# 2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 11th season as WVU's head coach, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 26–11, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Baylor and Texas Tech to advance to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Murray State and Marshall to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to Villanova.

## Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2016–17 season 28–9, 12–6 in Big 12 play to finish in second place in conference. They defeated Texas and Kansas State to advance to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Iowa State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Bucknell and Notre Dame before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to Gonzaga.

## Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Teyvon Myers | 0 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Graduated |
| Nathan Adrian | 11 | F | 6'9" | 235 | Senior | Morgantown, WV | Graduated |
| Tarik Phillip | 12 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Graduated |
| James Long | 13 | G | 5'11" | 185 | Senior | Charleston, WV | Graduated |
| Brandon Watkins | 20 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Senior | Decatur, GA | Graduated |
| Elijah Macon | 25 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Sophomore (redshirt) | Columbus, OH | Declared for 2017 NBA draft (undrafted) |

## Future recruits
### 2018–19 team recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Derek Culver PF | Warren, OH | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 2, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jordan McCabe PG | Kaukauna, WI | Kaukauna High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Aug 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Trey Doomes SG | Acworth, GA | University School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 5, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Andrew Gordon PF | Dunedin, FL | Northwest Florida State College | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 6, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 28, 2017* 7:30 pm | | Albany Charity exhibition | W 98–67 | – | 26 – West | 8 – Harris | 6 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (5,174) Morgantown, WV |
| Dec 16, 2017* 2:00 pm, AT&T | No. 11 | Wheeling Jesuit | W 98–50 | – | – | – | – | WVU Coliseum (8,502) Morgantown, WV |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 11 | vs. No. 25 Texas A&M Armed Forces Classic | L 65–88 | 0–1 | 19 – Bolden | 6 – Bender/Konate | 7 – Carter | Ramstein Air Base (3,128) Ramstein Air Base, Germany |
| Nov 15, 2017* 7:00 pm, AT&T | No. 24 | American | W 98–64 | 1–1 | 20 – Carter/Miles Jr. | 8 – Harris | 7 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (9,180) Morgantown, WV |
| Nov 18, 2017* 7:30 pm, Nexstar | No. 24 | Morgan State | W 111–48 | 2–1 | 32 – Miles Jr. | 7 – Harris | 7 – Harler | WVU Coliseum (11,698) Morgantown, WV |
| Nov 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, AT&T | No. 23-T | Long Beach State AdvoCare Invitational campus game | W 91–62 | 3–1 | 22 – West | 8 – West | 7 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (8,676) Morgantown, WV |
| Nov 23, 2017* 8:30 pm, ESPNews | No. 23-T | vs. Marist AdvoCare Invitational Quarterfinals | W 84–78 | 4–1 | 20 – Carter | 10 – Konate | 7 – Miles Jr. | HP Field House (3,348) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| Nov 24, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23-T | vs. UCF AdvoCare Invitational semifinals | W 83–45 | 5–1 | 17 – Bolden | 9 – Konate | 5 – Carter | HP Field House (2,834) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| Nov 26, 2017* 9:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23-T | vs. Missouri AdvoCare Invitational championship game | W 83–79 | 6–1 | 29 – Carter | 10 – Wesley | 3 – Carter | HP Field House (2,591) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| Nov 30, 2017* 7:00 pm, AT&T | No. 19 | NJIT | W 102–69 | 7–1 | 25 – Carter | 9 – Carter | 6 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (8,882) Morgantown, WV |
| Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 18 | No. 15 Virginia | W 68–61 | 8–1 | 23 – Carter | 10 – Carter | 7 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (12,816) Morgantown, WV |
| Dec 9, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | at Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl | W 69–60 | 9–1 | 19 – Carter | 8 – West | 9 – Carter | Petersen Events Center (7,748) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Dec 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, AT&T | No. 10 | Coppin State | W 77–38 | 10–1 | 24 – Allen | 9 – Allen | 4 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (8,102) Morgantown, WV |
| Dec 23, 2017* 12:00 pm, AT&T | No. 10 | Fordham | W 86–69 | 11–1 | 21 – Miles Jr. | 12 – Carter | 11 – Konate | WVU Coliseum (11,296) Morgantown, WV |
| Dec 29, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 7 | at Oklahoma State | W 85–79 | 12–1 (1–0) | 15 – Allen | 9 – Konate | 7 – Carter | Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,257) Stillwater, OK |
