2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team


The 2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 11th season as WVU's head coach, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 26–11, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Baylor and Texas Tech to advance to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Murray State and Marshall to advance to the Sweet Sixteen,[2][3] where they lost to Villanova.[4]

2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 13
APNo. 15
Record26–11 (11–7 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWVU Coliseum
Seasons
2017–18 Big 12 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 4 Kansas135 .722318 .795
No. 14 Texas Tech117 .6112710 .730
No. 15 West Virginia117 .6112611 .703
Kansas State108 .5562512 .676
TCU99 .5002112 .636
Baylor810 .4441915 .559
Texas810 .4441915 .559
Oklahoma State810 .4442115 .583
Oklahoma810 .4441814 .563
Iowa State414 .2221318 .419
2018 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll [1]

Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2016–17 season 28–9, 12–6 in Big 12 play to finish in second place in conference. They defeated Texas and Kansas State to advance to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Bucknell and Notre Dame before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to Gonzaga.

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Teyvon Myers0G6'2"185SeniorBrooklyn, NYGraduated
Nathan Adrian11F6'9"235SeniorMorgantown, WVGraduated
Tarik Phillip12G6'3"195SeniorBrooklyn, NYGraduated
James Long13G5'11"185SeniorCharleston, WVGraduated
Brandon Watkins20F6'9"230SeniorDecatur, GAGraduated
Elijah Macon25F6'9"240Sophomore (redshirt)Columbus, OHDeclared for 2017 NBA draft (undrafted)

Future recruits

2018–19 team recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Derek Culver
PF
Warren, OHBrewster Academy6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg)Aug 2, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordan McCabe
PG
Kaukauna, WIKaukauna High School5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)155 lb (70 kg)Aug 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Trey Doomes
SG
Acworth, GAUniversity School6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg)Oct 5, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPNN/A
Andrew Gordon
PF
Dunedin, FLNorthwest Florida State College6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)220 lb (100 kg)Oct 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    RivalsN/A   247Sports:    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G2Jevon Carter6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)205 lb (93 kg)SrProviso East HSMaywood, IL
G3James Bolden6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg)RS SoHolmes HSCovington, KY
G4Daxter Miles Jr.6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg)SrNotre Dame PrepBaltimore, MD
G5Brandon Knapper    6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrHargrave Military AcademySouth Charleston, WV
F11D'Angelo Hunter6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg)JrNavarro CollegeLouisville, KY
F13Teddy Allen6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)225 lb (102 kg)FrBoys Town HS (NE)Mesa, AZ
G14Chase Harler6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg)SoWheeling Central HSMoundsville, WV
F15Lamont West6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg)RS SoMiller Grove HSCincinnati, OH
F21Wesley Harris6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoLawson State CCJackson, MS
F23Esa Ahmad6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg)JrShaker Heights HSCleveland, OH
F25Maciej Bender6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg)SoMountain Mission SchoolWarsaw, Poland
F31Logan Routt6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)260 lb (118 kg)RS SoCameron HSCameron, WV
F50Sagaba Konate6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)260 lb (118 kg)SoKennedy Catholic HSBamako, Mali
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 11, 2018

