So tonight is a must-win for West Virginia inside the Coliseum. No other way to label a late-February game against DePaul, which then got me thinking. When was the last time the Mountaineers played a must-win regular-season game this late in the season? Had to be 2007, right?

This is new stuff for WVU and these fresh experiences produce different reactions. You see some players are tight and some aren’t playing well. Bob Huggins has, shall we say, voiced his displeasure after recent games. It’s all on a string, if you think about it, and it happens even when we aren’t looking.

WVU’s RPI will drop with tonight’s game, regardless of the outcome, from 50 to 50-something. USF visit Louisville on Wednesday, but the RPI will rise, regardless of the outcome, from 47 to 40-something.

The feeling around the WVU Coliseum is an unusual one, as uncertain as it’s been in February since 2007, when the Mountaineers ended up winning the NIT. These Mountaineers don’t like the sound of that, much like they didn’t like the sound of Sunday’s practice.

“It was weird,” Bryant said. “Coach usually spends the whole time yelling at us. (Sunday) he was cool, calm and collected.

“He’s going through some things himself and it’s rough. Losing is rough on everyone.”