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.