Darryl Bryant sank two free throws with .6 seconds left after Casey Mitchell drained a deep 3-pointer, lifting West Virginia to an improbable 72-70 win over No. 11 Louisville on Saturday.

The win gives the Mountaineers (20-10, 11-7 Big East) a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

The Cardinals led by five with 25 seconds to play, but the Mountaineers battled back, tying the game when Mitchell came off a pick and drained the game-tying shot from the left wing, his second 3-pointer in nine seconds.

Louisville rushed up the court, but Preston Knowles missed a 3-pointer. Bryant rebounded and was inexplicably fouled 75 feet away from the basket by Knowles, setting up the game-winning charity shots.

Kevin Jones posted his third consecutive double-double with 25 points and 16 rebounds – a career-high 11 on the offensive glass - for the Mountaineers, who will open defense of their Big East Conference tournament title later this week.

Kyle Kuric scored 21 points and Knowles added 15 for Louisville (24-8, 12-6) which had already clinched the third seed in the Big East tournament and a double-bye.

The Mountaineers held a 48-20 edge on the glass – including 24-5 on the offensive end.

The Cardinals used a 16-7 run midway through the second half to turn a 51-47 deficit into a 63-58 lead with 4 ½ minutes left.

Kuric started the burst with a four-point play followed by a 3-pointer, and Chris Smith’s shot from the arc provided Louisville a 57-56 lead. Later in the surge, Knowles came up with a steal that resulted in a fast-break layup by Smith, and Knowles drained a 3-pointer to provide the five-point edge that held up until the end.