Big day for Big 12 as West Virginia knocks off Gonzaga, five other teams including Iowa State all win

West Virginia upsets No. 3 Gonzaga as part of a big day for the Big 12 Conference

Tucker DeVries helped West Virginia knock off No. 3 Gonzaga Wednesday afternoon. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

While taking plenty of hits in regards to their standing in the College Football Playoff, there is no doubting that the Big 12 Conference is No. 1 in college basketball.

On Wednesday, the league scored six wins in six games, none bigger than West Virginia’s 86-78 upset of No. 3 Gonzaga in overtime.

Fifth-ranked Iowa State, No. 17 Cincinnati, 17th-ranked Baylor, No. 24 Arizona and UCF were also victorious while sixth-rated Houston battled Notre Dame well past midnight at the Players Era Festival Impact Tournament.

Darian DeVries, who led Drake to incredible success, appears to have the Mountaineers (4-1) well on their way. Tucker DeVries, Darian’s son and the former Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, sank two free throws to tie it at 71-all and force overtime.

From there, it was all WVU, as they outscored the Zags 15-7 in the extra session. Javon Small scored 31 points with seven rebounds, draining four 3-pointers, as Amani Hansberry had 19 and DeVries scored 16. 

West Virginia sank 11 triples and held a 42-36 edge on the glass. 

Iowa State secures fifth at stacked Maui Invitational

While West Virginia advanced at the Battle 4 Atlantis, fifth-ranked Iowa State locked up fifth place at the Maui Invitational with a 99-71 win over Colorado. The Buffaloes, ironically also part of the Big 12, had knocked off two-time defending national champion Connecticut to advance. 

Milan Momcilovic scored 24 points with six made 3-pointers, as Curtis Jones added 19 and Keshon Gilbert 15. 

Iowa State, always known for pressure defense under head coach TJ Otzelberger, continues to light up the scoreboard. They have reached the 81-point mark in all six games this season.

Cincinnati, Baylor and Arizona all claimed wins over smaller schools, as the Bearcats topped Alabama State, 77-59, the Bears downed New Orleans, 91-60, and the Wildcats stifled Davidson, 104-71.

UCF picked up an 84-76 decision vs. Milwaukee,