West Virginia men’s basketball has an unexpected opportunity to face off against a team led by a former Mountaineer head coach next week.
The opportunity arose on Monday afternoon as it was announced that fellow Big 12 basketball program Utah has parted ways with now-former head coach Craig Smith, who finishes his tenure with the Utes 65-61 after nearly four full seasons helming the team. The news comes as a surprise to the college basketball world, as Utah is a respectable 15-12 on the season.
What’s more interesting for WVU fans, however, is exactly who will be taking over the program in Salt Lake City to close out the season. Josh Eilert, who was a WVU staffer for nearly two decades under Bob Huggins before leading the program as Interim Head Coach during the 2023-2024 season, joined the staff at Utah this past offseason after parting ways with WVU.
That experience likely played a role in Eilert landing the same role as the current situation unfolds with Utah, as it was announced he’ll finish the 2024-2025 season as Interim Head Coach for the Utes.
The most interesting storyline surrounding Eilert’s ascension to the interim role in Salt Lake City, though, is the timing -- because his former team will be visiting the Utes for a midweek matchup next Tuesday night in a rubber match after the Mountaineers knocked off Utah at home earlier this month.
Now, we have a situation where last season’s WVU Head Coach is set to lead his newly-inherited program against the current WVU Head Coach, Darian DeVries, in a game where the Utes will be defending their homecourt and gain revenge for an earlier loss.
Both teams will also be looking to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume as well, with each program sitting in a spot where the final two weeks of the season could make-or-break their postseason hopes. The two teams are set to meet Tuesday, March 4th.