Bracketology 2023: Creighton, West Virginia and Baylor among week’s big winners

West Virginia

West Virginia started the season 10-2, with the losses coming to very good Purdue and Xavier squads earlier in the season. With a roster basically rebuilt with transfers in the offseason, Bob Huggins was hoping that his new talent would meld quickly. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers lost their first five conference games in the Big 12, but have gotten things back on track this past week.

First off, they got their first road win in conference play, knocking off Texas Tech 76-61 back on Wednesday night. Joe Toussaint led the way with 22 points off the bench in the win. The real breakthrough came over the weekend, as West Virginia knocked off #15 Auburn 80-77 as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. This time it was Erik Stevenson who was electric, with 31 points to key the victory.

This was a week that West Virginia certainly needed, winning a pair of games and getting good mojo in the process. Their win over Auburn will be currency later in the year, and they showed they can win conference games away from home as well. With the state of this conference, there are plenty of chances for West Virginia to prove itself in the coming weeks, but they certainly are getting itself on the right side of the bubble at the right time.