West Virginia
2024 Battle 4 Atlantis bracket: Gonzaga faces West Virginia, could see Arizona in title game
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Nov. 27 in the first of three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
The bracket for the 8-team event over the Thanksgiving holiday that was revealed Wednesday morning sets up a matchup against either Indiana or Louisville in the second game on Nov. 28. On the other side, Arizona takes on Davidson while Providence and Oklahoma battle.
Here’s the complete 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis schedule.
Nov. 27 – Quarterfinals
9 a.m. PST — Louisville vs. Indiana (Game 1)
11:30 a.m. PST — West Virginia vs. Gonzaga (Game 2)
2 p.m. PST — Oklahoma vs. Providence (Game 3)
4:30 p.m. PST — Davidson vs. Arizona (Game 4)
Nov. 28 – Semifinals
Noon ET – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
2:30 p.m. ET – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (consolation bracket)
5 p.m. ET – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
7:30 p.m. ET – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (consolation bracket)
Nov. 29 – Championship
11 a.m. ET – Seventh-Place Game
3 p.m. ET – Third-Place Game
5:30 p.m. ET – Championship Game
The Mountaineers, ranked No. 83 in Bart Torvik’s 2024-25 projections, head into their first season under new head coach Darian DeVries, who helped guide Drake to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons. His son, Tucker DeVries, is set to join him down in Morgantown, West Virginia, for his senior season. Tucker, the No. 15-ranked transfer on EvanMiya.com, was twice named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and put up 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last season.
West Virginia also landed sophomore guard Sencire Harris (Illinois) and junior Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Former Washington State point guard Joseph Yesufu is also part of the Mountaineers’ incoming transfer portal class that ranks 17th in the country on EvanMiya.com.
Gonzaga has won the last five matchups against West Virginia, including the last time the two schools met in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the 2020-21 season, when the Bulldogs prevailed 87-82 behind 21 points from Joel Ayayi.
Both of Gonzaga’s potential second-round opponents made drastic changes this offseason as well. The Hoosiers look like an NCAA Tournament-caliber team on paper after coach Mike Woodson brought in Myles Rice (Washington State), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) and Luke Goode (Illinois) to mix with three of the top four scorers from last season. Ranked No. 31 on Torvik, Indiana returned the reigning Big Ten Rookie of the Year in Mackenzie Mgbako and 6-foot-5 senior Trey Galloway.
Woodson also brought in former Gonzaga and Arizona big man Oumar Ballo to hold down the frontcourt.
Louisville is expected to be relevant once again under new coach Pat Kelsey, who brought in a transfer portal class that ranks second in the nation behind only Saint John’s. Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn, a 6-foot-2 senior, was Big Ten All-Defense last season and No. 21 on EvanMiya.com’s rankings. Koren Johnson (Washington), Aly Khalifa (BYU) and J’Vonne Hadley (Colorado) also headline the list of newcomers.
Of course, the storyline to follow will be the potential matchup between Mark Few and his old assistant Tommy Lloyd in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game. The Wildcats appear ready to compete for the Big 12 title after they returned All-American guard Caleb Love, rising junior Jaden Bradley, sophomore KJ Lewis and 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas. Lloyd lost some big names in the transfer portal, namely Kylan Boswell and Ballo, but he brought in two proven scorers at the mid-major level in Anthony Dell’Orso (Campbell) and Trey Townsend (Oakland).
Should the Zags and Wildcats handle their business in their first two games, a potential top-25 matchup between West Coast powers would mark the first head-to-head meeting between Few and Lloyd.
West Virginia
Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
West Virginia
Buckle up: West Virginia launching seatbelt enforcement campaign Friday
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.

West Virginia
West Virginia man accused of threatening Trump, ICE agents indicted
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WCHS) — A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.
Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.
The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”
In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.
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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
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