West Virginia Vs. Syracuse: Mountaineers Fall 63-61, Robbed By Referees Late

Well, that was both incredibly exciting, and incredibly frustrating.

With just under 10 seconds left in the game, Deniz Kilicli put the potential game-tying shot up on the glass when it was interfered by a Syracuse player. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, no official had enough confidence to blow the whistle, and the Mountaineers were forced to try to win it again with six seconds left. Kevin Jones' potential game-winner rimmed out, and the Mountaineers head home knowing that the game should have gone at least to overtime.

Jones struggled inside, and despite getting his required 20 points and eight rebounds, his shots seemed to rim out all afternoon. Truck Bryant had a strong second half, getting all of his 12 points after halftime. Brandon Triche paced the Orange with 18 points.

All in all, it was an admirable effort on the road against one of the best teams in the country. That said, it will forever be marred by the memory that the Mountaineers did, in fact, tie the game in the waning moments, and the officials simply failed to recognize it.

Syracuse 63, West Virginia 61.

After turning in their absolute worst performance of the season on Wednesday, the Mountaineers opened with a much improved first half this afternoon at the Carrier Dome. The Mountaineers have managed to slow down the Syracuse attack with tenacious man-to-man defense that has resulted in a slowed-down, low-scoring half, which ended with West Virginia down 28-24.

Kevin Jones, as usual, has been exceptional, and leads all scorers with 11 first-half points. The Mountaineers were boosted by the efforts of Aaron Brown off the bench, who scored five quick points when he got in the game. Junior forward Dominique Rutledge saw action and grabbed a couple of big rebounds. Truck Bryant continues to struggle, going scoreless in the first half. The Mountaineers did struggle holding on to the ball, turning it over nine times in the half.

The Orange are led by guard Brandon Triche, who had six points in the first half.

All in all, this half has been hotly contested, and the Mountaineers could be in position to pull the upset if they continue to play well in the second half.

For more on the West Virginia Mountaineers, stay tuned to SBNation Pittsburgh and The Smoking Musket.

The West Virginia Mountaineers head to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange in a Big East matchup. The Mountaineers will be looking to pick up an upset victory in the Big East division, while the No. 4-ranked Orange look to continued another winning streak after a hiccup against Notre Dame a week ago. 'Cuse is coming off a 60-53 victory over Cincinnati and senior forward Kris Joseph will look to make it two wins in a row.

West Virginia, however, is coming off a loss on the road to St. John's, on the heels of an overtime victory over Cincinnati. The 'Eers will look to avoid putting themselves in a big hole early on like they did against St. John's, and pull out an upset victory on the road over Syracuse.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, January 28; 1:00 PM ET

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY

TV Schedule: ESPNU

Stay tuned to SBNation Pittsburgh and the Smoking Musket for more on the West Virginia Mountaineers. For more on Syracuse, check out SB Nation's Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.