The sky is not falling in Morgantown and the West Virginia Mountaineers are still very much in position to be one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament field.
The rankings system that the NCAA Selection Committee uses to determine seeding for the NCAA Tournament in March is the NET system. The Mountaineers, even after losing their last three games and four of the last six games, are still ranked #10 in the NET.
Following the loss at Baylor, Bob Huggins was uncharacteristically upbeat, saying, “We’re probably still going to be in the Top Ten in the NET. We’re going to be no lower than a three seed. To say we’ve fallen out of the national picture is wrong because we have not. We’re still a very big part of the national picture. We have to go take care of business, but the sky hasn’t fallen. It’s looked like it wanted to a couple of times, but it hasn’t fallen. What I told them in there is what I’m saying now. It ain’t over.”
West Virginia’s final six games are winnable, starting tomorrow at home against Oklahoma State, then on the road for games at TCU and Texas, then back home for Oklahoma, on the road for Iowa State and then they play Baylor at home for the season finale.
In fact, according to the KenPom ratings, a computer-based ranking system which provides predictions for college basketball games, predicts that the Mountaineers will win the final six games of the season and are currently ranked #7 overall.
This season is not over and West Virginia is right where they need to be to compete for a National Championship. With its depth, size and talent, the Mountaineers are still the team that no one wants to play in the NCAA Tournament in March.
