West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball

History

West Virginia men's basketball has competed in three basketball championship final matches: the 1959 NCAA tournament final, the 1942 NIT final (at that time, the NIT was considered more prestigious than the NCAA), and the 2007 NIT championship. They lost 71–70 to California in the 1959 NCAA finals, while the Mountaineers won the 1942 NIT championship 47–45 over Western Kentucky, and the 2007 National Invitation Tournament contest over Clemson 78–72 in a rebuilding season. In 1949, future Mountaineers head coach Fred Schaus became the first player in NCAA history to record 1,000 points.

The most points scored in a game was 132 points against Alaska-Fairbanks in 1994, while the largest margin of victory was against Salem College, with the Mountaineers winning 113–32 in 1945. The largest margin of defeat in Mountaineer basketball history came in 1978 against Louisville, when the Cardinals beat the Mountaineers 106–60.

1955–1965 era

The modern era of West Virginia basketball history began in 1955, with the emergence of sophomore guard Hot Rod Hundley and newly appointed head coach Fred Schaus. The Mountaineers finished with a 19–11 record, and earned the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history under Hundley's lead. The team entered the tournament with a #19 ranking, the first Top 20 ranking in school history. However, they lost to the #3 La Salle Explorers in the first round of the tourney, 95–61.

The following season, 1956, the Mountaineers posted a 21–9 record in Hundley's junior season, which was his best statistically. The team began the season with a #14 ranking, however lost consecutively to #13 George Washington University and #2 North Carolina State, dropping them out of the rankings. They eventually worked their way back to a #19 ranking, before losing to Villanova, La Salle, and Carnegie Tech to drop out of the rankings again. The squad never entered the rankings again on the season until the NCAA tournament, when they reached the #14 ranking. However, they once again lost in the first round to Dartmouth College, 61–59 in overtime.

In Hundley's senior season, 1957, the team opened with eight straight victories, including an 83–82 upset over the Duke Blue Devils. The team also reached the #13 ranking before the Duke victory, and then rose to the #8 ranking in the final two victories. It marked the first time a Mountaineer squad was ranked in the Top 10 nationally. Going into the Dixie Classic, the Mountaineers achieved a #4 ranking (the first Top 5 ranking in school history), but lost three straight games in the tourney. The team posted 11 consecutive wins afterwards, rising from a #19 ranking to a #10 ranking. They dropped to #14 after a loss to Penn State, but won the next six games, including the Southern Conference Championship. The #7 Mountaineers were dropped in the first round of the NCAA tournament again however, to the #20 Canisius team, 64–56.

After Hot Rod Hundley's graduation and departure to the NBA, sophomore guard Jerry West emerged for the Mountaineers and Fred Schaus. In his rookie collegiate season, West helped the Mountaineers to a 26–2 record, with a 12–0 conference record. The Mountaineers began the season with a #8 ranking, as they earned defeats over Penn State, #19 Richmond, and a 77–70 victory over #5 Kentucky in the Kentucky Invitational Tournament. The following game, the Mountaineers upset the #1-ranked nationally North Carolina, 75–65, to win the Kentucky Tourney. After the UNC victory, the Mountaineers rose to the first-ever #1 ranking in school history. In the two wins in the tourney, West totaled 29 points and 19 rebounds. Over the next six-game winning streak, the Mountaineers produced wins over Canisius, Villanova, Pittsburgh, and Furman. However, the Mountaineers were finally toppled by the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, 72–68. The squad retained their #1 ranking however, as they produced victories over Florida State, St. John's, VMI, Penn State, and Pittsburgh. In the final regular-season game, against George Washington, the team went into double overtime to pull out a 113–107 victory, with West earning 25 points and 9 rebounds. The squad swept the Southern Conference tournament, with their closest victory an 11-point win over Richmond in the semi-finals. However, the one-loss squad lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season, this loss coming to Manhattan, 84–89.

