The West Virginia Mountaineers became a talking point in college basketball on Saturday.
WVU hosted the No. 22 Kansas Jayhawks at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown for a Big 12 showdown Saturday afternoon. Most people expected Kansas to return home Saturday night with a win, as the Mountaineers entered just 2-5 against Power 5 competition this season, while all four losses the Jayhawks suffered during the season had been against Top 25 opponents.
But despite everyone’s expectations, in addition to being the best underdogs, the Mountaineers did the improbable and upset the ranked Jayhawks in an 86-75 victory that moves them to 11-5 on the season and 2-1 in the Big 12.
Shortly after this surprise victory, the college basketball world reacted to the result on social media. From West Virginia fans to members of the college basketball media, there was no shortage of people who left Saturday’s matchup between the two Big 12 powers unimpressed by what they saw.
WVU fans in particular who had reservations about Ross Hodge as head coach after a few tough losses over the past couple of months got to see what a team built by his vision looks like when it’s firing on all cylinders, and this declaration of victory over a blue blood and top-ranked conference opponent went a long way toward alleviating concerns about the future of the program under his leadership.
Check out some of the reactions to Saturday’s win on Twitter, formerly known as X, just below this story.
WEST VIRGINIA 🗣️ @WVUhoops beats No. 22 Kansas in Morgantown! pic.twitter.com/P1qmiAGPVF
– FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 10, 2026
West Virginia Basketball.
Harder than a long weekend with your in-laws.
– Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 10, 2026
Ross Hodge drove circles around Bill Self during this second half.
Very good offensive sets using Huff as a screener.
– Andrew Corbett (@AndrewwCorbett_) January 10, 2026
WHAT A GAME, what effort. Not a bad start for the Big 12 schedule this week. Let’s go @WVUhoops
– Charles Wesley Godwin (@CharlesWesleyG) January 10, 2026
Great day to be a mountaineer wherever you are!
– Emmitt Matthews Jr. (@THEDOOSKIE) January 10, 2026
You were amazing today Mountaineer Nation. Enjoy the victory! Let’s go! https://t.co/k5Qzfinh32
– Wren Baker (@wrenbaker) January 10, 2026
Death. Taxes. Beat Kansas at the Coliseum. Hell yeah @WVUhoops
– Wes Uhler (@WesleyUhler) January 10, 2026
He asked Kansas Basketball to keep the lead pic.twitter.com/X73eLRkZsd
— 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 (@DPOYHicks) January 10, 2026
It’s a great day to be a mountain climber! pic.twitter.com/2djLyQW302
–Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) January 10, 2026
Ross Hodge was elite in that second half. I pressed all the right buttons.
– Schuyler Callihan (@Callihan_) January 10, 2026
You know Bill Self hates the Coliseum 🤣 he said I’m tired of losing here, I have a technical problem 🤣 #WVU
– Country Roads Webcast (Jorden) (@WVUCountryRoads) January 10, 2026
https://t.co/JRSQXw2ekh pic.twitter.com/I57pKjuKJP
– Hulk Hogan (WVU) (@PokeyHogan) January 10, 2026
Whoever said Hodge wasn’t the right guy after 15 games can stand up from here.
– The Coal Country Podcast (@coalcountrywvu) January 10, 2026
Hodge directly dominated Self in the second half of this match. It was no coincidence.
This has to be more than just an incident of the Eilert year, we have to seize the momentum.
– The smoking musket (@smokingmusket) January 10, 2026
