MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When the WVU men’s basketball team opens Big 12 Conference play Saturday at Kansas State, the Mountaineers will do so as a nationally-ranked team.
West Virginia entered the Top 25 in the Associated Press and USA Today Sports Coaches polls at No. 24.
POLL ALERT: Miami up to No. 14 in AP Top 25; Xavier, W. Virginia and New Mexico all join, UNC returns; Purdue, UConn 1-2.
See the full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsa pic.twitter.com/8RyAmTA4yD
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) December 26, 2022
WVU cracked the AP list for the first time since the end of the 2020-2021 season, when they finished the regular season ranked 13th.
The Mountaineers are one of four new teams in this week’s AP poll. West Virginia is 10-2 and both of their losses have come against ranked opposition. Purdue (12-0) remains atop the poll and Xavier (10-3) enters this week at No. 22.
West Virginia is one of five Big 12 Conference teams ranked by the AP. Kansas (No. 4) and Texas (No. 6) are firmly entrenched in the top ten. Baylor (No. 12) and TCU (No. 18) join WVU in the rankings.
WVU remains well-regarded in the computer-based ratings. The Mountaineers are 11th in the NET ratings, 21st in Ken Pom ratings and 24th in the Sagarin ratings.
Following Saturday’s game at Kansas State, West Virginia will travel to face Oklahoma State on January 2.