It had been a relatively disappointing nonconference for Big 12 basketball to this point in the season, particularly in the past week, as the league went 8-8 from Friday to Monday and suffered several blowout losses to good competition.
Then, on Tuesday, Colorado provided a huge boost for the Big 12 with a 73-72 upset of No. 2 UConn, the back-to-back defending national champions. That win, coupled with a Kansas victory over Duke started to make it feel like the league was starting to hit its stride.
On Wednesday, the Big 12 got another major feather in its cap when the unranked West Virginia Mountaineers took down No. 3 Gonzaga in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.
A 15.5-point underdog going into the game, West Virginia took the Zags to overtime tied at 71, but prevailed with an 86-78 victory after the final buzzer.
Tucker DeVries, son of first-year head coach Darian DeVries, made two clutch free throws just before the end of regulation to deadlock the game at 71, and ended the game with 16 points. Javon Small led the way for the Mountaineers with 31 points, going 9-18 from the floor and 9-11 from the free throw line.
Amani Hansberry turned in a near-double-double with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
Gonzaga was led by Braden Huff, who had 19 points off the bench and went 9-14 from the field.
The Mountaineers will move on to face Louisville at noon (ESPN) on Thanksgiving Day, with the winner advancing to the Championship Game on Friday, Nov. 29, and the loser playing in the third-place game just before that.
