Morgantown, West Virginia – The West Virginia Mountaineers (15-11 overall, 4-9 in the Big 12 Conference face a must-win game at home against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-12, 3-10) tomorrow at noon.
Although the Mountaineers’ record is far from stellar, they play in the most challenging conference in the nation by far, the Big 12. With six teams – Kansas (5), Texas (6), Baylor (9), Kansas State (12), Iowa State (19), TCU (22) – in the Top 25, there is no other conference in college basketball that compares.
Today, senior guard Erik Stevenson, who leads West Virginia in points per game with 13.8, said he believes that the Mountaineers would be one of the best teams in any other conference in the nation.
Stevenson had the following to say about how the Mountaineers would do if they hypothetically played in the ACC this season: “We’d be at the top of the conference. There isn’t a team in that conference that could play in the Big 12.”
The ACC has only three teams in the Top 25: Virginia (7), Miami (15) and NC State (23). In addition, the overall depth in the conference does not compare to the depth in the Big 12.
West Virginia has one of the hardest schedules in the country, but they still must find ways to win games. At 15-11 overall, the Mountaineers will need at least two, possibly three, more wins with five games remaining this season in order to get an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
