Arizona men’s basketball falls to West Virginia, drops to first losing record in 15 years

The Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team received a harsh reminder of the challenges they’ll face in the Big 12, as they fell 83-76 in overtime to West Virginia on Friday in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game.

This loss marks the Wildcats’ first losing record in 15 years, their worst start since the 2009-10 season, when they opened 3-4 under Sean Miller and finished with a 16-15 record, missing out on both the NCAA and NIT tournaments.

Arizona’s loss also extends their Battle 4 Atlantis woes to 1-5, having previously lost all three games in the 2017-18 event, and they are expected to drop out of the Top 25 rankings as the 2017-18 team did after their struggles in the Bahamas.

West Virginia, which had a tough 9-23 season the previous year following the departure of former coach Bob Huggins, is now 5-2 after upsetting No. 3 Gonzaga in the first round. Despite a loss to Louisville the following day, the Mountaineers had enough energy to outlast the Wildcats in overtime. They’ll host Arizona on January 8 in Morgantown.

In a tense game, West Virginia pulled ahead in overtime after taking a 76-70 lead with just over two minutes remaining, following a key 3-pointer and two free throws by Javon Small. Arizona briefly closed the gap with a layup from Caleb Love, but never got closer.

The Wildcats had managed to tie the game at 66 in the final seconds of regulation, thanks to a clutch 3-pointer from Love after a block by Trey Townsend. West Virginia had missed a potential game-winner in the final moments, sending the game into overtime.

Arizona had trailed 39-37 at halftime and briefly tied the game early in the second half, but West Virginia responded with an 8-0 run to regain a 57-47 lead. Arizona fought back, closing the gap to 63-61 thanks to a steal and layup by Love, but West Virginia’s Toby Okani hit a crucial 3-pointer to extend the lead.

DeVries led West Virginia in the first half with 17 points, including hitting 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, helping the Mountaineers take a 39-37 lead into halftime.