WVU Basketball Ends Non-Conference Play With Highest KenPom Ranking

WVU basketball ended non-conference play with a 9-2 record by topping Mercyhurst 67-46 on Sunday. As a result, the Mountaineers have achieved their highest KenPom ranking of the season, up to No. 47 on Monday.

The win over the Lakers only moved WVU up one spot from No. 48, but it’s still a season-best for a team that started the year at No. 87. The Mountaineers are the ninth highest-ranked Big 12 team.

Big 12 KenPom Rankings

4. Houston
5. Iowa State
8. Kansas
13. Texas Tech
17. Baylor
21. Cincinnati
24. Arizona
40. BYU
47. West Virginia
59. Arizona State
63. Utah
74. TCU
75. UCF
77. Colorado
90. Kansas State
104. Oklahoma State

WVU basketball kicks off Big 12 play on New Year’s Eve with a trip to Allen Fieldhouse to take on Kansas. The Jayhawks (9-2) have been ranked in the top 10 of KenPom all season and spent some time at No. 1.

AP Top 25

West Virginia received 26 votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, up from 19 votes last week. The Mountaineers haven’t cracked the top 25 yet this season, but have been receiving votes for several consecutive weeks.

Ranked Big 12 teams are No. 3 Iowa State, No. 7 Kansas, No. 15 Houston, No. 17 Cincinnati and No. 25 Baylor. Arizona State and Texas Tech also received votes.

NET Ranking

West Virginia continued to slip down the NCAA’s NET Rankings while closing out non-conference play. WVU fell four spots to No. 33 in the latest rankings released on Monday.

Kansas moved up six spots this week, from No. 18 to No. 12.

For a related story, Amani Hansberry’s injury isn’t expected to be serious for WVU basketball.