Think about the close or “encouraging” losses or the nice and inspiring wins WVU has had this season — and there have been a few. How many times have the Mountaineers thought or given reason to believe that this might be the occasion when things change?

And how often has WVU mismanaged the moment after the moment? A lot. Saturday’s win at Texas Tech really was the first time the Mountaineers made good on momentum and it’s crazy what that can do to a team in their situation.

It was a necessity, too. Players chanted “Do or die” as they broke a huddle outside their locker room and headed to the floor before the start of the game.

They’re aware their season could be defined or discarded by the stretch that started against Texas Tech and sees three straight games and four out of five against teams with WVU in the bottom four spots in the Big 12 standings.

“We can make a run here, because of our strength of schedule,” Huggins said. “Historically the (NCAA Tournament’s selection committee) has tried to reward teams, where if we get to 17 or 18 (wins) and play well in the conference tournament, we’ve got a chance. It’s not over yet.”