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2017*
7:30 pm
Albany
Charity exhibition
W 98–67 
 26  West  8  Harris  6  Carter WVU Coliseum (5,174)
Morgantown, WV
Dec 16, 2017*
2:00 pm, AT&T
No. 11 Wheeling JesuitW 98–50 
               WVU Coliseum (8,502)
Morgantown, WV
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 11 vs. No. 25 Texas A&M
Armed Forces Classic
L 65–88 0–1
 19  Bolden  6  Bender/Konate  7  Carter Ramstein Air Base (3,128)
Ramstein Air Base, Germany
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, AT&T
No. 24 AmericanW 98–64 1–1
 20  Carter/Miles Jr.  8  Harris  7  Carter WVU Coliseum (9,180)
Morgantown, WV
Nov 18, 2017*
7:30 pm, Nexstar
No. 24 Morgan StateW 111–48 2–1
 32  Miles Jr.  7  Harris  7  Harler WVU Coliseum (11,698)
Morgantown, WV
Nov 20, 2017*
7:00 pm, AT&T
No. 23-T Long Beach State
AdvoCare Invitational campus game
W 91–62 3–1
 22  West  8  West  7  Carter WVU Coliseum (8,676)
Morgantown, WV
Nov 23, 2017*
8:30 pm, ESPNews
No. 23-T vs. Marist
AdvoCare Invitational Quarterfinals
W 84–78 4–1
 20  Carter  10  Konate  7  Miles Jr. HP Field House (3,348)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 24, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 23-T vs. UCF
AdvoCare Invitational semifinals
W 83–45 5–1
 17  Bolden  9  Konate  5  Carter HP Field House (2,834)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 26, 2017*
9:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 23-T vs. Missouri
AdvoCare Invitational championship game
W 83–79 6–1
 29  Carter  10  Wesley  3  Carter HP Field House (2,591)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 30, 2017*
7:00 pm, AT&T
No. 19 NJITW 102–69 7–1
 25  Carter  9  Carter  6  Carter WVU Coliseum (8,882)
Morgantown, WV
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 18 No. 15 VirginiaW 68–61 8–1
 23  Carter  10  Carter  7  Carter WVU Coliseum (12,816)
Morgantown, WV
Dec 9, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 18 at Pittsburgh
Backyard Brawl
W 69–60 9–1
 19  Carter  8  West  9  Carter Petersen Events Center (7,748)
Pittsburgh, PA
Dec 20, 2017*
7:00 pm, AT&T
No. 10 Coppin StateW 77–38 10–1
 24  Allen  9  Allen  4  Carter WVU Coliseum (8,102)
Morgantown, WV
Dec 23, 2017*
12:00 pm, AT&T
No. 10 FordhamW 86–69 11–1
 21  Miles Jr.  12  Carter  11  Konate WVU Coliseum (11,296)
Morgantown, WV
Dec 29, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 7 at Oklahoma StateW 85–79 12–1
(1–0)
 15  Allen  9  Konate  7  Carter Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,257)
Stillwater, OK
Jan 1, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 6 at Kansas StateW 77–69 13–1
(2–0)
 22  Allen  8  Carter  10  Carter Bramlage Coliseum (9,712)
Manhattan, KS
Jan 6, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN2
No. 6 No. 7 OklahomaW 89–76 14–1
(3–0)
 20  Allen  13  Konate  10  Carter WVU Coliseum (15,106)
Morgantown, WV
Jan 9, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 2 BaylorW 57–54 15–1
(4–0)
 12  Miles Jr./West  12  Konate  5  Carter WVU Coliseum (12,551)
Morgantown, WV
Jan 13, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN
No. 2 at No. 8 Texas TechL 71–72 15–2
(4–1)
 28  Carter  11  Konate  5  Miles Jr. United Supermarkets Arena (15,098)
Lubbock, TX
Jan 15, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 No. 10 KansasL 66–71 15–3
(4–2)
 16  Konate  10  Konate  4  Carter/Miles Jr. WVU Coliseum (14,115)
Morgantown, WV
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm, CBS
No. 6 TexasW 86–51 16–3
(5–2)
 22  Carter  14  Konate  8  Carter WVU Coliseum (14,001)
Morgantown, WV
Jan 22, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7 at TCUL 73–82 16–4
(5–3)
 16  Carter  8  Konate  7  Carter Schollmaier Arena (7,368)
Fort Worth, TX
Jan 27, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7 Kentucky
Big 12/SEC Challenge/College Gameday
L 76–83 16–5
 26  Carter  6  Konate  7  Carter WVU Coliseum (15,835)
Morgantown, WV
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 15 at Iowa StateL 77–93 16–6
(5–4)
 18  Carter  8  Ahmad  9  Carter Hilton Coliseum (14,219)
Ames, IA
Feb 3, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 15 Kansas StateW 89–51 17–6
(6–4)
 19  Konate  9  Konate  11  Carter WVU Coliseum (13,329)
Morgantown, WV
Feb 5, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 19 at No. 17 OklahomaW 75–73 18–6
(7–4)
 17  West  11  Konate  8  Carter Lloyd Noble Center (10,650)
Norman, OK
Feb 10, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 19 Oklahoma StateL 85–88 18–7
(7–5)
 33  Carter  7  Konate  5  Miles Jr. WVU Coliseum (13,057)
Morgantown, WV
Feb 12, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 TCUW 82–66 19–7
(8–5)
 16  Allen  6  Allen/Bender  9  Carter WVU Coliseum (11,773)
Morgantown, WV
Feb 17, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 20 at No. 13 Kansas
ESPN College GameDay
L 69–77 19–8
(8–6)
 22  Miles Jr.  6  3 tied  7  Carter Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
Feb 20, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 21 at BaylorW 71–60 20–8
(9–6)
 15  Ahmad/Carter  10  Konate  4  Miles Jr. Ferrell Center (7,519)
Waco, TX
Feb 24, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 21 Iowa StateW 85–70 21–8
(10–6)
 24  Carter  11  Ahmad  3  Ahmad WVU Coliseum (14,205)
Morgantown, WV
Feb 26, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 No. 12 Texas TechW 84–74 22–8
(11–6)
 21  Carter  11  Ahmad  7  Carter WVU Coliseum (14,542)
Morgantown, WV
Mar 3, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 20 at TexasL 79–87 OT22–9
(11–7)
 15  West  8  Konate  6  Carter Frank Erwin Center (11,364)
Austin, TX
Big 12 Tournament
Mar 8, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPNU
(3) No. 18 vs. (6) Baylor
Quarterfinals
W 78–65 23–9
 21  Ahmad  8  Ahmad  11  Carter Sprint Center (17,653)
Kansas City, MO
Mar 9, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2
(3) No. 18 vs. (2) No. 14 Texas Tech
Semifinals
W 66–63 24–9
 16  Miles Jr.  7  Harris  4  Carter Sprint Center (18,223)
Kansas City, MO
Mar 10, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN
(3) No. 18 vs. (1) No. 9 Kansas
Championship
L 70–81 24–10
 25  Miles Jr.  6  Ahmad  9  Carter Sprint Center (17,718)
Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018*
4:00 pm, TNT
(5 E) No. 15 vs. (12 E) Murray State
First Round
W 85–68 25–10
 21  Carter  7  Konate  8  Carter Viejas Arena (10,892)
San Diego, CA
Mar 18, 2018*
9:40 pm, TBS
(5 E) No. 15 vs. (13 E) Marshall
Second Round
W 94–71 26–10
 28  Carter  10  West  7  Ahmad Viejas Arena (11,628)
San Diego, CA
Mar 23, 2018*
7:27 pm, TBS
(5 E) No. 15 vs. (1 E) No. 2 Villanova
Sweet Sixteen
L 78–90 26–11
 16  Miles Jr.  9  Konate  8  Carter TD Garden (19,055)
Boston, MA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP112423-T19181110762 (12)6715192021201815Not released
Coaches10102019161111752 (4)771117202119181413

See also

References