West Virginia defeated Utah 71-69 in a hard-fought matchup, led by Javon Small’s 18 points and seven assists. Despite challenges including a high altitude, road fatigue, and a depleted roster, the Mountaineers secured their 18th win and sixth Quad 1 victory, solidifying their position on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Coach Darian DeVries praised the team’s resilience after overcoming a 12-point deficit and foul troubles. West Virginia aims for an eighth-place finish in the Big 12 tournament, currently tied with TCU and closely followed by Kansas State. The Mountaineers close their regular season against UCF on Saturday.
West Virginia secured an 18-point, seven-assist performance from Javon Small, leading to a 71-69 victory over Utah on Tuesday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Despite being nearly 2,000 miles from home, two time zones away, and playing at an altitude of 4,265 feet during the second leg of a five-day road trip with a depleted roster, the Mountaineers managed to overcome these challenges to earn a crucial 18th victory and their sixth Quad 1 win of the season.
These Quad 1 victories are a significant reason why the Mountaineers have remained firmly on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble throughout the season, and the latest win further bolsters their postseason credentials.
This victory also keeps West Virginia in the running for an eighth-place finish and a first-round bye in the upcoming Big 12 tournament in Kansas City next week.
As it stands, WVU is tied with TCU at 9-10, while Kansas State follows closely behind at 8-10, with a game scheduled against Cincinnati tomorrow night.
West Virginia will conclude its regular season on Saturday evening at the WVU Coliseum against UCF, while TCU faces last-place Colorado, and Kansas State takes on Iowa State. Additionally, several scenarios could grant WVU a first-round bye if Baylor and Kansas also wrap up their seasons with .500 conference records.
“We had a lot on the line for this game tonight and our guys knew that,” stated West Virginia coach Darian DeVries afterward. “It’s tempting to give in when things aren’t going well, but I thought they did an excellent job of staying united in the huddles, continuing to fight, and making those critical plays.
“This win is massive for us, a Quad 1 win on the road, and now we get to return home in front of a sold-out Coliseum for UCF, with our seniors to be honored,” he added. “Let’s show our appreciation for all that this team has accomplished throughout the year.”
The Mountaineers fought back from a 12-point deficit in the first half and narrowly avoided another late-game breakdown to secure their fourth conference road win of the season.
Utah (16-14, 8-11) surged to a 19-7 lead on Senior Night before West Virginia found its rhythm around the 10-minute mark of the first half.
Small ignited the scoring with a layup, followed by a basket from Amani Hansberry, and then Joseph Yesufu and Jonathan Powell sank 3-pointers to cut Utah’s lead to 19-17.
The Mountaineers closed the half strong, going on an 11-4 run over the last 4:05 to head into halftime with a 30-29 lead.
Play was briefly halted with 19 seconds remaining when Eduardo Andre was accidentally hit in the nose while defending against Lawson Lovering’s tip-in, requiring assistance to exit the floor and head to the locker room.
Veteran athletic trainer Randy Meador managed to stop Andre’s nosebleed long enough for him to contribute seven crucial minutes in the second half, during which the Mountaineers faced significant foul trouble.
“Playing with those cotton swabs in his nose, he probably needed a whole quart of blood given how much that was leaking,” DeVries remarked.
Toby Okani fouled out with 1:03 remaining, while Hansberry finished the game with four fouls.
A significant foul shooting disparity nearly cost West Virginia again as Utah attempted twice as many free throws as the Mountaineers (16), but the Utes missed 10, including five by Lovering.
Utah initiated the second half with a 15-6 run, taking an 8-point lead at 44-36, but the Mountaineers responded with baskets from Okani and KJ Tenner, followed by an 8-3 spurt that allowed them to reclaim the advantage thanks to Powell’s three-pointer from the wing.
Free throws from Yesufu, a 3-pointer from Small, and an alley-oop dunk by Andre off a lob from Small put the Mountaineers ahead 63-58 with 2:52 left.
“I felt we really dug in defensively in the second half and began to find our rhythm offensively, penetrating and creating opportunities for each other,” DeVries stated.
The lead extended to six points following Small’s runner and two free throws from Yesufu with just 12 seconds remaining, making it seem like the Mountaineers were in control.
However, Gabe Madsen hit his fifth three-pointer with five seconds on the clock, and Jake Whalin stole the inbounds pass, scoring a layup with 1.2 seconds left, narrowing the Utes’ deficit to just one point.
Utah, lacking any timeouts, promptly fouled Sencire Harris, who missed the first free throw but converted the second. Madsen’s desperate half-court shot to win was blocked by Yesufu as time expired.
“That was an exciting finish once again,” DeVries commented.
Madsen finished the game as the top scorer with 23 points.
Utah managed only a 38% shooting percentage from the field and committed 16 turnovers over the course of the game.
“We struggled during the first 15 minutes, and I can’t pinpoint exactly why—whether it was the long road trip or something else—but I was very proud of the guys for bouncing back and finding their groove,” DeVries noted.
The Mountaineers even outperformed the taller Utes in the paint, scoring 30 to Utah’s 20. More than half of Utah’s 50 field goal attempts (28) were from beyond the arc.
Hansberry and Yesufu contributed 12 points apiece, while Powell added 10 for the Mountaineers, completing a season sweep over Utah.
The Utes are currently under the interim coaching of Josh Eilert, who served as West Virginia’s interim coach last season. Utah recently parted ways with fourth-year coach Craig Smith following the loss to UCF, with just four games remaining in the regular season.