It was an old-fashioned Big 12 shootout in Manhattan, Kansas, that almost lasted 3 hours. #19 West Virginia entered Bramlage Coliseum with an 11-1 record, using their constant pressure defense to befuddle teams all year.

Bruce Weber's KSU Wildcats would not have any of that. Kansas State fought an admirable fight at home, beating the Mountaineer pressure with powerful drives to the bucket by Wesley Iwundu and Kamau Stokes. For a time, it looked as if Kansas State would plow their way to a huge resume-boosting victory.

However, somehow, some way, West Virginia stuck to their system and pulled out the 87-83 victory. After a late KSU turnover down two, Jevon Carter sealed the 'Eer win with 2 free throws.

Kansas State did a great job throughout the game holding WVU's Devin Williams and Jevon Carter in check, as the star Mountaineers combined for a small total of 13 points. However, Bob Huggins' deep team was not fazed. Jaysean Paige had the best game of his WVU career, leading all scorers with 25 points. The former JUCO transfer also had 7 rebounds on the day, crashing the boards and playing with authority.

West Virginia also got a big contribution from Tarik Phillip, who ended with 6-8 shooting and 14 points. It was his energy that gave the Mountaineers a sense of swagger late in the game. Phillip's short jumper with 1 minute left in double-overtime gave WVU an important advantage that they kept to the end.

Barry Brown was the surprise for Kansas State in this game. The freshman from St. Petersburg, Florida, scored a whopping 20 points, good enough for a career high. He and his entire Kansas State team got to the free throw line early and often, as West Virginia's defensive system produced many fouls. The team went 28-43 from the charity stripe, a key variable.

WVU did well in stopping Kansas State's 2nd leading scorer Justin Edwards, who only scored 7 in this game. It truly was a batlle in the trenches, as the paint was where most of the scoring originated. In the end, it was West Virginia's mental toughness that secured a victory, as they finally surged ahead in the waning seconds.

This will be just one of the many wild games these teams will endure during Big 12 play this season. 12-1 West Virginia will journey to Fort Worth to take on an improving TCU Horned Frogs team on Monday, while 10-3 Kansas State will battle Texas in Austin on Tuesday.