![]() Over the next six-game winning streak, the Mountaineers produced wins over Canisius, Villanova, Pittsburgh, and Furman. In the two wins in the tourney, West totaled 29 points and 19 rebounds. After the UNC victory, the Mountaineers rose to the first-ever #1 ranking in school history. The following game, the Mountaineers upset the #1-ranked nationally North Carolina, 75–65, to win the Kentucky Tourney. The Mountaineers began the season with a #8 ranking, as they earned defeats over Penn State, #19 Richmond, and a 77–70 victory over #5 Kentucky in the Kentucky Invitational Tournament. In his rookie collegiate season, West helped the Mountaineers to a 26–2 record, with a 12–0 conference record. The #7 Mountaineers were dropped in the first round of the NCAA tournament again however, to the #20 Canisius team, 64–56.Īfter Hot Rod Hundley's graduation and departure to the NBA, sophomore guard Jerry West emerged for the Mountaineers and Fred Schaus. They dropped to #14 after a loss to Penn State, but won the next six games, including the Southern Conference Championship. The team posted 11 consecutive wins afterwards, rising from a #19 ranking to a #10 ranking. Going into the Dixie Classic, the Mountaineers achieved a #4 ranking (the first Top 5 ranking in school history), but lost three straight games in the tourney. It marked the first time a Mountaineer squad was ranked in the Top 10 nationally. The team also reached the #13 ranking before the Duke victory, and then rose to the #8 ranking in the final two victories. In Hundley's senior season, 1957, the team opened with eight straight victories, including an 83–82 upset over the Duke Blue Devils. However, they once again lost in the first round to Dartmouth College, 61–59 in overtime. The squad never entered the rankings again on the season until the NCAA tournament, when they reached the #14 ranking. They eventually worked their way back to a #19 ranking, before losing to Villanova, La Salle, and Carnegie Tech to drop out of the rankings again. The team began the season with a #14 ranking, however lost consecutively to #13 George Washington University and #2 North Carolina State, dropping them out of the rankings. The following season, 1956, the Mountaineers posted a 21–9 record in Hundley's junior season, which was his best statistically. However, they lost to the #3 La Salle Explorers in the first round of the tourney, 95–61. The team entered the tournament with a #19 ranking, the first Top 20 ranking in school history. The Mountaineers finished with a 19–11 record, and earned the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history under Hundley's lead. The modern era of West Virginia basketball history began in 1955, with the emergence of sophomore guard Hot Rod Hundley and newly appointed head coach Fred Schaus. The largest margin of defeat in Mountaineer basketball history came in 1978 against Louisville, when the Cardinals beat the Mountaineers 106–60. The most points scored in a game was 132 points against Alaska-Fairbanks in 1994, while the largest margin of victory was against Salem College, with the Mountaineers winning 113–32 in 1945. In 1949, future Mountaineers head coach Fred Schaus became the first player in NCAA history to record 1,000 points. They lost 71–70 to California in the 1959 NCAA finals, while the Mountaineers won the 1942 NIT championship 47–45 over Western Kentucky, and the 2007 National Invitation Tournament contest over Clemson 78–72 in a rebuilding season. West Virginia men's basketball has competed in three basketball championship final matches: the 1959 NCAA tournament final, the 1942 NIT final (at that time, the NIT was considered more prestigious than the NCAA), and the 2007 NIT championship. See also: List of West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball seasons WVU plays their home games at the WVU Coliseum, their home venue since 1970. They are led by Bob Huggins, who has been head coach since 2007. The Mountaineers have also appeared in 16 National Invitation Tournaments, and have won two championships, in 1942 (which West Virginia considers a National Championship) and 2007. WVU has won 13 conference tournament championships, and has 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including two Final Fours, most recently in 2010. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition.
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