(BCSNN) — West Virginia refused to die, refused to fold, and refused to let Stanford walk into the semifinals. Instead, the Mountaineers delivered one of the most dramatic late‑game turnarounds of the 2026 College Basketball Crown, storming back from eight points down in the final 3:21 of regulation and outlasting the Cardinal 82–77 in overtime Thursday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Mountaineers (19–14) now advance to Saturday’s semifinal, where they’ll face the winner of Rutgers–Creighton at 4 p.m. EST on FOX.

Stanford looked fully in control — and then completely unraveled.

Up 67–59 after two Ebuka Okorie free throws, the Cardinal scored just one field goal the rest of regulation. West Virginia chipped away, and with three seconds left, Stanford committed the cardinal sin: Benny Gealer fouled Honor Huff on a desperation three. Huff calmly buried all three free throws to tie the game at 68–68 and force overtime.

From there, the Mountaineers seized the moment.

Stanford briefly went ahead on a Ryan Agarwal put‑back and free throw, but WVU answered instantly when Harlan Obioha grabbed his own missed dunk, scored through contact, and tied the game. Huff then took over, drilling a jumper, sinking free throws, and burying a step‑back dagger with 1:53 left to put WVU up 78–75.

A Brenen Lorient free throw with 14 seconds left pushed the lead to four, and after grabbing his own miss, he fed Huff, who was fouled and split a pair to make it 81–77. Stanford missed its final six shots, sealing a collapse that will sting for a long time.

Okorie was brilliant for most of the night, scoring 34 points and rattling off 13 straight during a second‑half surge that erased WVU’s earlier eight‑point lead. But once West Virginia began doubling him, he made just two field goals over the final 13 minutes of game time.

Huff led WVU with 21 points, including 11‑for‑13 at the line. Treysen Eaglestaff added 18 points and went 6‑for‑6 from the stripe, while Lorient posted 14 points and seven rebounds. WVU overcame a brutal 2‑for‑20 night from three by dominating the free‑throw line (22‑for‑26) and forcing 18 points off turnovers.

Stanford outrebounded WVU 47–37 and grabbed 16 offensive boards, but converted only seven of them into points. The Cardinal finished the night 1‑for‑9 from the field in overtime and missed their final six attempts.

West Virginia led for more than 33 minutes, including a 35–29 halftime advantage, and secured just its second win ever over Stanford — the first coming in 1959.

Now, after a wild, resilient, chaotic comeback, the Mountaineers are two wins away from a postseason championship.