A History of West Virginia Mountaineers in the NCAA Tournament

The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team has a rich history in the NCAA Tournament, marked by memorable moments, talented players, and dedicated coaches. Representing West Virginia University in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountaineers have consistently strived for excellence on the national stage.

Early Years and the Hundley-West Era

The modern era of West Virginia basketball began in 1955 with sophomore guard Hot Rod Hundley and head coach Fred Schaus. In 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.

After Hot Rod Hundley's graduation, sophomore guard Jerry West emerged. In his rookie collegiate season, West helped the Mountaineers to a 26-2 record, with a 12-0 conference record. 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. 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.

Building on Tradition: Thorn Takes the Reins

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.

Moments at the WVU Coliseum

The WVU Coliseum has been the site of many memorable moments in West Virginia basketball history:

Dec. 1, 1970 - West Virginia defeated Colgate 113-92 in the first-ever college basketball game played at the WVU Coliseum.
Oct. 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 a 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.
Dec. 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.
Feb. 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.
Dec. 2, 1995 - West Virginia faced sixth-ranked Georgetown in the first-ever BIG EAST game played at the WVU Coliseum.
Jan. 26, 1997 - Women’s basketball faced the No.
Feb. 11, 1998 - No.
Feb. 5, 2005 - Backup center Kevin Pittsnogle erupted for 27 points in West Virginia’s exciting 83-78 overtime victory over 16th-ranked Pitt.
Nov. 26, 2005 - West Virginia officially retired Hall of Fame guard Jerry West’s No.
Feb. 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.
Jan. 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.
Dec. 17, 2016 - West Virginia coach Bob Huggins recorded career win No.
Jan. 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.
Jan. 24, 2017 - West Virginia knocked off Kansas, ranked No.
Feb. 29, 2020 - All-America guard Rod Thorn had his jersey No.

The Beilein Era: Sweet Sixteen and Beyond

John Beilein established a winning culture in Morgantown by reaching the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons before heading to Michigan.

Huggins Returns: A New Chapter

After a one-year hiatus, the West Virginia Mountaineers are back in the Big Dance. Historically, West Virginia has found a large load of its NCAA Tournament success under head coach Bob Huggins. 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. 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.

Recent NCAA Tournament Appearances (Since 2014)

West Virginia's NCAA Tournament record since 2014:

Appearances: 6
Games played: 13 (7-6)
Highest seed: 3
Lowest seed: 9
Best finish: Sweet 16

A breakdown of each tournament:

2023
- Seed: 9
- Overall record: 0-1
- How far they went: First Round
- Who they lost to: No. 8 Maryland, 67-65
2021
- Seed: 3
- Overall record: 1-1
- How far they went: Second Round
- Who they beat: No. 14 Morehead State
- Who they lost to: No. 11 Syracuse, 75-72
2018
- Seed: 5
- Overall record: 2-1
- How far they went: Sweet 16
- Who they beat: No. 13 Marshall, No. 12 Murray State
- Who they lost to: No. 1 Villanova, 90-78
2017
- Seed: 4
- Overall record: 2-1
- How far they went: Sweet 16
- Who they beat: No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 13 Bucknell
- Who they lost to: No. 1 Gonzaga, 61-58
2016
- Seed: 3
- Overall record: 0-1
- How far they went: First Round
- Who they lost to: No. 14 SFA, 70-56
2015
- Seed: 5
- Overall record: 2-1
- How far they went: Sweet 16
- Who they beat: No. 12 Buffalo
- Who they lost to: No. 1 Kentucky

Memorable Tournament Games

2010 Sweet 16 vs. Washington: West Virginia got hot early from the three-point line, as Butler and Kevin Jones combined for seven made shots from beyond the arc.
2010 Elite Eight vs. Kentucky: With the big win over Kentucky, WVU reached the Final Four for the first time since 1959. The Mountaineers faced one-seeded Duke in the Final Four in Indianapolis before the magic ran out.
2015 Round of 32 vs. Maryland: In the second round, WVU faced fifth-seeded Maryland with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
2015 Sweet 16 vs. Kentucky: The Sweet 16 game against one-seeded Kentucky did not fare well for the Mountaineers, as the Wildcats dominated the entire night.
2017 Round of 32 vs. Bucknell: As a four seed, the Mountaineers took down Bucknell by a score of 86-80 to advance to the round of 32.
2017 Sweet 16 vs. Gonzaga: The Sweet 16 saw the Mountaineers get paired up with the one-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, and West Virginia put up a great fight against the eventual National Runner-Ups.
2018 Round of 32 vs. Murray State: Carter held Morant in check for most of the night, and with 21 points on offense, the senior guard dominated the game.
2018 Sweet 16 vs. Villanova: In the Sweet 16, WVU faced off against the eventual National Champion Villanova Wildcats. West Virginia fought hard, but foul trouble on Carter’s end would help Villanova score at will.