2001–2005 senior class

Other than the late 1950s teams of Jerry West, Rod Hundley, Rod Thorn, and such other greats, the senior squad of 2001–2005 was one of the greatest teams of the school's history, mainly in the 2005–06 campaign. The starting lineup consisted of Johannes Herber and Frank Young (junior) at forward, while J.D. Collins and Mike Gansey played guards. Kevin Pittsnogle started at center, though he led the team with three-point shots. Senior Patrick Beilein (former coach John Beilein's son) got considerable playing time as well. The senior class was led by team MVPs Gansey and Pittsnogle, who were both named to the All-Big East team. The team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament before losing to Texas 74–71 due to a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer. This loss marked the end of an era. It consisted of back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, the first since the 1959 and 1960 teams of Jerry West, and an overall record of 77–51.

2007 NIT Championship

The team that followed the 2001–2005 senior class was projected to be weak and undeveloped due to lack of experience. Frank Young was the only senior that got considerable playing time from the previous year, although center Rob Summers was a senior as well. Young started at forward, along with Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith, and Joe Alexander who all shared time. The guard position consisted of starter Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff, although Ted Talkington got small action in a few games. Rob Summers started at center all year but shared time with back up center Jamie Smalligan. The primary starting line up was Nichols, Ruoff, Young, Alexander, and Summers, although all other players shared fairly equal time off the bench, including forward Da'Sean Butler.

The team, projected to have a bad year with a tough Big East schedule, started out their season 5–0 with an easy early schedule. After a loss to Arkansas, they posted an 8–0 record to make their season record 13–1 before suffering two losses to Notre Dame and Marquette to make their record 13–3. After a win against USF and an overtime loss at Cincinnati, the Mountaineers won four games to make their record 18–4. They were beaten by 13 at home to nationally ranked Pittsburgh, followed by one of the biggest upsets in school history. The upset of #2 UCLA 70–65 made the Mountaineers 19–5, although they lost to Georgetown the next week to make their record 19–6. After a win against Seton Hall, they lost back-to-back against Providence and Pittsburgh both on the road. They then finished out the regular season with a home blowout of Cincinnati to make their record 21–8.

The Mountaineers then beat Providence in the first round of the Big East tournament. In the second round, the Mountaineers held with the Louisville Cardinals for two-overtimes, but lost 82–71. The Mountaineers failed to be selected for the NCAA tournament, to the surprise of many West Virginia fans, but they managed to accept a #1 seed in the NIT. The Mountaineers then posted an easy win against Delaware State. The second round the Mountaineers won a shootout 90–77 against UMass, then a nail biting win against North Carolina State at home to win the east region, making the first NIT semifinal appearance since 1981. The semifinal contest against Mississippi State was one of the great wins in Mountaineer history, in which Darris Nichols hit the game-winning three-point shot to win the game 63–62 for the Mountaineers. Two days later in the National Invitation Tournament, the Mountaineers, led by Frank Young's 24 points and Da'Sean Butler's 20 points off the bench, beat Clemson 78–72 to win the university's second NIT crown after their 1942 victory.

Bob Huggins era

A few days after WVU won the 2007 National Invitation Tournament, coach John Beilein announced he would be leaving the school to accept a head coaching job with Michigan. His official departure on April 4, 2007, was followed a day later by the announcement that Morgantown native Bob Huggins was resigning his post at Kansas State to take the vacant head coaching job at WVU. Huggins was followed by assistant coach Billy Hahn.

The Mountaineers earned an 88–65 win over Mountain State in an exhibition game to start the season. West Virginia then entered a match-up against #7 Tennessee with a 2–0 record. However, the Mountaineers lost 74–72. The Mountaineers then posted an eight-game win streak on the way to a 10–1 record. The streak consisted of wins over Auburn, Winthrop, and New Mexico State. West Virginia then lost to Oklahoma 88–82 and then Notre Dame 69–56. They defeated #11 Marquette, 79–64, but followed up with a loss to Louisville 63–54. They then posted four-straight wins over Syracuse, St. John's, South Florida, and Marshall. The Mountaineers then lost to #9 Georgetown 58–57, after a questionable block (or goaltending) call to end the game. However, West Virginia could not rebound in the next game, and lost to Huggins' former job, at Cincinnati, to a final score of 62–39. They rebounded with a 77–65 victory at Providence, but then lost at #25 Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl on a buzzer-beating three-point shot by Pitt's Ronald Ramon to win the game, 55–54.

