Former Cincinnati Bearcats great Nick Van Exel took notice of West Virginia's ascent to No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25, and praised the Mountaineers' coach, Bob Huggins, Van Exel's coach at UC.
Huggins' WVU squad defeated Baylor on Tuesday to improve to 15-1 this season.
Van Exel is now an assistant coach with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.
Huggins dressed as Santa Claus last month as the WVU men's basketball team visited children in a hospital to provide holiday cheer.
In November, Huggins received a four-year contract extension to be the Mountaineers' head coach through the 2021-22 season.