WVU Basketball Cracks Top 25 for 1st Time This Season

WVU basketball has cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 21 in this week’s rankings. This is the first week the Mountaineers have been ranked since December of 2022.

The Mountaineers are also No. 23 in the USA Today’s Coaches Poll.

The Mountaineers (11-2, 20- Big 12) have been on the cusp of the Top 25, receiving votes, for several weeks, but last week’s wins over then-No. 7 Kansas and Oklahoma State finally pushed them over the edge.

West Virginia’s improbable 62-61 win at Kansas on Tuesday was the team’s second win over a top-10 team this season. backup center Eduardo Andre led the Mountaineers in just his second start of the season, scoring 15 points with six rebounds and two blocks. Javon Small scored 13 points, including the go-ahead free throw with two seconds to play, and Jonathan Powell finished with 11.

The Mountaineers were 0-11 all-time at Kansas before Tuesday.

On Saturday, WVU returned home and beat Oklahoma State 69-50 in the team’s Big 12 home opener. Small led the Mountaineers with 24 points against his former team. He also had 11 rebounds and four assists. Powell was next with 17 points on five three-pointers. Amani Hansberry, who did not start, finished with six points in his return from an ankle injury.

WVU’s next game is a rematch with Arizona tomorrow at 7 p.m. inside the Coliseum (ESPN+). West Virginia defeated Arizona earlier this season in a non-conference game at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Mountaineers will then make the long trip to play at Colorado on Sunday at 8 p.m. (ESPN+).

For a related story, how high could WVU basketball be seeded for the NCAA Tournament?