MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia has two wins the previous 13 times it faced a No. 1-ranked team, games that included finishes that became mythical and saw players and coaches who would become legends.
Names like John Wooden, Lew Alcindor and Jerry Tarkanian once squared up against the Mountaineers. So did Connecticut’s Richard Hamilton and Rudy Gay, as well as Kentucky’s Karl Anthony-Towns.
In just two of those matchups did the Mountaineers upset No. 1 as an unranked team: 1966 against Duke and 1983 against UNLV.
Which sets up what could possibly be the Mountaineers’ longest odds against a No. 1-ranked opponent when they travel to Thompson-Boling Arena at 4 p.m. on Saturday to face Tennessee (17-1) in the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
“I see it as a huge opportunity for us,” West Virginia forward Esa Ahmad said. “It’s a chance for us to go out and prove that we can play better than what we’ve showed so far.”
The Mountaineers (9-10) weren’t supposed to be this much of a long shot back in November. The preseason rankings had the Volunteers at No. 6 and the Mountaineers at No. 13, the makings of what could have been a marquee matchup.
“Obviously the season is not going the way we anticipated, but for the most part our spirits have been up — some days better than others,” WVU assistant coach Larry Harrison said. “Stepping out of conference now and playing the No. 1-ranked team in the country, you can’t help but get excited about that.”
West Virginia is coming off an 85-73 home loss to Baylor, but Harrison said, “I think our guys came in [Wednesday] focused, and hopefully that will carry over.”
West Virginia’s biggest challenge is slowing down the reigning SEC Player of the Year in Tennessee junior forward Grant Williams, who is coming off a 43-point effort in an overtime victory against Vanderbilt. He was a perfect 23 of 23 from the foul line in the win.
“Obviously, we know who not to foul,” Harrison said.
Once a 67-percent foul shooter as a freshman, the 6-foot-7 Williams has become one of the most consistent players in the country, averaging 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds this season.
“He’s put the time in and obviously a lot of what we do is put the ball in play through him,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said during the weekly SEC media call. “He gets fouled and we’ve told him he’s got to be able to convert free throws for us. He’s done that. He’s worked at his game and he’s put the time in.”
Williams is backed up by 6-foot-6 guard Admiral Schofield, the Volunteers’ second-leading scorer at 16.7 points per game, but he’s shooting just 6 of 26 (23 percent) from the floor in his last two games.
“I do what I do with all the guys. We’ll talk about what it is and what they’re doing,” Barnes said. “In terms of him working, he’s going to work, to a fault maybe sometimes. he wants to do things the right way. He’ll bounce back. Every player goes through it.”
The Mountaineers have been in a season-long funk, save for their 65-64 upset against then-No. 7 Kansas last Saturday.
West Virginia is 152nd in field-goal percentage defense (43.2), while Tennessee is 13th at 38.8. WVU is 227th nationally in 3-point defense (34.8 percent)
“We’ll obviously have to be focused and be ready for the challenge,” West Virginia guard Beetle Bolden said. “It’s a great opportunity, because you don’t get the chance to play the No. 1 team all the time.”