Free-throw shooting was anything but a strength for West Virginia this season, with the Mountaineers ranking 328th nationally and second-to-last among Big 12 Conference teams at 67.7 percent.
On Thursday against Stanford, however, West Virginia’s ability to knock down foul shots was a pivotal part of an 82-77 victory in an opening-round matchup of College Basketball Crown at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“This group’s ability to stay together when things get hard and things get tough and people are probably counting you out, that embodies the state of West Virginia,” Mountaineer coach Ross Hodge said. “A lot of people have been able to identify with this group. We’ve had some incredible highs and really tough lows, but the ability to stay together is what makes this job special.”
WVU made 22-of-26 free-throw attempts for the game, including 21 of 25 after halftime. Trailing by three in the closing second of regulation, Honor Huff was fouled by Stanford’s AJ Rohosy on a deep three-point attempt with 3.5 seconds left.
Huff made all three free throws to tie the game at 68 and send it into an extra session.
“We tried to foul and I think we actually did foul on the floor, but they didn’t blow it. It happens,” Cardinal coach Kyle Smith said. “Human error is a factor in that. It was pretty obvious. I just watched it. A hand on him on the floor, but they missed that call. It’s tough. The guy made all three free throws and they made plays in overtime, too, and we had opportunities to lead or tie.”
Stanford commits a foul up three with 3.5 seconds left 😳
We’re headed to OT in Vegas! @CBBCrown pic.twitter.com/jEoQVpkBFf
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) April 3, 2026
Ryan Agarwal opened scoring in the overtime for Stanford (20-13) with a conventional three-point play, but Harlan Obioha countered with one of his own and the Mountaineers (19-14) never trailed again.
Huff made a challenged jumper from near the elbow while falling to the hardwood to leave West Virginia with a 75-73 lead, and he added two free throws 24 seconds later to double the advantage.
Huff made it six straight points for his team with another jumper that left Stanford trailing 79-75, and he would add to it with one free throw for an 80-77 advantage with 1:23 remaining.
Stanford had four separate shots, three of which were threes, while trailing by one possession, but came up empty on each occasion, including an Agarwal miss from close range off an offensive rebound that led to WVU gaining a four-point lead with 14 seconds remaining when Brenen Lorient split two free throws. On the one Lorient missed, he battled for the offensive rebound, and that sent Huff to the free-throw line, where he polished off the victory by making the first of two attempts for the final margin.
After making 13-of-14 foul shots in the second half, WVU was 8 for 11 from the charity stripe in OT.
“At the end of the day, our group is about as resilient of a group that I’ve been around, whether it’s a tough loss or games we’re not playing very well and look kind of down and out, they have an ability to stay together and keep playing for each other,” Hodge said. “Super thankful for them and really appreciative that we get to have a few more team meals, a few more team dinners, a few more film sessions, and that’s ultimately what you’re fighting for this time of year.”
Both teams struggled offensively over the opening 10 minutes, but the Mountaineers developed rhythm late in the opening half, making 9-of-10 shots at one point, including a Jasper Floyd jumper for a 33-25 advantage.
Stanford ran off the next four points before DJ Thomas threw down a highlight-worthy dunk for the final points of the half, allowing WVU to lead 35-29 at the break.
Despite a game-high 11 first-half points from freshman sensation Ebuka Okorie, Stanford’s lone first-half lead came at 15-13 and the Cardinal trailed for the final 6:04 before the break.
The Mountaineers led by eight on several occasions across the first 5:15 of the second half, the last of which came at 45-37 after Huff went 2 for 2 on free throws.
Okorie then scored his team’s next nine points and outscored WVU by seven over a stretch of 2:46, including a triple that cut the WVU lead to 47-46 with 11:33 left in regulation.
“We’ve played against a lot of future NBA players and he’s one of them and one of the top ones I’ve played against,” Huff said. “Credit to him for sure.”
After its deficit grew to five, Stanford scored seven straight and gained its first second-half advantage on an Okorie jumper that broke a 51-all tie.
Treysen Eagelstaff scored in response, but an Agarwal three marked the start of a 12-4 Stanford spurt over 3-plus minutes, with the Cardinal lead growing to eight when Okorie scored from close range with 4:21 left.
Stanford was still in front by eight with inside 2:30 remaining, but Eaglestaff made two free throws, and when Thomas scored inside at the 1:04 mark, it was a four-point game.
Lorient scored from close range with 14 seconds left, though he missed a free throw that would’ve cut the deficit to one.
Jeremy Dent-Smith then went 1 for 2 on free throws with 9 seconds left, though by missing the second, he left the door open for WVU to tie it, which occurred after Huff was fouled.
Okorie scored 21 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, though he was limited to two in OT.
“Ebuka is an incredible player. He’s everything we thought he was going to be,” Hodge said. “We did everything we could to keep the ball out of his hands and he still had 34 points.”
Huff led WVU with 21 points despite missing all six of his three-point attempts. He made 11-of-13 free throws and is at 1,999 points for his college career.
Eaglestaff followed with 18 and made 6-of-6 free throws, while Lorient shot 6 for 9 and scored 14.
The Mountaineers made 2-of-20 threes and were 0 for 16 outside of Eaglestaff.
“When the shot is not falling like that, you have to counter with something,” Huff said. “We did a good job of getting the ball in the paint.”
WVU plays again at 4 p.m. (EST) Saturday in a CBC semifinal against Creighton, which defeated Rutgers, 82-69, in a later matchup Thursday.
Oklahoma battles Baylor in the first semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The CBC title game is set for 5:30 p.m. (EST) Sunday. Both semifinals and the final will air on FOX.