Hard to say WVU needed to reverse the course of its season after 10 games an one loss, but the Mountaineers seemed to get into the left lane in Game 11 Saturday night with a double-digit victory against a 9-2 team from the ACC. Lose that game and the non-conference schedule, which isn’t as hard as it was last season, might end up looking about the same as it did last season, and whatever doubt is created or underlined by losing to North Carolina State generates a distinct level of dubiousness about success in the Big 12.

So much for that.

“I’d say it was one of our better sessions of offense throughout the game,” said guard Jaysean Paige, who led the bench with 11 points.

WVU improved to 3-1 in non-conference play against teams from major conferences this season after going 0-4 last season (plus a loss to Gonzaga) and 1-2 the year before (plus another loss to Gonzaga).

In non-conference play against major conference opponents, WVU hadn’t scored as many points since beating Kansas State, 85-80, in December 2011 and hadn’t won by as large a margin since beating Iowa, 87-68, in the 2008 Las Vegas Invitational.

The way the Mountaineers handled their business was especially promising. They had that one Helter Skelter run that created a 13-point lead. The game got close, but they never fell behind and used some expected and unexpected offense to pull away and have some fun toward the end.

That wonderful picture above is from Jonathan Holton’s first 3-pointer late. He’d make another later. He was 3 for 23 coming into the game. Guys wanted it for him, and the thousand words you can say about this group based on that picture would only reinforce all the things Bob Huggins has said about the togetherness and camaraderie, the great energy and desire to get it right this season.

I mean, that’s from the final moments of a 14-point win in December. It looks like the end of a second-round game in March.

On the other side of the line: North Carolina State, its fans and its employees and even an official (two officials?) looked deeply bothered by WVU. The pressure mattered and the Mountaineers didn’t and wouldn’t flinch, even as whistles and fouls accumulated and you thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt to scale it back a little. That maintains the accuracy of something we projected a month ago: You’re going to know you played the Mountaineers.

And now: The encore. WVU plays host to a team that won at N.C. State. We’ll be there with ugly sweaters.