West Virginia Mountaineers @ Utah Utes
Small scores 18, sparks late rally to help West Virginia beat its former coach and Utah 71-69
SALT LAKE CITY -- — Javon Small scored 18 points to help West Virginia beat its former coach Josh Eilert and Utah 71-69 on Tuesday night.
Small hit a 3-pointer and Eduardo Andre followed with an alley-oop dunk to spark a 14-6 surge to give West Virginia a 70-64 lead with 12 seconds left.
Gabe Madsen made a 3 and Jake Wahlin forced a turnover and scored on a layup to pull Utah to 70-69 with about a second left.
Sencire Harris split a pair of free throws and Madsen's 3-point attempt was blocked by Joseph Yesufu to end it.
Amani Hansberry and Yesufu added 12 points apiece for West Virginia (17-12, 8-10 Big 12). Jonathan Powell scored 10 points.
Madsen scored 23 points to lead Utah (16-13, 8-10), which ended a six-game home winning streak.
West Virginia closed the first half on a 10-5 surge for a 30-29 lead at the break. Small scored nine points and Madsen had 13 for Utah. The Utes had its largest lead, 44-36, with 14 minutes to play before Small started the late run with 3:42 remaining.
Eilert, who joined the Utah staff this season and was named the interim head coach on Feb. 24, spent the previous 17 seasons at West Virginia (2007-24) in various capacities, including interim head coach for the 2023-24 season when the Mountaineers finished 9-23. Eilert took over the West Virginia program from Hall of Fame coach Bob Huggins, who resigned following a drunken driving arrest.
West Virginia hosts UCF on Saturday while Utah plays at No. 23 BYU in regular-season finales.
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Game Information
Salt Lake City, UT

Referee:Rick Crawford
Referee:Tony Padilla
Referee:Antinio Petty

2025-26 Standings
| Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 10-0 | - | 23-0 |
| Houston | 9-1 | 1 | 21-2 |
| Iowa State | 8-2 | 2 | 21-2 |
| Kansas | 8-2 | 2 | 18-5 |
| Texas Tech | 7-3 | 3 | 17-6 |
| UCF | 6-5 | 4.5 | 17-6 |
| West Virginia | 6-5 | 4.5 | 15-9 |
| BYU | 5-5 | 5 | 17-6 |
| Oklahoma State | 4-6 | 6 | 16-7 |
| TCU | 4-6 | 6 | 14-9 |
| Colorado | 4-7 | 6.5 | 14-10 |
| Cincinnati | 4-7 | 6.5 | 12-12 |
| Baylor | 3-8 | 7.5 | 13-10 |
| Arizona State | 3-8 | 7.5 | 12-12 |
| Kansas State | 1-9 | 9 | 10-13 |
| Utah | 1-9 | 9 | 9-14 |
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