West Virginia’s History vs. No. 1 Teams Broken Down Ahead of Arizona Showdown

West Virginia has had its fair share of success over the years against ranked teams, teams in the top 10, top 5, and even the top two or three. Much of that success, however, has come in Morgantown, as you would expect.

On Saturday, the Mountaineers will have a huge test waiting for them as they take on No. 1 Arizona on the road. Most people expect this game to be a blowout, and to be honest, so do I. But hey, never say never, right? There's a reason why the games are played, and crazier things have happened before in this sport.

So, how has West Virginia done against top-ranked teams in the past? Much better than you probably realize.

Game-by-game result vs. No. 1 teams

* - neutral court

1957: vs. North Carolina* W 75-64 (Lexington, KY)

1966: vs. Duke* W 94-90 (Charleston, WV)

1968: at UCLA L 56-95

1983: vs. UNLV W 87-78

1988: vs. Temple L 61-62

1988: at Temple L 69-78

1995: vs. UMass L 94-97

1999: vs. UConn L 45-80

2006: vs. UConn L 75-81

2015: vs. Kentucky* L 39-78 (Cleveland, OH)

2016: vs. Kansas W 74-63

2017: vs. Baylor W 89-68

2020: at Baylor L 59-70

The breakdown

Home: 3-4

Away: 0-3

Neutral: 2-1

In the three road losses against UCLA, Temple, and Baylor, the Mountaineers have lost by an average of 19.6 points. So yeah, it pretty much aligns with everyone's opinion of how Saturday afternoon's contest will go.

Beating the Wildcats would certainly be a massive boost to their NCAA Tournament resume, giving them the best win in the country so far this season. But if we're being realistic, the one thing you want to see in this game is a fight. Don't let this get out to a 20-30-point deficit and get embarrassed, destroying some of the confidence you've built up over the past few weeks. Hang around, compete for forty minutes, and see what the scoreboard reads at the final buzzer.

Game-by-game result vs. No. 1 teams

The breakdown

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