Wednesday night in Morgantown saw a thrilling Big 12 showdown as West Virginia edged out Cincinnati in a gritty, back-and-forth battle.
Head coach Darian DeVries and the Mountaineers hosted Wes Miller’s Bearcats at the WVU Coliseum for their 15th conference game of the season. Both teams traded blows all night, with Cincinnati even holding a late lead. But in classic Mountaineer fashion, West Virginia stormed back in the final five minutes to secure a clutch 62-59 win.
Here are the top three takeaways from the Mountaineers’ narrow victory:
An Unexpected Hero
It might be a stretch to call Amani Hansberry an “unlikely” star, but let’s be real—he stole the spotlight from the usual go-to guy, Javon Small.
Hansberry put together a career-best performance, racking up a dominant double-double with 17 points, 13 boards, and a couple of assists. He was easily the most consistent scoring threat for West Virginia all night.
With Cincinnati zeroing in on shutting down Small, Hansberry took full advantage inside. Matched up mostly against Dan Skillings or Dillon Mitchell, Hansberry proved too strong and too physical for anyone not named Aziz Bandaogo to contain.
Hard to Watch
There’s really no sugarcoating it—Cincinnati’s offense is tough to watch right now.
Sure, the final score was close, but it doesn’t tell the full story. The Bearcats looked stuck on offense for most of the game, and if it weren’t for Dan Skillings Jr. draining back-to-back threes in the final 20 seconds, the game wouldn’t have looked nearly as close.
Like we’ve seen all season, Jizzle James and Day Day Thomas carried most of the load, with little help from their supporting cast. Mitchell, Bandaogo, and Skillings only combined for 18 points until the final minute, eventually ending with 24—but by then, it was too late.
If this is the end of Cincinnati’s tournament hopes, it’s a rough way to go out for a team that started the season with high expectations.
Related: Dan Skillings Plans to Leave Cincinnati After Junior Year
Bubble Watch
So, what does this win mean for both teams’ postseason chances?
In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update, West Virginia had just fallen to the bubble after being in the mix for months. Cincinnati, meanwhile, had already slipped to the “next, next four out” category.
With this loss, the Bearcats’ shot at making the tournament likely disappeared—capping off what looks like another letdown season for the program.
As for West Virginia, this clutch win might’ve bumped them right back into the field. Still, there’s plenty of basketball left, and we’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out for both squads.
