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MORGANTOWN -- As West Virginia's men's basketball team took the floor in the Monday night late game at Iowa State, the final true road encounter of a season gone astray, they did so sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, looking as though they needed to find one more victory to push their way into the tournament.
That their position was shaky was driven home two days earlier when Coach Bob Huggins squarely laid it out for the NCAA Tournament seeding committee with an impassioned discourse which concluded with him offering up the belief that due to their strength of schedule — which ranked fifth in the country entering the Iowa State game — they belong in the field whether or not they win another game.
That, of course, remains to be seen, but the position they find themselves in is something they created for themselves.
What Huggins said six weeks ago after dropping a 77-76 game at Oklahoma State holds true for the entire season to date and is worth repeating:
"We had our chances," Huggins said. "We can't blame it on anybody but us."
Indeed, they can't and if they don't make it, they will look back upon five games, any one of which or all of which conspired to put them on the bubble:
Nov. 24
Purdue 80, WVU 68
This game told the world that the Mountaineers had more potential than others believed as they played what would become during the season the No. 1 team down to end, but they could not get past the big hump that is 7-foot, 4-inch center Zach Edey, who scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Purdue jumped off to a 9-0 lead in Portland, Oregon, and never trailed but WVU fought back to get within four points with 5:30 to play on a 3-point goal by Kedrian Johnson.
Purdue ran the lead back out to 11, only to have WVU get back to seven on an Erik Stevenson 3 when a problem that would haunt WVU all season arose. Joe Toussaint and Kedrian Johnson missed consecutive layups and then Stevenson was called for an intentional foul that gave Purdue two free throws and the ball.
Any upset chance was gone and problems that would be there all season had their seeds planted.
Dec. 31
Kansas State 82, WVU 76 (OT)
It looked as if it would be a Happy New Year for the Mountaineers. They had fought their way into the Top 25 at No. 24 for the game and had a 14-point lead at halftime on the road in Manhattan, Kansas.
But this would be a typical WVU road game. They couldn't hold the lead despite a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double from Tre Mitchell in a game where the officials took over, calling 53 fouls as five players fouled out
"They outplayed us," Huggins said afterward. "We seemingly had the game under control, and we had some guys do some really stupid things that enabled them to get back into the game."
The key moment came when Stevenson picked up his fifth foul with 1:25 to go in regulation.
Kedrian Johnson performed the heroics that sent it into overtime scoring a near=impossible 3 to tie it but he couldn't survive the OT period, nor could Joe Toussaint, both fouling out.
Why did WVU lose one? Not the fouls, at the least ones they committed. The Mountaineers missed 18 free throws and had 20 turnovers that led to 18 K-State points. Add to that making only 4 of 18 3-point shots and having Johnson and Stevenson combining for just 4 for 20 from the floor and you wonder how it was as close as it was.
Jan. 2
Oklahoma State 67,
WVU 60
This one turned when Erik Stevenson lost control of himself on the court in Stillwater. The Cowboys had built a 13-point lead but WVU roared back and took a 57-54 lead with 5:25 remaining behind Stevenson, who hit three triples in a 1:28 to get WVU in front.
After the third 3, while running back down the floor, Stevenson gazed into the stands, saw former Oklahoma State star, now in the NBA, Marcus Smart and made a gesture toward him, one the officials saw. They nailed him with a technical, his fourth foul.
OSU added two free throws and two minutes later Stevenson was called for an offensive foul, No. 5, and he was gone and so were the Mountaineers, outscored, 13-5, over the final six minutes of the game.
Stevenson would offer an apology to his teammates and the fans during the next press conference.
Jan. 14
Oklahoma 77, WVU 76
Another giveaway at the free throw line for WVU. The Mountaineers held Oklahoma without a field goal over the last 6:14 of the game yet lost by a point.
The Sooners weren't great shooting free throws, but they didn't have to be. They made 18 of 25 while WVU made only half of their 16 attempts.
Down 70-69 with 1:43 left, Tre Mitchell went to the line and missed the front end of a one-and-one. Then, with the score tied at 70 with 1:05 left, Toussaint missed two free throws.
Three missed free throws down the stretch was something Huggins would refer to for the rest of the season. No wonder. WVU was 3 of 8 from the line over the final four minutes of the game while Oklahoma went 9 for 12.
Jan. 31
TCU 76, WVU 72
While the game was at TCU, the Horned Frogs were without Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Mike Miles Jr. and starting center Eddie Lampkin was limited to eight minutes with an ankle injury.
Didn't matter.
TCU was dominant in the paint, as so many teams were all year against WVU, outscoring the Mountaineers 48-30 there and that was the ball game.
Feb. 25
Kansas 76, WVU 74
WVU had been run over at home by Kansas and was a large underdog in Phog Allen Fieldhouse, a building in which they were 0-10, all since joining the Big 12.
The Mountaineers, though, had upset on their minds and came back from a 7-point deficit to almost stun the nation's No. 3 team.
With 33 seconds left, WVU's Emmitt Matthews stole the ball and dunked to cut Kansas' lead to 75-74.
The game was up for grabs and when KU's Jalon Wilson was fouled, he left the door ajar by making just one of two free throws.
However, WVU's final possession became a disaster as Kansas played perfect defense, forcing the Mountaineers out of the play that had run to get either Erik Stevenson or Tre Mitchell the final shot. Joe Toussaint couldn't set either up, dribbled the clock down looking for something and, in the final second as he tried for a buzzer beater, he was called for a walk.
It would be the Mountaineers' 21st turnover of the game, a season-high in that department.