BPI Matchup Predictor Picks Winner Between West Virginia, Creighton

Can the Mountaineers advance to the championship game?

Jan 21, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Treysen Eaglestaff (52) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This evening, the West Virginia Mountaineers and Creighton Bluejays will square off in Las Vegas, battling for a spot in the championship game of the College Basketball Crown.

Will this be where the road ends for Ross Hodge in year one? Or will they keep marching on?

What the BPI says

According to the ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI), the Mountaineers have a 58.6% chance of winning this matchup and advancing to the finals, while Creighton has a 41.4% chance.

It does seem a bit odd that the computers aren't all in on West Virginia here, considering they are on paper, the much better team. I mean, the Bluejays still have a losing record for crying out loud.

Then again, they are the type of team that can pose some issues for WVU because of their ability to drill threes. They shoot the ball at a solid 34.5% clip from deep and attempt the 24th most threes per game in the country. Defending the triple has been a problem at times this year for the Mountaineers, so if Creighton gets into a rhythm, it could spell trouble for Ross Hodge's squad.

West Virginia's first round game

West Virginia led Stanford for the majority of the night before going into one of those long scoring droughts that led to the Cardinal jumping out in front by as many as eight in the second half. WVU kept chipping away and was fortunate that Stanford made an egregious blunder, fouling Honor Huff near midcourt just before the end of regulation, sending him to the line for three shots, which he converted to take the game to overtime. WVU outscored Stanford 14-9 in the extra frame, somehow finding a way to win despite shooting 2/20 from three-point range.

Creighton's first round game

After a competitive first half, it didn't take Creighton long to really settle in on the offensive end and create some separation from Rutgers. They poured in 51 points in the second half alone, thanks to huge nights from Nik Graves and Jasen Green, who were incredibly efficient, combining to go 14/23 from the floor. The scary part about this Creighton win for West Virginia? The Bluejays didn't shoot the ball all that well from downtown, connecting on just 29% of their attempts, meaning they're due for a big night.

WVU and Creighton will tip things off at 4 p.m. ET on FOX.