Joe Cavaretta, Associated Press WVU's Kevin Pittsnogle, right, must have a big game today. Click photo for larger image. Comprehensive Tournament Coverage Latest men's and women's brackets

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Kevin Pittsnogle grew up in a trailer park in Martinsburg, W.Va. As a living embodiment of his environment, he understands outsiders have a stereotypical view of native West Virginians.

He also has a wonderful sense of humor about it.

"Most people think we're a bunch of hicks and hillbillies," Pittsnogle said. "You can't talk people out of the image. If you come to Morgantown, you're not going to see as many hillbillies. It's a college town. It's mostly civilized people. You're not going to see people walking around in the Mountaineer uniform like you see our Mountaineer running around in."

Today, a native son with a marksman shooting touch can put West Virginia University back in the Final Four for the first time in the past 46 years if he and the Mountaineers can upset fourth-seeded Louisville in an Albuquerque Regional semifinal at the Pit. Tip-off is set for 4:40 p.m.

A 6-foot-11 junior, Pittsnogle is the only scholarship player on the Mountaineers' roster who grew up in West Virginia. His teammates are from Texas, Ohio, Virginia and Germany, among other places. No one knows what a victory today would mean for the state and West Virginia's under-the-radar basketball program.

"Everyone looks at West Virginia and says it's not a basketball school," Pittsnogle said. "They think football before anything. We're trying to make a name for ourselves."

It's been a long and windy road to get to this point for Pittsnogle. His story is one of hardship and perseverance. He is the son of high school dropouts and didn't have many luxuries growing up in his small-town community near the Maryland border. He learned to play basketball. Rather, he learned to shoot basketballs at the trailer park's community court, which consisted of one hoop standing alone amid gravel.

"You couldn't really dribble because the ball would just bounce everywhere," he said.

So he shot and shot and shot. Pittsnogle and his older sister, Erika, would play H-O-R-S-E for hours on end. Kevin got the worst of many of those encounters because Erika was 6 feet and he had not yet fully developed.

It wasn't until the summer before his freshman year of high school that he grew seven inches, became a giant and a highly sought basketball player. As a senior in high school, he had his choice of West Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina State and Pitt, which had just won a Big East title and advanced to the Sweet 16.

	West Virginia (24-10) vs. Louisville (32-4) When: 4:40 p.m. today Where: The Pit, Albuquerque, N.M. TV: KDKA-TV West Virginia: Beat Texas Tech, 65-60, Thursday to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1959. ... Junior C Kevin Pittsnogle scored 22 points and had 9 rebounds. ... Junior F Mike Gansey added 11 points and junior G Patrick Beilein 10. ... Has won six of its past seven games. ... Has won its three NCAA tournament games by an average of 4.6 points per game. Louisville: Beat Washington, 93-79, Thursday to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1997. ... Junior G Francisco Garcia (23 points) and junior G Tarquan Dean (19 points) each had five 3-pointers. ... Has won 12 consecutive games. Last loss came Feb. 12 against Memphis. ... The Cardinals have not advanced to the Final Four since 1986, the last time they won a national championship. Hidden stat: West Virginia is 15-1 when making 10 or more 3-pointers this season.

Pittsnogle decided to stay close to home and play for the Mountaineers. He started 55 of his first 60 games at West Virginia, but found himself on the bench for the first part of this season.

It was a difficult time personally and athletically.

Pittsnogle married his girlfriend, Heather, in October and the couple was expecting their first child. But a few weeks later in December, Heather had a miscarriage. Kevin got one of his six tattoos as a remembrance of his unborn child. The tattoo, on his lower right leg, reads LOVE with FATHER, MOTHER, SISTER and LOST CHILD surrounding it.

Five other tattoos are emblazoned on his pasty white arms and legs, making him hard to miss.

"Every one of my tattoos means something to me and my family," he said.

Throughout this difficult time, he struggled to find his role on the team. He was a backup and not producing in the manner he did in his first two seasons. His big break came Feb. 5 against Pitt when then-starter D'Or Fischer came down with the flu, and he had to play nearly the entire game.

Pittsnogle rose to the occasion and scored a career-high 27 points in an 83-78 overtime victory against the Panthers. Since that game, he has averaged more than 16 points a game. He has been West Virginia's leading scorer in eight of those 15 games. He had 24 against Providence in the first round of the Big East tournament, 17 in the first-round NCAA win against Creighton and 22 in the 65-60 victory Thursday night against Texas Tech, including two clutch free throws with 17 seconds remaining.

"This has to be great for him," said junior guard Joe Herber, Pittsnogle's friend and former roommate. "It's great for him to represent his state and his people and make his hometown proud."

Pittsnogle has dreams of eventually returning to Martinsburg to help tutor the area's younger players, many of whom have taken to wearing his No. 34 West Virginia jersey around the local playgrounds.

Think of the stories he could tell if the Mountaineers pull off the upset today.

West Virginia, the eighth-place team from the Big East, is one step away from the Final Four, and Pittsnogle has played the lead role in the fairy-tale season.

From the trailer park to the Elite Eight. Like Pittsnogle's long season, this Cinderella story keeps getting better with time.