Pair of Potential WVU Targets Fall in NCAA Tournament

WVU is currently searching for its next men’s basketball head coach. Potential targets for the job, Darian DeVries (Drake) and Niko Medved (Colorado State) both lost in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

Drake lost to 7-seed Washington State in the round of 64, 66-61. The Bulldogs struggled to hit shots late in the game, resulting in WSU advancing to the next round.

DeVries has built a program of consistency during his six seasons at Drake. The Bulldogs have won 20-plus games in each of DeVries’ seasons at the helm, with three NCAA Tournament appearances. Drake has one NCAA Tournament win from the play-in game vs. Wichita State in 2021.

Colorado State had an embarrassing first half, just scoring 11 points at halftime vs. Texas. CSU started the game on an 8-2 run before Texas took over the game. Colorado State was able to get back into the game but the Longhorns closed them out, 56-44.

Medved is in his sixth season at Colorado State, second NCAAT appearance overall. The Rams made the NCAA Tournament in 2022, falling in the first round to 11-seed Michigan. Medved has a 61.5 winning percentage during his six seasons at CSU. Colorado State is currently at 25-10, hitting No. 13 as their peak in the AP poll after an early season win, beating Creighton by 21 points.

Now with DeVries and Medved both out of the NCAA Tournament, WVU AD Wren Baker has some available options to work with.