A Legacy on the Hardwood: Exploring West Virginia's NCAA Tournament History
The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team, representing West Virginia University, boasts a storied history within the NCAA Division I landscape. As a member of the Big 12 Conference, WVU has etched its name in college basketball lore through consistent competitiveness and memorable tournament runs. This article explores the program's journey through the NCAA Tournament, highlighting key moments, influential figures, and the evolution of Mountaineer basketball.
Early Years and the Hundley-West 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.
The following season, 1956, the Mountaineers posted a 21-9 record in Hundley's junior season, which was his best statistically. In Hundley's senior season, 1957, the team opened with eight straight victories, including an 83-82 upset over the Duke Blue Devils. 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.
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. In the two wins in the Kentucky Tourney, West totaled 29 points and 19 rebounds.
The following season, West's junior season at West Virginia, the squad posted a 29-5 record with another undefeated conference record, 11-0. For the first time in Fred Schaus' coaching career at WVU, the Mountaineers advanced further than the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The team eventually won the East Region with victories over #14 St. Joseph's in the semi-finals and Boston University in the finals. In the two games, West scored 69 points in leading the Mountaineers into the Final Four, the furthest ventured in school history. The Mountaineers won their semifinal matchup against the Louisville Cardinals, 94-79; with West scoring 38 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. However, in the championship game, the Mountaineers were bested by California, 70-71. In the 1960 season following their NCAA tournament championship loss, West led the Mountaineers to a 26-5 record as a senior.
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The Thorn Era
After the departure of Jerry West to the NBA draft, sophomore guard Rod Thorn stepped in to fill his place for new head coach George King, much like West did when star guard Hot Rod Hundley graduated for former head coach Fred Schaus in 1958. Thorn helped the Mountaineers to a 23-4 record, 11-1 in conference. The Mountaineers season resume included wins over Wake Forest, #19 Memphis State to win the Sugar Bowl, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, NC State, and four more victories to end the season over Penn State, Pitt, Penn State again, and George Washington, respectively.
The following season, Rod Thorn guided the Mountaineers to a 24-6 record, 11-1 in conference. In Thorn's final season as a Mountaineer, effectively ending the era of WVU basketball, the team posted a 23-8 record with an 11-2 conference record. The #3 Mountaineers began the season with a loss to Ohio State in the third game of the season, 69-76. The squad opened up the NCAA tournament with a victory over Connecticut, but then lost in the east region semi-finals to St.
Memorable Coliseum Moments
The WVU Coliseum has been the site of many memorable moments in West Virginia basketball history.
- December 1, 1970: The first-ever college basketball game played at the WVU Coliseum saw West Virginia defeat Colgate 113-92.
- October 8, 1971: A capacity crowd of more than 14,000 watched alum Jerry West and his Los Angeles Lakers take on the New York Knicks in an NBA preseason game.
- March 4, 1972: All-America guard Wil Robinson poured in 42 points on Senior Day to help West Virginia to 104-90 victory over Pitt.
- December 1, 1973: WVU employed an all-black starting lineup against Pitt for the first time in school history in an 82-78 win over the Panthers at the WVU Coliseum.
- March 7-8, 1975: The WVU Coliseum was the host venue for the 1975 ECAC men’s basketball championships, won by Georgetown on a last-second shot to defeat West Virginia 62-61.
- February 27, 1983: West Virginia upset No.
- March 10, 1984: West Virginia defeated St.
- March 5-9, 1988: West Virginia was the host site of the 1988 Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship with No.
- December 2, 1995: West Virginia faced sixth-ranked Georgetown in the first-ever BIG EAST game played at the WVU Coliseum.
- January 26, 1997: Women’s basketball faced the No.
- February 11, 1998: No.
- February 5, 2005: Backup center Kevin Pittsnogle erupted for 27 points in West Virginia’s exciting 83-78 overtime victory over 16th-ranked Pitt.
- November 26, 2005: West Virginia officially retired Hall of Fame guard Jerry West’s No.
- February 13, 2009: All-America guard Da’Sean Butler overcame a badly sprained ankle to pour in 43 points in West Virginia’s 93-72 victory over 13th-ranked Villanova at the WVU Coliseum.
- March 7, 2009: ESPN’s popular College Game Day show made its first-ever appearance at the WVU Coliseum prior to the Mountaineers’ game against sixth-ranked Louisville.
- January 23, 2010: All-American guard Hot Rod Hundley’s jersey No. 33 was officially retired before West Virginia’s game against 21st-ranked Ohio State at the WVU Coliseum.
- March 2, 2013: The largest crowd to ever watch a women’s basketball game in the state of West Virginia took place when 13,447 showed up to watch West Virginia battle No.
- December 17, 2016: West Virginia coach Bob Huggins recorded career win No.
- January 10, 2017: West Virginia stunned top-ranked Baylor 89-68 before a crowd of 14,632. It was the largest margin of defeat suffered by a No.
- January 24, 2017: West Virginia knocked off Kansas, ranked No.
- February 29, 2020: All-America guard Rod Thorn had his jersey No.
The 2005-2006 Squad and Sweet Sixteen Run
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.
The 2007 NIT Championship and the Huggins Era Begins
The team that followed the 2001-2005 senior class was projected to be weak and undeveloped due to lack of experience. 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. 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. In 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. 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.
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The Mountaineers earned an 88-65 win over Mountain State in an exhibition game to start the season. However, the Mountaineers lost 74-72. The Mountaineers then posted an eight-game win streak on the way to a 10-1 record. They defeated #11 Marquette, 79-64, but followed up with a loss to Louisville 63-54. The Mountaineers then lost to #9 Georgetown 58-57, after a questionable block (or goaltending) call to end the game. 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. Bob Huggins' 20-win season moved his record to at least 20 wins in 22 of his 26 seasons coaching.
NCAA Tournament Highlights
WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including two Final Fours, most recently in 2010. The Mountaineers have also appeared in 16 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT), and have won the tournament twice, in 1942 and 2007. 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.
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