 12-7 and Louisville leads 75-71. That was a foul on Hinds, by the way. Smith was going right by him. Huggins is wearing out Cahill in the timeout he called, though.

2:03: That was looking like the game in a nutshell as WVU had no luck under the basket until Louisville did the one thing it couldn’t do and fouled KJ on a put-back. Three-point play makes it 75-74 with 50 seconds to go … and this is going down like the last time these two got together here.

2:05: Kuric misses a 3 but then steals the game. KJ was open and Browne saw it, but an instant too late. Good idea, just a blink too slow. And down 77-74 with 5.5 seconds to go, it isn’t over. Remember, the last time these two got together here … just don’t foul the pump fake.

2:07: Truck closes with an air ball and WVU loses — and loses a 13-point lead — at home in a game it just about had to have.