The junior college forward has gotten an extended run the past two games and he’s rewarded Bob Huggins with 14 points and 18 rebounds, 50-percent shooting and just two turnovers in 19 and 15 minutes.

With Kevin Jones getting double-teamed on the offensive glass — remember, he had zero offensive rebounds at Pitt — and Deniz Kilicli coming and going without warning, this is a potentially significant development for West Virginia at the end of the long and trying regular season.

And remember, no Kevin Noreen and no Pat Forsythe and Aaric Murray is sitting out to form what Huggins calls the 20 Feet of Humanity on the end of the bench.

The double-digit minutes have happened  just seven times this season. He played 10 or more minutes just five times in the first 28 games — and he took a DNP five times, too. When he plays 10 or more minutes, he’s far more effective, and, yes, the two are tied together. But when he’s good, it’s good for WVU to the tune of 5.3 points and 5.7 rebounds and 51.9-percent shooting.

Modest numbers, though well above his season averages, but he has a modest role that’s required modest improvements.

Rutledge had a costly custom in the post, where he’d grab a rebound or catch a pass and dribble.

“Most teams play zone against us which puts a lot of people around you,” Rutledge said. “A lot of guards drop in and try to get the ball from me.”

Again and again Rutledge would lose the ball and again and again Huggins would remind Rutledge to go up with the ball and not to dribble it. Against DePaul, in what was maybe his best game with WVU, Rutledge barely dribbled.

“Maybe once or twice,” he said. “It’s been a very hard habit to break, probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. But a lot of the small things like that have been the hardest for me. I feel like if I do that and take care of the small things then the scoring in the post, the blocks, the rebounds will all come.”