There was a point on Saturday night where it likely felt to many WVU basketball fans that both the ongoing game against the UCF Knights was a wrap – and that the program's March Madness dreams were dying in Orlando. But the Mountaineers were not ready to accept that reality.
With the knowledge that a loss to the Knights could make an NCAA Tournament bid highly improbable, fans (and likely Ross Hodge and his team) had a sinking feeling as UCF took a 52-38 lead with just 11 minutes remaining in the game.
West Virginia Mountaineers mount massive comeback against the UCF Knights
The Mountaineers had kept the game competitive through the halftime break despite shooting just 1-of-12 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes, but a 233-10 run to open the second half by UCF had the Mountaineers up against a wall with seemingly no escape. And that's when, for the second time this season, WVU decided a 14-point comeback was no problem.
The Mountaineers would proceed to convert six of their next eight shots from the field and make seven consecutive free throws to eliminate the deficit and tie the game, and would not take their foot off the gas as they ended up outscoring the Knights 36-15 in the final 11 minutes of action to secure a 74-67 victory. They would end up going 5-of-11 from three-point range in the second half, and 16-of-19 at the free throw line for the night.
The win's importance cannot be overstated for the Mountaineers. They likely needed at least 4-5 wins during their final seven-game stretch if they're hoping to be a serious NCAA Tournament contender, and they got things off on the right foot with the win against UCF. They also managed to rack up just their third road win of the year, and their fourth Quad 1 win of the season – both of which will be a significant boost to their resume.