MORGANTOWN - Da'Sean Butler loves thinking back to the days when he wasn't a first-team All-Big East player on a top-10 team that is fighting for a league championship and a top seed in the NCAA tournament.

Not that he wants to return to the days, mind you. But hey, it was different.

It was, in fact, perhaps more fun.

"Why not us. Why not now?''

It's one of those quotes that seem to pop up now and again, but no one is really sure where it originated. Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos said it in 1995, but in a non-sports context perhaps it dates to Robert F. Kennedy, who said something like it:

"If not us, who? If not now, when?'' We bring it up now only because it seemed to at least unwittingly be a West Virginia theme in the aftermath of Saturday's stirring 68-66 overtime win over Villanova at the Wachovia Center.

As strange as it may seem for a basketball team already owning a reputation for slow starts and early deficits, West Virginia, even with its 0-for-8 start, 10-0 hole and 13-point halftime disadvantage Saturday, enters the Big East Conference Tournament with about as much momentum as it could have hoped.

The 10th-ranked Mountaineers overcame a first half that was as bad as the second half was good. They also avoided another last-minute catastrophe concluding with an admittedly "bonehead" maneuver by sophomore Devin Ebanks - to beat ninth-ranked Villanova, 68-66, in overtime, to end the regular season and give the team the marquee win it didn't have.

MORGANTOWN - Da'Sean Butler had a couple of nice games last week, scoring 22 points against Georgetown in his last game at the Coliseum and then 21 and the winning shot at Villanova on Saturday.

Sunday, though, was a pretty good day for the West Virginia forward, too, and he didn't even have to lace up his sneakers.

PHILADELPHIA – Wanting to give his team a good laugh earlier this week, Bob Huggins decided to read his players a letter that he received recently from a fan upset that West Virginia has not been able to put teams away lately.

The gist of the letter was that the players were not listening closely enough to Huggins’ pregame instructions and they might become more focused if Huggs ditched his trademark black West Virginia pullover and matching black trousers in favor of a navy blue suit and gold tie.

MORGANTOWN – Bob Huggins is hoping a well-rested West Virginia basketball team can knock off ninth-rated Villanova at the Wachovia Center Saturday on Senior Day for the Wildcats.

West Virginia, No. 10 this week, last played on Monday night at the WVU Coliseum against Georgetown, where the Mountaineers defeated the Hoyas 81-68.

MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia University and Ed Pastilong announced Wednesday they'll honor the terms of a contract signed two years ago to send the longtime director of athletics into a two-year emeritus position beginning July 1.

University President Jim Clements said a national search for a replacement will begin later this month.

MORGANTOWN - To capture the point guard situation for West Virginia basketball this season, one needs only to scan the frames from Monday's win against Georgetown.

In the first half, sophomore Darryl "Truck" Bryant was playing the position as well as he has in quite some time.

MORGANTOWN - Jeff Mullen's primary responsibility to West Virginia's football team is as its offensive coordinator. He also dabbles as the team's quarterbacks coach.

Steve Dunlap coaches the Mountaineers' safeties. Now he also has been assigned the task of reinventing WVU's recently awful kickoff coverage unit.

When West Virginia's spring practice begins in a little over a month, though, those added responsibilities might be better served moving to the front burner. That's because if those two are able to successfully deal with the secondary issues, it will make things a lot easier when it comes to their primary focus.