Rapid Takeaways From West Virginia's Devastating Loss to Last-Place Utah

Reacting to West Virginia's loss to Utah.

Feb 18, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers players celebrate after a defensive play during the first half against the Utah Utes at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The NCAA Tournament bubble may have just burst for West Virginia as they fell to Utah on Wednesday night, dropping their third straight game at home.

Here are my initial thoughts from this one...

Your typical West Virginia letdown game

You know the drill. Once the Mountaineers have a big win and seem to be in a good position, they wash it out with a miserable performance that has you scratching your head. It doesn't matter the sport, the year, or who the head coach is. It's built into the DNA. I had an eerie feeling about this game with it being a super late tip, a light crowd expected to be on hand, and the league's worst team coming into town — a perfect recipe for disaster.

Where is the sense of urgency?

These slow starts to games are one issue. Not responding and showing the fight or desire to get out of it is another. In the first half, Utah had seven offensive rebounds, was +11 on the glass overall, and was +5 in second-chance points. That's a lack of effort. How does that happen in a game that you absolutely need to have? We can make all the excuses as we laid out above, but at the end of the day, this team couldn't get itself up off the canvas and throw some punches back. Utah wanted it way more in the first 25 minutes, and that's concerning. Had they played with the effort they showed in the final 12-13 minutes of the game early on, it would have completely changed the dynamic of the game.

Ross Hodge refusing to make changes is hurting this team

I get not wanting to completely reinvent yourself on the fly, but you also can't continue to trot out the same starting five game after game with the results remaining as poor as they've been. There should be zero attachment to who the first five are. They're all still going to play and can still give you the same minutes. You just have to throw a different combination out there to try and generate a stronger start to the game. I've said it a handful of times now that Amir Jenkins should get that opportunity because of the energy he plays with. That, plus the pace he plays with, can help.

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