Back on the Bubble? West Virginia's Latest Loss Creates Uneasy Feeling

Not all losses are created equal in college basketball, but they all produce the same gut-wrenching feeling. After leading for the majority of the game, West Virginia came up short to the BYU Cougars, 73-69, on Tuesday night.

The Mountaineers surprisingly played at a much faster pace than we're accustomed to seeing on Tuesday night against BYU and was able to match scores with them for much of the game from three-point land, connecting on 9-of-27 attempts.

Joseph Yesufu had a pretty good look in the corner at the end of the game that would have gave the Mountaineers the lead but couldn't get it to fall and while that's a play some folks will point to as the difference in the game, it was what they weren't able to accomplish defensively in the second half.

"The biggest thing was we just lost a lot of our discipline, keeping the ball in front of us," head coach Darian DeVries said. "And they were playing downhill the whole second half, and then, we were in rotations which you cannot get in against that team because now it’s layup and kick out threes and the first half, we didn’t do that. We did a really good job of fighting the ball, making sure we kept it in front of us. Second half, we didn’t do that."

Feb 11, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) shoots during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Losing a game that you led the majority of is a tough pill to swallow, especially when every loss starts to narrow your margin for error in terms of getting into the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia now heads into a road matchup at Baylor with a 15-9 overall record and a 6-7 mark in Big 12 Conference play, creating an uneasy feeling with seven regular season games remaining.

It's not the end of the world, and all hopes of making the tournament aren't dashed yet, but the Mountaineers are going to have to steal at least two of these road games to help make up for the home losses to BYU and Arizona State. And that's assuming they go a perfect 3-0 at home, which by itself isn't going to be enough to get the job done.

The good thing is, there are plenty of opportunities on the table, including the Big 12 tournament for WVU, to strengthen its resume. I know it's a tall task, but a mini three-game winning streak at any point between now and Selection Sunday will go a long way in solidifying their chances. The ball is in the Mountaineers' court. Find ways to win more than you lose down the stretch, and you'll be dancing with 67 others.

West Virginia will head to Waco on Saturday looking to avoid that tenth loss for the time being. The Mountaineers and Bears will begin the action at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

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