WASHINGTON - If you don't think West Virginia's 73-67 upset of Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament meant much to Bob Huggins, you didn't see him after the red light from the television cameras clicked off.

After an interview with CBS announcer Bob Wenzel, Huggins gave players Joe Mazzulla and Joe Alexander a squeeze.

WVU president Mike Garrison received an old-fashioned bear hug. Even Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese hit the court for a little love.

Then Huggins fashioned a fist. And he thrust it skyward, to the delight of the many Mountaineer fans in the Verizon Center.

Some victories are important. Some are monumental.

Saturday's win fits in the second category.

Look at the victory from any angle. It's huge for Huggins, who put forth an amazing job of taking John Beilein's players, molding them to fit his persona and leading them to victory. He's not just a recruiter. That point was driven home Saturday before the college basketball world, courtesy of CBS.

He's now proven beyond a shadow of a doubt he was the home-run hire when Beilein left.

One can tick off a number of reasons why Saturday's win was important. First and foremost, of course, it puts the Mountaineers into the Sweet 16. Again. For the third time in four years and the fourth straight time when entered in the event.

"I think we're really starting to show that West Virginia is here to stay,'' said center Jamie Smalligan.

There's also the matter of the vanquished opponent. Was it mentioned it was Mike Krzyzewski's Duke?

The win not only gives WVU street cred, but adds to that of the Big East as well. There ya go, ACC. Thanks for playing. Thus, Tranghese's dash to join the postgame celebration.

Of course, there's always the meaning to the state. It's become widely recognized as a bond. National writers always go there. With good reason.

"How we play, how we're undersized, how we're a blue-collar team ... that relates to our fans and how they live their lives,'' said WVU guard Alex Ruoff. "You could tell with all the fans here. It was almost like a home game.''

This WVU team, though, looks different than the one that regularly played in Morgantown's Coliseum. It's grown, both physically and emotionally. Maybe playing in the Big East has steeled the team. Maybe it's through playing for Huggins. ("He gives you that swagger,'' said WVU forward Da'Sean Butler. "He gives you that confidence. He instills it in his players - the whole team.'')

Whatever the case, WVU isn't a finesse team anymore. It doesn't shrug off rebounds. The 47-27 rebounding edge showed that Saturday. It scraps. Mazzulla gave Greg Paulus a shot to the nose in the first half. He ran into a wall named Lance Thomas in the second. But Mazzulla got up and dished out more punishment than a man his size should1.

"Honestly, we still have the finesse game in us,'' Butler said. "But we're more versatile. We don't just shoot 3's anymore. We shoot; we dribble-drive; we rebound.''

And they have each other's backs.

"I'm really happy for our guys,'' said Huggins. "I'm happy for [senior] Darris [Nichols]. I'm happy for Jamie.

"You know, Jamie texted me last night and said, 'Coach, it's a better matchup if I don't start.' How many teams have guys like that?''

So Smalligan didn't start. For the first time all season.

"I'm trying to be unselfish. I'm trying to be a leader,'' said the center. "I realized how much better Wellington [Smith] would match up with their starters than I would. I just want to win.''

Here's the crazy part, though: WVU should have won that game. You can point to all the recruiting accolades you want in regard to Duke. But the Mountaineers were the better team. Their players were better. Through some bizarre forging method, WVU's players grew to the point this season that they were of higher quality than the celebrated Duke players.

"I felt we had the best team from beginning to end,'' Butler said. "I kind of thought about that in the beginning of the game. We started Wellington. And he kind of started off shaky. But Wellington could play with anybody out there. Joe [Alexander] was definitely the best player on the court. Joe Mazzulla played like he was the best player on the court. Alex [Ruoff] shot the ball better than anybody on the court.''

Butler, who was saddled with foul trouble for much of the game, smiled.

"And I cheered better than anybody else,'' he said.

The victory was a heck of a thing to witness. Mazzulla. Cam Thoroughman. Ruoff falling backward, yet canning a vital trey. The officials who, it seemed, were paid protection money by Duke. Huggins having the team line up in a 1-3-1 zone out of a timeout - only to have it drop back into man.

Then, at the end, the celebration. The wild and wonderful celebration.

"I felt like collapsing,'' Ruoff said. "I shook Coach Huggins' hand and felt kind of dizzy. Then I was going through the line shaking hands and told Coach K it was an honor to play against him. He said I was a great player. That's something I'll never forget.''

Unforgettable, it was. To Ruoff. To WVU fans. To the nation. To the Big East.

And, especially, to the WVU coach who came home to his alma mater.

The one who ruled with an iron fist.

And then was able to raise it after beating Duke.

To contact staff writer Mitch Vingle, send e-mail to mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or call 348-4827.