March Madness is one of the most coveted tournaments in all of college sports. In this tournament, legends are born, Cinderella stories are written, and legacies are forever engraved. However, it is reserved for only the best performing teams in college basketball. While the Mountaineers are closing in on reaching the record that they need, they do have the resume to argue that claim; but the reality is there is still more work that needs to be done if they want to make it to the tournament.
The Mountaineer Men’s Basketball team, led by first-year Head Coach Darian DeVries, has exceeded all expectations. With star Guard Javon Small leading the charge and having a historic season at the same time has helped West Virginia obtain a 15-9 overall record.
Despite being 6-7 in Big 12 Conference play and being ranked ninth in the conference, the Mountaineers have had an extremely impressive season, with huge wins over ranked opponents such as No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 24 Arizona, No. 7 Kansas, and No. 2 Iowa State, the Mountaineers have built a truly remarkable resume for the committee to look at. Against ranked opponents, the Mountaineers have a 4-6 record, which is an astronomical feat. So, if their resume is super impressive and their record is solid what else do the Mountaineers need to accomplish in order to be in the tournament?
The Mountaineers have lost two important games recently to in-conference opponents TCU and BYU. In order to be in a more comfortable position, the team needs to finish out their season strong. With wins in their rematches against BYU and TCU paired with two tough wins against Baylor and Texas Tech, would be the best-case scenario for the Mountaineers as they look to close out their season. By winning those games, they can prove to the committee that they can compete at a high level with anyone in the country and could erase the late season losses to TCU and BYU.
As the Mountaineers are nearing the end of the season, they are tired and beat up. However, it is crunch time. If the Mountaineers want a spot in the NCAA Tournament, they need to push their pain aside or battle through it in order to win the crucial upcoming slate of games. These games could be the deciding factor in whether West Virginia’s historic season continues or if all of their efforts come up short.
