Michael Miller is the Site Manager of The Smoking Musket, covering the West Virginia Mountaineers since 2015. Follow Michael on Bluesky @westbygod.bsky.social
West Virginia (4-2) fell to Louisville (5-1) in another thrilling contest at the Battle 4 Atlantis, pulling away in overtime to claim a 79-70 victory. The Mountaineers led for much of regulation, taking a 28-24 advantage into halftime behind strong performances from Javon Small and Amani Hansberry. Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn took over in the second half, scoring 17 of his game-high 32 points to help the Cardinals erase the deficit and force overtime. A series of clutch shots by Hepburn and Kasean Pryor in the final minutes kept West Virginia at bay as the Mountaineers struggled to capitalize on second-chance opportunities.