PHOENIX -- There is no way to describe the season turned in by West Virginia other than to call it a success even though it ended with a 79-75 overtime loss to Xavier in the Sweet 16 Thursday.

The Mountaineers were picked to finish 10th in the Big East Conference and weren't generally regarded as an NIT-caliber team, much less one that could win 26 games, including an 11-7 conference record.

Or one that could upset Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

But, the low expectations had a lot to do with the fact that there were plenty of legitimate questions as to how the returning players would adjust to first-year coach Bob Huggins' coaching style and defensive system, both of which were far more aggressive than that of his predecessor, John Beilein.

That's because Huggins' teams are built on big, strong, tough guys in the post and a physical man-to-man defense.

The players he inherited were recruited to play in Beilein's system, which included a motion offense designed to get open looks at 3-point shots and a passive 1-3-1 zone defense, designed more to slow down, as opposed to shut down, opponents.

Also, when asked to describe the difference between Huggins and Beilein's coaching styles, forward Da'Sean Butler joked, "Coach Beilein was always, 'Teach first and yell second,' whereas coach Huggins is, 'Yell first and second and teach third.' "

But, Huggins insists the transition wasn't nearly as tough as it was made out to be and that the players made the commitment to learn to do things his way and it paid dividends for the Mountaineers.

"I honestly didn't know what to expect from our players because I didn't watch any game tape from the year before because we play a lot different than they did and I didn't want to have preconceived ideas," Huggins said. "But they've been terrific. They were terrific from day one. They really embraced what we were doing and I think the good thing for us is they did it with great enthusiasm."

Guard Alex Ruoff, a player who was clearly a much better fit in Beilein's system but adapted nicely to the Huggins way, said that at first it didn't seem like Huggins would be a great fit for the roster.

But, it quickly became clear Huggins' style of basketball would produce a lot of wins -- and a lot of successful seasons to come.

"When I first met him, I was worried about how some of our players would fit in," Ruoff said. "But as we got to know him, he is really a personable coach and all of the misconceptions people hear about him aren't true. He is a genuine guy and real passionate about the game."

The players all talked about how tough Huggins' practices were, how much he pushed them and how much he expected from them and how hard they were asked to play.

But, to a man, they all said Huggins is the best thing that happened to their careers because he did expect so much and push them so hard, and because he is such a player's coach -- once practice is over.

One player who seemed to have a tough time adjusting was forward Joe Alexander, who struggled initially in understanding Huggins philosophy of playing hard on defense every time up the court.

Huggins and Alexander clashed some but as the season progressed Alexander developed into the team's star.

A big part of that development was that Alexander, who is an incredible offensive talent but felt confined in Beilein's more structured offense, flourished in Huggins' offense, which allows players to be free to create.

Alexander, who was first-team All-Big East and averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, is the kind of go-to offensive player the Mountaineers can lean on next year.

Looking ahead to next season, the Mountaineers should be in great shape to make another run to the Sweet 16 and perhaps beyond. West Virginia loses only two seniors -- center Jamie Smalligan and point guard Darris Nichols -- but returns every other key player and will add a good recruiting class to the mix.

And a number of players on the current roster will have another offseason in Huggins' conditioning and weight lifting program and will have a clear understanding of what he expects.

Alexander said now that Huggins is in charge, the sky is going to be the limit for the program.

"He's completely flipped everything around, with rebounding, defense, intensity and goal-wise," Alexander said. "The goals for our program changed when he came in, from day one. They went from making the NCAA tournament to winning the NCAA tournament."