After battling through the gauntlet known as the Big 12 basketball conference, the West Virginia Mountaineers will head to Kansas City to try to bring home their first ever Big 12 Tournament Championship.
Despite never running the table and winning the Big 12 tournament, the Mountaineers have had success in Kansas City in past years with plenty of memorable games.
West Virginia is 9-9 in Big 12 Tournament games dating back to 2013, and the Mountaineers have made the championship game three times.
Let’s take a look back at the best games and stretches WVU has had in the Big 12 Tournament.
2016
2016 was the second season of the “Press Virginia” era, and the Mountaineers brought an impressive 24-7 record to Kansas City.
In the first game as the second seed, West Virginia took care of business against 10-seeded TCU, winning by a score of 86-66.
The second game of the tournament was against Buddy Hield and Oklahoma, and this would be a game for the ages.
With the Mountaineers down 67-66 in the closing seconds, guard Jaysean Paige knocked down a huge, contested two-point jump shot to give WVU a 68-67 advantage with just 13 seconds left. The Mountaineers got a stop on the defensive end, but big man Jonathan Holton could only make one of two free throws with two seconds left, giving the Sooners the chance to win.
The Sooners had Buddy Hield, who was regarded as the best three-point shooter in the nation, but the senior guard had just six points in the contest. Despite the shooting struggles, the Sooners inbounded the ball to Hield, who threw up a prayer at the buzzer for the win. The ball banked in, and Oklahoma had won 70-69… so they thought.
After review, the ball was still in Hield’s hands as the buzzer sounded, giving West Virginia the 69-67 win.
After one of the more dramatic games of the college basketball season, WVU would have to match up against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks for the Big 12 Championship. The Mountaineers fell short of the Jayhawks, losing the title game 81-71 despite Devin Williams’ 31 points.
2018
2017-2018 was the last season of Jevon Carter, Daxter Miles Jr., and Press Virginia altogether. Despite some road struggles in conference play, the Mountaineers came into Kansas City with a 22-9 record.
The first game of the tournament saw the three-seeded Mountaineers take on the sixth-seeded Baylor Bears.
West Virginia was on its game against the Bears, as the Mountaineers took care of business and won by 13 points.
The second game saw WVU take on the two-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Mountaineers and Red Raiders had two tough battles in the regular season, with Texas Tech winning by one point in Lubbock, while WVU won by 14 in Morgantown.
The dynamic senior duo of Carter and Miles combined for 39 points for West Virginia, but Texas Tech kept pace with three scorers reaching double figures, including Jarrett Culver, Keenan Evans, and Niem Stevenson.
Going into the game’s final minute, the Mountaineers led 65-61. Evans knocked down a jumper with 57 seconds left to cut the WVU lead to 65-63, but that would be the last time Chris Beard’s Red Raiders would score on the relentless WVU defense.
With 13 seconds left, Evans forced up a three-pointer that was heavily contested by Carter. The shot missed, but Texas Tech gathered the offensive rebound with 10 seconds to go. The Mountaineers didn’t stop defending, and Miles forced a turnover which led to a foul with seven seconds left.
Miles made the front end of the one-and-one free throw, extending the lead to 66-63 with seven seconds left. Miles missed the second free throw, giving the Red Raiders life.
Texas Tech got the ball to Stevenson in the final seconds, and the half-court shot bounced off the rim, giving WVU the 66-63 win.
2019
After Carter and Miles graduated, the Mountaineers struggled to find an identity in the 2018-2019 season. Multiple veteran players were removed from the team, and in the latter half of the season, Huggins turned over to some new players to light a spark in the team, and those were transfer guard Jermaine Haley, and freshmen Jordan McCabe, Derek Culver, and Emmitt Matthews Jr.
The Mountaineers were the 10-seed in the tournament, playing the seven-seeded Oklahoma Sooners. With double figures from McCabe, Haley, and Lamont West, the Mountaineers were in winning position, but just like 2016, the Sooners provided some late-game drama.
With under 10 seconds left, WVU held a 72-69 lead and had a chance to put the game away with a free throw from Haley. Haley missed the free throw, and Oklahoma now had life.
As the game’s final seconds ticked off, Oklahoma’s Christian James swished a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game. Or so he thought. After review, James’ foot was just barely on the three-point line, making the shot worth two points. The Mountaineers won by the score of 72-69 and advanced to the next round.
In the second round, WVU took on the eventual NCAA National Runner-Up in Texas Tech.
This game was dominated by two players, Culver of Texas Tech, and an 18-year-old Emmitt Matthews. Culver scored 26 points and Matthews had a breakout game with 28 points.
Matthews shot 10-for-14 from the field against the Red Raiders, and a fast-break slam dunk over Tariq Owens let Mountaineer fans know how much athleticism the Washington native had.
Behind Matthews’ efforts, West Virginia pulled off the upset against Texas Tech, winning by a score of 79-74.
Despite the two big wins, the young Mountaineers could not overcome the three-seeded Kansas Jayhawks. The Mountaineers put up a good fight, but Kansas won 88-74, advancing to the championship game.
The Mountaineers have had plenty of dramatic games in Kansas City, and players like Matthews and Kedrian Johnson will bring Big 12 Tournament experience to the table, in efforts to bring home that first Big 12 Tournament trophy.
The eighth-seeded Mountaineers will start the Big 12 Tournament against the ninth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday, March 8. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
