Initial Thoughts: WVU Grinds Out a Road Win That Should Send Them Dancing

Rapid taekaways from West Virginia's win in Salt Lake City.

Mar 4, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Miro Little (1) and West Virginia Mountaineers guard Toby Okani (5) battle for the ball during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Tuesday night, the West Virginia Mountaineers picked up the season sweep of Utah with a 71-69 win in Salt Lake City.

Here are a few takeaways from tonight's game.

Javon Small's takeover

When the Mountaineers needed him to most, Small heated up on the offensive end of the floor, helping West Virginia to a late second half lead and helped create some separation in the final minute. This is just another reason why he should be the Big 12 Conference's Player of the Year. There isn't anyone in the league that means more to their team than Small means to the Mountaineers.

Eduardo Andre's one tough dude

Andre took an elbow to the face with just seconds left in the first half and was down on the ground for a handful of minutes. He did return and made some big plays in the second half despite having to come in and out of the game every now and then to re-plug his nose. Without Andre, West Virginia would have been in a really dangerous spot with a really thin frontcourt.

Ticket punched?

Although Utah is not projected to be a tournament team, this was a Quad 1 game and is now the sixth Quad 1 win of the season for the Mountaineers. This inches WVU closer to securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament and according to some, could be enough to get them in. Every team that has at least six wins of the Quad 1 variety is projected to be a part of the 68-team field.

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