Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Climb to No. 11 in Both Polls
December 11, 2017 01:15 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - A 2-0 week with victories over Virginia and Pitt has helped elevate West Virginia to 11th in this week's Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll, released earlier today.
Coach Bob Huggins' Mountaineers (9-1) defeated then-15th-ranked Virginia, 68-61, at the WVU Coliseum on Tuesday night, and topped Pitt, 69-60, in Pittsburgh on Saturday night in the renewal of the Backyard Brawl, which was last played in 2012.
Jevon Carter scored 19 points and Daxter Miles Jr. added 15 in the nine-point victory over the Panthers, only West Virginia's third at the Petersen Events Center since it was opened in 2002.
There was a lot of movement in the polls with top teams Duke, Kansas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Minnesota and Florida losing games last week.
The reshuffled top five features Villanova at No. 1, followed by Michigan State, Wichita State, Duke and Arizona State, the poll's biggest climber jumping 11 spots from 16th last week to No. 5 this week.
West Virginia, which jumped seven spots in the media poll, is also ranked No. 11 in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Big 12 has five teams in this week's AP poll. In addition to West Virginia, Kansas (13), undefeated TCU (14), Baylor (21) and Texas Tech (24) were tabbed by the writers.
After WVU, the coaches have the Jayhawks No. 12, followed by TCU (14), Baylor (21) and Oklahoma (24), which upset USC last week to knock the Trojans out of the rankings.
Oklahoma is now 7-1, its only loss coming to Arkansas back on Nov. 23.
Three non-conference West Virginia opponents are in this week's AP poll: No. 8 Kentucky, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 16 Virginia.
This week marks the 41st consecutive appearance for West Virginia in the AP poll and its 58th in the last 61 polls since 2015. This is the second longest streak for the Mountaineers in the AP poll, now 15 weeks shy of the 60 straight weeks West Virginia was in the rankings from March 1956 to March 1960.
The Mountaineers have been ranked 61 straight weeks in the coaches poll.
West Virginia is idle this week with final examinations and will play an exhibition game this Saturday, Dec. 16, against Wheeling Jesuit. The game will tip off a 2 p.m. and will be televised locally on AT&T SportsNet.
The Mountaineers have two more non-conference games at the Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 20, against Coppin State and Saturday, Dec. 23, against Fordham before league play begins at Oklahoma State on Friday, Dec. 29.
Coach Bob Huggins' Mountaineers (9-1) defeated then-15th-ranked Virginia, 68-61, at the WVU Coliseum on Tuesday night, and topped Pitt, 69-60, in Pittsburgh on Saturday night in the renewal of the Backyard Brawl, which was last played in 2012.
Jevon Carter scored 19 points and Daxter Miles Jr. added 15 in the nine-point victory over the Panthers, only West Virginia's third at the Petersen Events Center since it was opened in 2002.
There was a lot of movement in the polls with top teams Duke, Kansas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Minnesota and Florida losing games last week.
The reshuffled top five features Villanova at No. 1, followed by Michigan State, Wichita State, Duke and Arizona State, the poll's biggest climber jumping 11 spots from 16th last week to No. 5 this week.
West Virginia, which jumped seven spots in the media poll, is also ranked No. 11 in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Big 12 has five teams in this week's AP poll. In addition to West Virginia, Kansas (13), undefeated TCU (14), Baylor (21) and Texas Tech (24) were tabbed by the writers.
After WVU, the coaches have the Jayhawks No. 12, followed by TCU (14), Baylor (21) and Oklahoma (24), which upset USC last week to knock the Trojans out of the rankings.
Oklahoma is now 7-1, its only loss coming to Arkansas back on Nov. 23.
Three non-conference West Virginia opponents are in this week's AP poll: No. 8 Kentucky, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 16 Virginia.
This week marks the 41st consecutive appearance for West Virginia in the AP poll and its 58th in the last 61 polls since 2015. This is the second longest streak for the Mountaineers in the AP poll, now 15 weeks shy of the 60 straight weeks West Virginia was in the rankings from March 1956 to March 1960.
The Mountaineers have been ranked 61 straight weeks in the coaches poll.
West Virginia is idle this week with final examinations and will play an exhibition game this Saturday, Dec. 16, against Wheeling Jesuit. The game will tip off a 2 p.m. and will be televised locally on AT&T SportsNet.
The Mountaineers have two more non-conference games at the Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 20, against Coppin State and Saturday, Dec. 23, against Fordham before league play begins at Oklahoma State on Friday, Dec. 29.
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