| Jan 1, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 6 | at Kansas State | W 77–69 | 13–1 (2–0) | 22 – Allen | 8 – Carter | 10 – Carter | Bramlage Coliseum (9,712) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 6, 2018 7:15 pm, ESPN2 | No. 6 | No. 7 Oklahoma | W 89–76 | 14–1 (3–0) | 20 – Allen | 13 – Konate | 10 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (15,106) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 9, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 2 | Baylor | W 57–54 | 15–1 (4–0) | 12 – Miles Jr./West | 12 – Konate | 5 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (12,551) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 13, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 8 Texas Tech | L 71–72 | 15–2 (4–1) | 28 – Carter | 11 – Konate | 5 – Miles Jr. | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| Jan 15, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 6 | No. 10 Kansas | L 66–71 | 15–3 (4–2) | 16 – Konate | 10 – Konate | 4 – Carter/Miles Jr. | WVU Coliseum (14,115) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 20, 2018 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 6 | Texas | W 86–51 | 16–3 (5–2) | 22 – Carter | 14 – Konate | 8 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (14,001) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 22, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 7 | at TCU | L 73–82 | 16–4 (5–3) | 16 – Carter | 8 – Konate | 7 – Carter | Schollmaier Arena (7,368) Fort Worth, TX |
| Jan 27, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 7 | Kentucky Big 12/SEC Challenge/College Gameday | L 76–83 | 16–5 | 26 – Carter | 6 – Konate | 7 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (15,835) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 31, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | at Iowa State | L 77–93 | 16–6 (5–4) | 18 – Carter | 8 – Ahmad | 9 – Carter | Hilton Coliseum (14,219) Ames, IA |
| Feb 3, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | Kansas State | W 89–51 | 17–6 (6–4) | 19 – Konate | 9 – Konate | 11 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (13,329) Morgantown, WV |
| Feb 5, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 19 | at No. 17 Oklahoma | W 75–73 | 18–6 (7–4) | 17 – West | 11 – Konate | 8 – Carter | Lloyd Noble Center (10,650) Norman, OK |
| Feb 10, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 19 | Oklahoma State | L 85–88 | 18–7 (7–5) | 33 – Carter | 7 – Konate | 5 – Miles Jr. | WVU Coliseum (13,057) Morgantown, WV |
| Feb 12, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 20 | TCU | W 82–66 | 19–7 (8–5) | 16 – Allen | 6 – Allen/Bender | 9 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (11,773) Morgantown, WV |
| Feb 17, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 20 | at No. 13 Kansas ESPN College GameDay | L 69–77 | 19–8 (8–6) | 22 – Miles Jr. | 6 – 3 tied | 7 – Carter | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| Feb 20, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 21 | at Baylor | W 71–60 | 20–8 (9–6) | 15 – Ahmad/Carter | 10 – Konate | 4 – Miles Jr. | Ferrell Center (7,519) Waco, TX |
| Feb 24, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 21 | Iowa State | W 85–70 | 21–8 (10–6) | 24 – Carter | 11 – Ahmad | 3 – Ahmad | WVU Coliseum (14,205) Morgantown, WV |
| Feb 26, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 20 | No. 12 Texas Tech | W 84–74 | 22–8 (11–6) | 21 – Carter | 11 – Ahmad | 7 – Carter | WVU Coliseum (14,542) Morgantown, WV |
| Mar 3, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 20 | at Texas | L 79–87 $^{OT}$ | 22–9 (11–7) | 15 – West | 8 – Konate | 6 – Carter | Frank Erwin Center (11,364) Austin, TX |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | (3) No. 18 | vs. (6) Baylor Quarterfinals | W 78–65 | 23–9 | 21 – Ahmad | 8 – Ahmad | 11 – Carter | Sprint Center (17,653) Kansas City, MO |
| Mar 9, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | (3) No. 18 | vs. (2) No. 14 Texas Tech Semifinals | W 66–63 | 24–9 | 16 – Miles Jr. | 7 – Harris | 4 – Carter | Sprint Center (18,223) Kansas City, MO |
| Mar 10, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | (3) No. 18 | vs. (1) No. 9 Kansas Championship | L 70–81 | 24–10 | 25 – Miles Jr. | 6 – Ahmad | 9 – Carter | Sprint Center (17,718) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2018* 4:00 pm, TNT | (5 E) No. 15 | vs. (12 E) Murray State First Round | W 85–68 | 25–10 | 21 – Carter | 7 – Konate | 8 – Carter | Viejas Arena (10,892) San Diego, CA |
| Mar 18, 2018* 9:40 pm, TBS | (5 E) No. 15 | vs. (13 E) Marshall Second Round | W 94–71 | 26–10 | 28 – Carter | 10 – West | 7 – Ahmad | Viejas Arena (11,628) San Diego, CA |
| Mar 23, 2018* 7:27 pm, TBS | (5 E) No. 15 | vs. (1 E) No. 2 Villanova Sweet Sixteen | L 78–90 | 26–11 | 16 – Miles Jr. | 9 – Konate | 8 – Carter | TD Garden (19,055) Boston, MA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 11 | 24 | 23-T | 19 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 2 (12) | 6 | 7 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 15 | Not released |
| Coaches | 10 | 10 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 (4) | 7 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 13 |