Season sweeps of Iowa State and Baylor and an 11-point home win over No. 1-ranked Kansas had the Mountaineers hovering near the top 10 for the latter part of the year.
A dramatic, unforgettable, last-second victory over sixth-ranked Oklahoma during the Big 12 tournament semifinals that had to be confirmed afterward by replay boosted West Virginia to its first-ever Big 12 championship game appearance, where top-ranked Kansas was required to overcome a halftime deficit to capture its 10th straight Big 12 tournament title.
The final Associated Press poll had West Virginia ranked No. 8, just the eighth time in school history WVU ended the regular season ranked in the top 10.