With their record at 16–7, the Mountaineers followed up with an 81–63 victory over Rutgers, then an 89–68 victory over Seton Hall. The Mountaineers were then upset by Villanova, 56–78, but bounced back with an 80–53 victory over Providence. The Mountaineers earned their 20th win of the season in an 85–73 victory over DePaul. With their record at 20–8, the Mountaineers extended its 20-win season streak to four seasons, the best ever since a seven-season streak from 1981 to 1987. Bob Huggins' 20-win season moved his record to at least 20 wins in 22 of his 26 seasons coaching. His twenty 20-win seasons in his collegiate career at the Division 1 level is tied for 12th place all-time. "I'm old," Huggins said of the accomplishment.

After the DePaul victory, the Mountaineers lost a critical game to #16 Connecticut, 79–71. However, Joe Alexander scored a then career-high 32 points and added another 10 rebounds. In the following game, the Backyard Brawl and Senior Night, the Mountaineers won their home game finale over their archrival, the Pittsburgh Panthers, 76–62, to improve to 10–7 in the conference and move to 6th place. Joe Alexander again had a career day by posting a consecutive 32-point performance, also adding 6 rebounds.

Notable games

March 2, 1949, against Geneva in Morgantown, West Virginia, with a 75–38 win when Fred Schaus scored 1000th career point.

February 26, 1951, at Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a 72–74 loss when the final basketball game played in Pitt Pavilion was held.

February 9, 1957, at Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, with an 87–81 win when Rod Hundley scored 2000th career point.

March 22, 1959 California defeats West Virginia 71 to 70 for NCAA national title. Jerry West nearly wins the game with a last second shot from half court.

February 11, 1960, at St. John's in New York City with a 73–79 loss when Jerry West scored 2000th career point.

February 7, 1966, West Virginia defeats #2 Duke 94–90 in coach Bucky Waters' most memorable win.

January 14, 1970, at Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a 67–66 overtime win when a Pittsburgh fan threw a large dead fish onto the court after a technical foul against Pittsburgh.

March 3, 1970, against Pittsburgh in Morgantown, West Virginia, with an 87–92 loss in the final game in Mountaineer Fieldhouse.

February 19, 1977, West Virginia's 81–68 upset of the #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who were led by Digger Phelps.

March 2, 1978, West Virginia upset the #1-seed Rutgers 81–74 in Pittsburgh, with help from sophomore Lowes Moore.

February 24, 1982, marked West Virginia's 82–77 win over Pittsburgh in front of a school-record 16,704 fans.

Rivals

Pittsburgh

With 184 games played between 1906 and 2012, West Virginia's rivalry against Pittsburgh, whose campus is roughly 80 miles north of WVU, is West Virginia's most-played men's basketball rivalry. This was an in-conference rivalry for many years: 1976 to 1982 in the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and Eastern Athletic Association (predecessors to the Atlantic 10 Conference) and 1995 to 2012 in the Big East Conference. Following the conference realignment, West Virginia moved to the Big 12 Conference in 2012, and Pittsburgh moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013 and the series was put on hold until the 2017–2018 season. West Virginia has a 97–88 series lead.

Maryland

West Virginia's interstate rivalry against Maryland dates back to 1926. Except for a period when both schools were in the Southern Conference from 1950 to 1953, this has been primarily an out-of-conference rivalry. From the 1963–64 to 1970–71 seasons, the series was played twice a season, on a home-and-home basis. The series was again played annually from the 1983–84 to 1988–89 seasons then 1990–91 to 1992–93 seasons. In December 2003, the two schools played in Washington, D. C. for the BB&T Classic, with West Virginia winning 78–77 in overtime.

In May 2008, West Virginia assistant coach Billy Hahn announced that he and Maryland head coach Gary Williams proposed a home-and-home series that would begin after the 2008–09 season. This plan never materialized, but Maryland and West Virginia met again in the third round of the NCAA tournament on March 22, 2015, with West Virginia winning 69–59. The Mountaineers met Maryland once again in the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64 on March 16, 2023 in which Maryland won 67-65.

Penn State

West Virginia had an interstate rivalry with Penn State from 1906 to 1991. The series was played twice annually from the 1982–83 to 1990–91 seasons, as both schools were in the Atlantic 10 Conference then. WVU leads the series 66–53.

