On Monday, January 13, a new edition of the AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll was released. The West Virginia Mountaineers were not in the Top 25.
They got closer this week than they had since their last appearance in the poll on December 1, when they came in at No. 25. They received 41 votes, sitting tied with a surging Duke (who the Mountaineers beat in non-conference play in an unlikely upset) in the first spot outside of the Top 25.
It was back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Villanova in non-conference play that sent the Mountaineer tumbling from the Top 25, and they are continuing to get snubbed from the poll 1 1/2 months later – and anyone who has paid close attention to the team this past week knows that at this point, leaving the Mountaineers out definitely feels like a snub.
Last week, the Mountaineers faced back-to-back games against Top 25 opponents, the first two contests in a stretch of three such games. The Mountaineers got off on the wrong foot in the first game against No. 17 Texas Tech – they held the lead multiple times but ended up losing narrowly 71-66. But they proved they could compete against the top talent in the league for yet another season, which ill look more important soon.
Because WVU then proceeded to go on the road to the Hilton Coliseum in Ames and upset the then-No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones 83-70. They looked dominant against a team considered to be among the elite in the conference, and handled their buines on the road. Now you have a pattern of competing against the cream of the Big 12 crop, and a massive upset win to boot. WVU is now 14-3 and 4-1 in conference action,
Now, blame the lack of national respect slightly on the Mountaineers. Finish the game strong with a win against Texas Tech, and you're shotting up the rankings. But it's hard not to side eye the AP voters, as Texas Tech is undefeated after all, and the Mountaineers took them to the wire before knocking off another top league opponent with confidence. And they also own a victory on another fringe Top 25 team in Duke, and two of their three losses come at the hands of Top 25 teams with Ohio State currenly No. 14.
The Mountaineers have a chance to continue to prove their worth though. A Wednesday night clash awaits with No. 10 TCU, who is currently 16-1, and it will be in front of a home crowd at Hope Coliseum. Win that, and then take care of business on Sunday against a dismal Cincinnati team, and the rest of the college basketball world will be forced to take notice of the fact that despite some early-season slip-ups in non-conference play, the Mountaineers are one again a legitimate contender.