Morgantown, West Virginia – The West Virginia Mountaineers took care of business at home against Kansas State and now await the results of the huge Kansas versus Baylor game tonight.
The Mountaineers currently sit in 2nd place in the Big 12 Conference at 17-6 overall and 10-4 in conference play, and it doesn’t appear – barring unforeseen circumstances – that they will move from that spot.
While a Baylor loss would be nice to see, it’s almost certainly not what’s best for West Virginia. With 2nd place in the conference nearly locked up for the Mountaineers, a Baylor loss will only have a negative impact on West Virginia.
When Baylor and West Virginia play on Tuesday evening at the WVU Coliseum, it could potentially be the battle of two Top 5 ranked teams in the country. West Virginia handing Baylor their first loss of the season would be huge in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
While a Kansas win would move the Jayhawks (17-8 overall, 11-6 in the conference) one step closer to the Mountaineers in the standings, it’s extremely unlikely that they will be able to unseat West Virginia for the 2nd spot in the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship next month on March 10th.
West Virginia wants Baylor and they should want them as the #2 ranked, undefeated powerhouse, not the one-loss team that was beaten by an average Kansas team.
The Mountaineers are potentially playing Baylor on Tuesday evening for a shot at a #1 ranking in the NCAA Tournament! Let’s go Baylor…tonight. And then on Tuesday, LET’S GO MOUNTAINEERS!
