West Virginia still has an avenue to the NCAA Tournament albeit slim.
At 14-15, the Mountaineers realistically would have to go on a run to close the year in the Big 12 Conference Tournament or even outright win it to qualify.
If that isn’t in the cards, head coach Bob Huggins isn’t ruling out the possibility of other postseason tournaments for the Mountaineers. It’s a strategy he employed during the 2018-19 season when West Virginia finished the regular season 14-20 and played in the College Basketball Invitational.
West Virginia would fall in the second round of that, but the experience helped to springboard the team into the next season where they would finish 21-10 and seemed primed for a run in the NCAA Tournament before the event was canceled.
Huggins sees some possible value here if this season doesn’t turn around to give some of the younger players on the roster a chance to earn valuable time on the floor.
“I mean, I’d play all summer if we could,” he said. “I think that’s how you get better. That’s why they call rookies, rookies. They’ve never experienced it.”
This season has been trying for several reasons but with 13 of the 14 losses being of the quadrant one variety, it showcases the difficulty of the schedule overall. That leaves the possibility of the Mountaineers still finding a way into the big dance if they could string together a few more wins.
West Virginia has competed of late and if that continues, it gives them a shot of postseason opportunities. But regardless of if that is in the NCAA Tournament or not, there could be basketball played after the conference tournament concludes.
“I mean we’ve got a chance to beat anybody,” he said.
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