Virginia Tech

West Virginia has an interstate multisport rivalry with the Virginia Tech Hokies. Although the rivalry is heavily focused on football, it also spans to other collegiate sports between the two schools, including basketball. The location of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, along the Appalachian Mountains puts it in direct competition with West Virginia University. It is not uncommon to see families along the Virginia/West Virginia border to be split between the two rivals. WVU leads the series 49-30.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Mountaineers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 31 times. Their combined record is 38–31.

NCAA tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the tournament in 1978.

NIT results

The Mountaineers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 16 times. Their combined record is 21–16. They are two time NIT Champions (1942, 2007).

CBC results

The Mountaineers have appeared in one College Basketball Crown (CBC). Their record is 3–0. They were champions in 2026.

CBI Results

The Mountaineers have appeared in the Division I College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament one time. Their record is 1–1.

Notable players

Retired numbers

The Mountaineers have retired three jerseys in their history.

Mountaineers in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame

Bob Huggins, inducted in 2022 (as a coach)

Rod Thorn, inducted in 2018

Jerry West, inducted in 1980

All-Americans

The following players were named to All-American teams recognized by the NCAA for the purpose of determining consensus teams for the given season.

School records

Points scored: Jerry West (2,309)

Rebounds: Jerry West (1,240)

Assists: Steve Berger (574)

Steals: Jevon Carter (330)

Games played: Da'Sean Butler (146)

Games started: Johannes Herber (128)

Double-doubles: Jerry West (70)

30-point games: Jerry West (29)

3-pointers: Alex Ruoff (261)

Blocked shots: Sagaba Konate (191)

Points scored: Jerry West (908, 1960)

Rebounds: Jerry West, (510, 1960)

Assists: Jevon Carter (246, 2018)

Steals: Jevon Carter (112, 2018)

Double-doubles: Jerry West (30, 1960)

30-point games: Jerry West (15, 1960)

Blocked shots: D'or Fischer (124, 2004)

Points scored: Rod Hundley (54, vs Furman 1957)

Rebounds: Mack Isner/Jerry West (31, vs Virginia Tech/George Washington University 1952/1960)

Assists: Steve Berger (16, vs Pittsburgh 1989)

Steals: Drew Schifino (11, vs Arkansas-Monticello 2001)

Mountaineers in the NBA

Jevon Carter, basketball player for the Chicago Bulls

Joe Mazzulla, head coach for the Boston Celtics and 2024 NBA Finals Champion

Miles McBride, basketball player for the New York Knicks

Javon Small, basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies

Jerome Anderson, former NBA player

Ed Beach, former NBA player

Jesse Edwards, former NBA player

Hot Rod Hundley, first overall pick of 1957 NBA draft and All-Star

Lowes Moore, former NBA player

Tony Robertson, former NBA player

Fred Schaus, former NBA All-Star and head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers

Bobby Smith, former basketball player for Los Angeles Lakers

Rod Thorn, former NBA player and executive; inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Jerry West, former NBA All-Star and NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers (1960–74); later coach and general manager of the Lakers; won four NBA championships as Lakers GM; inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980

Ron Williams, drafted by San Francisco Warriors, ninth overall pick in 1968 NBA draft; drafted by Dallas Cowboys in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft

Mountaineers in overseas leagues and G-League

Joe Alexander, basketball player for Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Liga Leumit

Gary Browne, basketball player for S.E. Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League

Derek Culver, basketball player for Rayos de Hermosillo of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico

Devin Ebanks, basketball player for Al-Ahli of the Saudi Premier League

D'or Fischer, American-Israeli basketball player in the Israeli National League

Kevin Jones, basketball player for Sun Rockers Shibuya of the B.League in Japan

Sagaba Konate, basketball player for Samsunspor of the Turkey Basketbol Süper Ligi

Daxter Miles Jr., basketball player for Salt Lake City Stars of the G-League

Gabe Osabuohien, basketball player for Cleveland Charge of the U.S. G-League

Jaysean Paige, basketball player for Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN)

Tarik Phillip (born 1993), British-American basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League

Taz Sherman, basketball player for Kobrat of the Finnish Korisliiga basketball league

Erik Stevenson, basketball player for Capital City Go-Go of the U.S. G-League