The Mountaineers are 13-4 after defeating Iowa State and No. 25 in the Top 25 And 1 in Devries’ first season
Any list of national coach of the year candidates can reasonably change every week with the twists and turns of a season. Right now, my vote would probably go to Kentucky’s Mark Pope — but I’m keeping an open mind. And, yes, West Virginia‘s Darian DeVries has entered the conversation.
Have you paid attention to the Mountaineers?
In Year 1 under DeVries, West Virginia is 13-4 with four Quadrant 1 victories — specifically wins over Iowa State, Kansas, Gonzaga and Arizona — and sitting at No. 25 in Tuesday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. That’s great for a variety of reasons, among them that the Mountaineers were picked 13th in the Big 12’s preseason poll published after the league’s 16 coaches submitted ballots.
Like Pope at Kentucky, DeVries built West Virginia’s entire roster from nothing in one offseason (sans one player who has only played five minutes total). So his fingerprints are on everything. And making it all even more impressive is the fact that West Virginia’s second-leading scorer, the coach’s son, Tucker DeVries, has missed the past nine games with an upper-body injury.
When will DeVries return?
That remains unclear. But the good news is that the Mountaineers have gone 7-2 in his absence, point being they’re good even without him. And they’ll have a chance to show that again late Tuesday — unless DeVries returns, of course — when they host Arizona State in a game scheduled to tip a little after 9 ET on CBS Sports Network.
If you tune in, you’ll have a chance to see Javon Small, who is West Virginia’s leading scorer and someone who is emerging as a threat to replace Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson as the favorite to win Big 12 Player of the Year honors. The 6-foot-3 senior just scored 27 points in a 64-57 win over Iowa State. Two games before that, he got 26 points in a 78-70 win over Colorado. The transfer from Oklahoma State has scored at least 12 points in every game this season and is now averaging 19.8 points, 5.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals.
“He’s been just incredible all year,” Darian DeVries said, according to WVSports.com. “I think he’s the best guard in the country right now.”
| 1 |
 Auburn |
Tahaad Pettiford finished with 24 points and two steals in Saturday’s 70-68 win at Georgia. The Tigers’ next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | — | 17-1 |
| 2 |
 Duke |
Cooper Flagg finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 88-63 win at Boston College. The Blue Devils’ next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | — | 16-2 |
| 3 |
 Iowa St. |
Curtis Jones finished with four turnovers and zero assists in Saturday’s 64-57 loss at West Virginia. The Cyclones’ next game is Tuesday against UCF. | — | 15-2 |
| 4 |
 Alabama |
Grant Nelson finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s 102-97 win at Kentucky. The Crimson Tide’s next game is Tuesday against Vanderbilt. | — | 15-3 |
| 5 |
 Florida |
Alijah Martin finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 84-60 win over Texas. The Gators’ next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | — | 16-2 |
| 6 |
 Tennessee |
Jordan Gainey was 1 of 6 from the field in Saturday’s 76-75 loss at Vanderbilt. The Vols’ next game is Tuesday against Mississippi State. | — | 16-2 |
| 7 |
 Kentucky |
Andrew Carr was 1 of 4 from the field in Saturday’s 102-97 loss to Alabama. The Wildcats’ next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | — | 14-4 |
| 8 |
 Marquette |
Chase Ross was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday’s 59-57 win at Marquette. The Golden Eagles’ next game is Tuesday at Seton Hall. | — | 15-3 |
| 9 |
 Michigan St. |
Tre Holloman finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Sunday’s 80-78 win over Illinois. The Spartans’ next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | — | 16-2 |
| 10 |
 Miss. St. |
Riley Kugel finished with 21 points and two steals in Saturday’s 84-81 overtime win over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs’ next game is Tuesday at Tennessee. | — | 15-3 |
| 11 |
 Purdue |
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s 65-58 win at Oregon. The Boilermakers’ next game is Tuesday against Ohio State. | — | 15-4 |
| 12 |
 Kansas |
Hunter Dickinson finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 84-74 win over Kansas State. The Jayhawks’ next game is Wednesday at TCU. | — | 13-4 |
| 13 |
 Oregon |
Jackson Shelstad was 4 of 12 from the field in Saturday’s 65-58 loss to Purdue. The Ducks’ next game is Tuesday against Washington. | — | 15-3 |
| 14 |
 Ole Miss |
Sean Pedulla was 3 of 12 from 3-point range in Saturday’s 84-81 overtime loss at Mississippi State. The Rebels’ next game is Wednesday against Texas A&M. | — | 15-3 |
| 15 |
 Illinois |
Kasparas Jakucionis was 1 of 3 from the field in Sunday’s 80-78 loss at Michigan State. The Illini’s next game is Thursday against Maryland. | — | 13-5 |
| 16 |
 Texas A&M |
Zhuric Phelps finished with 13 points and six assists in Saturday’s 68-57 win over LSU. The Aggies’ next game is Wednesday at Ole Miss. | — | 14-4 |
| 17 |
 Memphis |
PJ Haggerty finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Sunday’s 77-68 win at Charlotte. The Tigers’ next game is Thursday against Wichita State. | — | 14-4 |
| 18 |
 Houston |
J’Wan Roberts finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s 69-68 win at UCF. The Cougars’ next game is Wednesday against Utah. | — | 14-3 |
| 19 |
 Michigan |
Vladislav Goldin finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Sunday’s 80-76 overtime win over Northwestern. The Wolverines’ next game is Friday at Purdue. | — | 14-4 |
| 20 |
 Wisconsin |
John Blackwell finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 84-69 win at USC. The Badgers’ next game is Tuesday at UCLA. | — | 15-3 |
| 21 |
 Missouri |
Mark Mitchell finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 83-65 win over Arkansas. The Tigers’ next game is Tuesday at Texas. | — | 15-3 |
| 22 |
 UConn |
Alex Karaban was 3 of 12 from the field in Saturday’s 68-63 loss to Creighton. The Huskies’ next game is Tuesday against Butler. | — | 13-5 |
| 23 |
 Georgia |
Silas Demary Jr. was 3 of 10 from the field in Saturday’s 70-68 loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs’ next game is Wednesday at Arkansas. | — | 14-4 |
| 24 |
 St. John’s |
RJ Luis Jr. finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 79-51 win at St. John’s. The Red Storm’s next game is Wednesday against Xavier. | — | 16-3 |
| 25 |
 West Virginia |
Javon Small finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 64-57 win over Iowa State. The Mountaineers’ next game is Tuesday against Arizona State. | — | 13-4 |
| 26 |
 Louisville |
Reyne Smith finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 81-67 win over Virginia. The Cardinals’ next game is Tuesday at SMU. | — | 14-5 |
