Big 12 Basketball: Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech rise in latest power rankings

13. West Virginia (6-11, 1-3)

Things have not gone according to plan in Morgantown in recent years, and the last eight months are evidence of that. The offseason included the unceremonious coaching change that replaced Bob Huggins with interim coach Josh Eilert. While the Mountaineers acquired intriguing talent in the offseason, with hopes of returning to the Big Dance for a second year in a row, that’s not quite what’s happened in West Virginia.

A home loss to Monmouth on the first Friday of the season was a black eye but was far from the only misstep for the Mountaineers. They’ve lost a number of close games, including against Virginia, Ohio State, and at home in an upset to Radford. This team only just got their first good win of the season against Texas last weekend, though the Longhorns haven’t exactly looked good themselves. Overall, the Mountaineers defense has struggled in Big 12 play, losing their other three conference games by double digits.

Things are looking better in Morgantown with Raequan Battle back on the court, while other additions like Kerr Kriisa and Jesse Edwards have contributed among inconsistent play and injury issues. Long-range shooting has been an issue for West Virginia and now their defense is rearing its ugly ahead against much stronger Big 12 foes. It won’t be an easy road ahead, especially for an interim coach in Eilert, but the Mountaineers have already shown that they can pull one upset.