Gansey wakes up, tips Wake

CLEVELAND – Shooting at baskets he practiced on all summer, former Cleveland prep star Mike Gansey fashioned yet another West Virginia upset – this one in two overtimes.

The junior guard scored a career-high 29 points – 19 of them in the two overtimes – and the Mountaineers sent No. 2 seed Wake Forest to another second-round loss, 111-105 on Saturday night.

West Virginia (23-10) will play Texas Tech next in the Albuquerque Regional, its deepest tournament run since it also made the round of 16 in 1998. The Mountaineers have defeated seven Top 25 teams this season, a school record.

The crowd at Cleveland State rooted Wisconsin-Milwaukee to an upset of Boston College in the first game, then reveled as Wake Forest (27-6) became the first ACC team knocked out of the tournament.

“This is just a dream come true,” said Gansey, who worked out this summer in Wolstein Center with his brother, Steve, a guard at Cleveland State. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

High expectations accompanied the Demon Deacons, who also lost in the second round as a No. 2 seed in 2003. They returned every scholarship player from last season, were ranked No. 1 in the country for two weeks and set a school record for wins in the NCAA opener.

The burden appeared to weigh on them in their 70-54 win over Chattanooga on Thursday. Several players said they felt opening-game jitters.

This time, they couldn’t hold onto a 13-point halftime lead or hold off a team that has made its mark by knocking off Top 25 teams. West Virginia tore through the Big East tournament to reach the finals, developing a knack for big finishes.