WVU Bracketology: Seeding seems clear, but multiple locations are in play for the Mountaineers

West Virginia has given every possible data point to the NCAA Selection Committee, as their final game was played yesterday in their Big 12 Quarterfinal loss to Kansas.

The Mountaineers will be in the NCAA Tournament, it is just a matter of where they will be playing and who they will be playing. Most Bracketology predictions put the Mountaineers as either an eight or nine seed, but they have different locations and different matchups.

ESPN

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Mountaineers as a 9-seed, playing Iowa in the first round. Lunardi has this game being played in Birmingham, with the winner more than likely facing No. 1-seed Alabama. The Mountaineers have fluctuated in Lunardi’s rankings between the 9-10 seed range, but for the past week the Mountaineers have been a 9-seed by Lunardi. This would put WVU in the South Region in his predictions.

USA Today

USA Today’s Bracketology has West Virginia heading west. Once again a 9-seed, USA Today predicts WVU will face Illinois in the first round, playing in Denver. The winner would face No. 1-seed Houston in the second round most likely. They have WVU in the Midwest Region, while fellow Big 12 foe Texas is the 2-seed.

CBS Sports

CBS Sports also has West Virginia as a 9-seed, facing Maryland in the first round. This also puts the Mountianeers in Birmingham, most likely facing No. 1 Alabama in the second round if they were to win. West Virginia has played Maryland in the NCAA Tournament before, playing them in the second round in 2015.

Bracket Matrix

Bracket Matrix — which compiles hundreds of brackets to make an average seed line, has the Mountaineers as a 9-seed, with their average seeding being 8.83. There really is no big difference between being an eight or a nine, as you will have to play a team similar to you in the first round and then a one-seed in the second round. However, if WVU were to drop to a 10-seed, or the committee put WVU as a 7-seed, the Mountaineers would avoid the one-seed and would play a two-seed in the second round.