Crowning achievement
Huff sparkles in WVU OT win over Sooners in Crown final
Honor Huff’s final shots set records. His legacy on the WVU men’s basketball program is now fully intact.
His words were impactful.
“We didn’t come this far just to come this far,” he told FOX following the Mountaineers’ 89-82 overtime victory against Oklahoma on Sunday inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
And for the second time in his college career, Huff went out celebrating a championship. This one was for the College Basketball Crown title, one the guard from Brooklyn, N.Y. delivered personally to WVU’s trophy case with a historical performance in his final game.
His final numbers: 38 points – a career high – on 9 of 19 shooting. He was a perfect 12 of 12 from the foul line and 8 of 15 from 3-point range.
He was awarded a gold chain sporting two gold die laced with diamonds for being named the tournament’s MVP. In three wins that also included victories against Stanford and Creighton, Huff finished with 72 points, averaging 24 points per game.
It is WVU’s third all-time postseason tournament championship, following NIT titles won in 1942 and 2007.
“This is the last game for us seniors, so this is crazy,” Huff said with his teammates surrounding him. “A lot of us were underrated, under recruited. It’s crazy, because we’re here right now with a team that just loves each other. We wanted to pull it out for each other. I can’t even explain the feeling.”
Huff entered the game needing five 3-pointers to tie Frank Young’s school mark for one season of 117. That took the 5-foot-9 guard less than 10 minutes to accomplish, with his record-tying shot coming from about 27 feet away right in front of the Oklahoma bench after Huff first had to leap into the air to keep Harlan Obioha’s pass from sailing out of bounds.
The shot clock was running low at that point, so Huff just chucked it up.
Of course it went in, Huff’s fifth consecutive 3-pointer to begin the game that gave the Mountaineers (21-14) an early 26-11 lead.
Then came the double teams on Huff from the Sooners (21-16). His room to operate was minimal. WVU’s offense became a little sluggish because of it and Oklahoma got hot.
By the time halftime hit, Oklahoma had erased a 15-point deficit and had taken a 41-37 lead into the break. The lead eventually grew to 13 points, 59-46, with 14 minutes remaining in regulation.
How many times had the Mountaineers been in that position during Ross Hodge’s first season at the helm of the Mountaineers? How many times did WVU seem helpless, only to stage some type of run?
“So many times we were supposed to be down and out,” said Hodge, who locked himself shoulder to shoulder with Huff during the postgame celebration. “They just kept coming back each time by making winning plays and that’s why I’ll forever remember this group. They’ve set a standard and an expectation for seasons to come.”
Huff was heroic in leading Chattanooga to the NIT championship in 2025. A year later, he was historical, and historical doesn’t get locked up forever. Historical doesn’t allow himself to be slowed down by double teams the entire game.
So, Huff began going past and around Oklahoma defenders. He threw up a near-impossible floater in the lane that Huff also drew a foul on. The shot went in and Huff’s free throw cut Oklahoma’s lead to 59-49 with 14:02 left in regulation.
Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser could only muster up a quirky smile while watching the play, as he waved his hands in disbelief.
There was still so much more to come.
Huff’s record-breaking 3-pointer came on a designed inbounds play that cut Oklahoma’s lead down to four. That was No. 118 on the season. A few minutes later he nailed No. 119 to tie the game at 74 with 1:05 remaining. Huff capped off regulation with two more free throws that gave WVU a 76-74 lead with 33.8 seconds left.
Oklahoma countered when Tae Davis scored on a pick-and-roll play to send the game into overtime.
In overtime came Huff’s 120th and final 3-pointer of the season that tied the game at 82 with 2:15 left. WVU point guard Jasper Floyd followed suit with a 3-pointer of his own and then Obioha came up with a critical blocked shot on Davis’ run to the rim.
Huff finished the championship off by going 4 for 4 from the foul line in the final minute to seal the deal.
“It’s what this team has done,” Hodge said. “Whether it was being down big in games or having a tough loss, they’ve always found a way to put themselves back in the mix. They’re special.”
By no means was Huff a one-man show in the win. Chance Moore capped off his final collegiate game with one tough drive to the basket after another. He finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Brenen Lorient, another WVU senior playing his final game, added 15 points and eight rebounds.
They were all key subjects on this night in what was Huff’s final crowning performance. With his school-record of 120 3-pointers firmly in the books, Huff was asked how big the basket actually looked to him on this night.
“It didn’t look that big. I should have made more, honestly,” he said. “I’m my own worst critic. These guys behind me, they had the utmost confidence in me to make shots. Even if I’m down, they always tell me to keep shooting.
“It’s been a great ride. It’s always great to end with a win and be happy like this.”