By: Justin “Couz” Walker | WV Sports Chat
The WVU Men’s Basketball team upset the 19th ranked BYU Cougars in Morgantown on Saturday. This win has improved the Mountaineers’ NCAA Tournament projections according to ESPN Bracket expert Joe Lunardi.
Before the contest, West Virginia had dropped three straight games and found themselves just outside the bubble in the “Next Four” category.
After picking up the Quad 1 win over BYU, their chances of getting into March Madness look a little better. Lunardi now has the Mountaineers on the “Next Four Out” line. Joining West Virginia basketball on that line are USC, California and Cincinnati. WVU has played the Bearcats twice this season. They swept the series against their Big 12 Conference counterparts.
Ross Hodge and his squad have two games remaining on the season. They travel to Manhattan, Kansas on Tuesday night to take on an 11-18 Kansas State team who are playing with an interim head coach. The Wildcats fired former coach Jerome Tang earlier this season.
WVU finishes the regular season this Saturday as they welcome the UCF Knights (20-8) to Morgantown. West Virginia has already defeated UCF once this season. It was a 74-67 win in Orlando on February 14.
Winning both games to finish the regular season will be crucial if the Mountaineers want to sneak into the Big Dance. Even then, they may still need some help or to make a run in the Big 12 Tournament to secure a spot.
Stay here at WV Sports Chat for continued coverage of WVU basketball.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
