23. West Virginia (11-2)
November was a roller coaster for the Mountaineers, getting awesome wins in the Bahamas over Gonzaga and Arizona but really struggling against rival Pittsburgh a few weeks earlier. Since then, things have gone really well for Darian DeVries in his first season leading the charge in Morgantown and this past week certainly cemented that.
Tuesday was even better than those wins in the Bahamas as the Mountaineers headed to Lawrence and left town with a 62-61 upset win at Kansas. Playing without two of their three top players, West Virginia got great effort from Eduardo Andre with 15 points and 6 rebounds and a 13-point, 11-rebound performance from Javon Small. Saturday was less exciting but still important, as West Virginia won 69-50 at home over Oklahoma State, getting 24 points from Small in another short-handed effort.
Does West Virginia have the ability to hang in this tough Big 12? Considering this team just got a massive win in Lawrence, we definitely believe in what these Mountaineers can do, especially when they get Tucker DeVries back and are fully healthy again. They’ve now won seven games in a row, allowing 61 points or less in the last six, and have major opportunities next week against Arizona and Colorado.