You are looking live at the Mountaineer Maniacs Musing for tonight’s chapter of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Good seats are available, thought Bob Huggins remains impressed bordering on content with the support of the student section. Remember, this is more than a preseason event. It’s nationally televised and WVU is something of an “it” program now that hasn’t lost, has a ranking and plays an appealing style. Huggins would rather like to add “great atmosphere” to the list, but that’s just so hard on a Thursday night during the Christmas shopping/can’t-take-Friday-off season.

“We’re hoping to get about 15,000 in here, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen,” he said. “But the students have been great. If all the students show up who have tickets, it’s going to be a great environment from a student stand-point.”

They’re holing out hope, though, for some late arrivals. Last home game of the semester, second-to-last home game before Christmas. A pretty good LSU opponent on the other side, too, and these teams have a little history that might be relevant to night, .

WVU sneaked into the Maravich center in November 2004 and strolled to an 84-69 victory, a game where everyone who played did something constructive. The Mountaineers thought they were going to be pretty good that season. They’d gone far in the NIT the season and they thought this guard who transferred from St. Bonaventure and could jump really high would be a great addition to the group. Winning that game in that place  was heavy, and afterward I remember asking Pat Beilein, who of course was among the most confident about what the Mountaineers could do,”What now?” His reply: “Everything changes.”

He was right, and WVU went to the Elite Eight. A season later, the Mountaineers played host to the Tigers and were stunned in overtime. At least, I thoguth I was stunned at the time, but that team was loaded and wound up in the Final Four.

So tonight, whoever wins is going to Indianapolis. Let’s see who it is…