A Look Back at NCAA Tournament History

The NCAA tournament crowned its first men's basketball national champion in 1939.

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2024: UConn finished off one of the most dominant two-year runs in NCAA tournament history by blowing past its competition to capture its second consecutive title and the program's sixth championship. The Huskies finished the 2024 tournament with a margin of victory of 23.3 points. Among other tournament highlights, No.
2023: No. 16 FDU shocked No. 1 Purdue in the fist round, becoming only the second No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 (after UMBC in 2018). In more surprises, No. 15 Princeton made the Sweet 16 and No.
2022: The thriller capped a Final Four that saw No. 8 North Carolina almost match 1985 Villanova for the lowest seed to win the title. But the Tar Heels did take out rival Duke in the national semifinals in coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game. This year's tournament also saw No.
2021: Baylor won the first national title in program history, making the Final Four for the first time since 1950 and beating Houston and then Gonzaga to clinch the crown. The Bears earned a No. The upset-heavy tournament saw No. 11 UCLA go from First Four to Final Four, only going down on a Jalen Suggs buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the national semifinals. In more double-digit seed runs, No. 15 Oral Roberts made the Sweet 16 and No.
2019: Virginia won its first national championship in program history. The Cavaliers returned to the Final Four for the first time since 1984 - a year before the NCAA adopted the 64-team field. The win also serves as a reversal from the year prior, when UVA became the first No. Virginia became the third straight No. 1 seed to cut down the nets, joining Villanova (2018) and North Carolina (2017). Unlike the other two, they were the lone No. 1 seed at the Final Four, joined by No. 2 seed Michigan State, No. 3 seed Texas Tech and No.
2018: Villanova captured the program's third national championship and second title in three years. Among the tournament's other highlights were UMBC and Loyola Chicago. The Terriers became the first No. 16 seed to win in the Round of 64, eliminating top overall seed Virginia, 74-54. The No. 11 seed Ramblers also pulled a first-round upset, beating Miami (Fla.) on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Villanova and Loyola Chicago were joined in San Antonio by No. 1 seed Kansas and No.
2017: The Tar Heels won their sixth national championship and third under coach Roy Williams. UNC cut down the nets one year after being walked off by Villanova on a buzzer-beater. Since seeding was introduced in 1979, the Tar Heels have won all of their championships as a No. North Carolina made its 20th appearance at the Final Four, joined by first-timers in No. 1 seed Gonzaga and No. 7 seed South Carolina. South Carolina was one of four teams seeded seventh or lower to reach the Sweet 16 (No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Wisconsin and No.
2016: Villanova won the NCAA tournament, its first national championship since 1985. Jenkins is just the second player to end a title game on a buzzer-beater in NCAA tournament history, joining North Carolina State's Lorenzo Charles (1983). Oklahoma and Syracuse also reached the Final Four in Houston. The Orange became the first No. 10 seed in tournament history to reach the Final Four.
2014: The Huskies became the first 7-seed to win a championship in tournament history while also playing in a championship game with the highest seed total of all time (15). Kentucky - a No. 8 seed - was the lowest-seeded team to reach the Final Four, joined by No. 1 seed Florida and No. 2 Wisconsin. The Wildcats became just the third 8-seed to play for the national championship since 1985. One of their most notable wins came in the Round of 32, upsetting 35-0 Wichita State. UConn and Kentucky were two of five teams seeded seventh or lower to reach the Sweet 16 along with No.
2013: Louisville won the NCAA tournament. In the 75th edition of the NCAA tournament, Louisville defeated Michigan for the national title. Michigan and Syracuse both reached the national semifinals as No. 4 seeds. The Wolverines came back to beat top-seeded Kansas in the Sweet 16 while the Orange eliminated No. Wichita State became the tournament's first 9-seed to make the Final Four in the 64-team era. The Shockers won the West Regional, a section of the bracket filled with upsets as No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 13 La Salle and No. 14 Harvard all pulled off opening-round upsets. Another notable postseason run came from No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles made their NCAA tournament debut and reached the Sweet 16 with wins over No. 2 seed Georgetown and No.
2012: The Wildcats made their second straight Final Four appearance after coming up short in 2011. No. 2 seed Kansas opposed Kentucky for the national title. It was the Jayhawks' first appearance in the Final Four since winning the 2008 championship. No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. Upsets were also a factor in the 2012 NCAA tournament. For the first time ever, two 15-seeds won in the same tournament as Norfolk State upset Missouri and Lehigh eliminated Duke. Additionally, No.
2011: UConn beat Butler for the national title - the Huskies' third championship. VCU, which played in the inaugural First Four, and Kentucky rounded out the Final Four in Houston. This was the first Final Four without a top seed since 2006 (No. 3 seed UConn, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler and No.

Other Facts

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.
Jan. 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.

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