Can WVU Make the NIT Tournament?

It won't be the same dance this March, but the West Virginia Mountaineers are hoping to get an opportunity to play in a postseason tournament following a 16-17 season.

"I asked them that and they want to play," Huggins said following the loss to Kansas. "They want to play and I enjoy coaching them. I certainly enjoy representing West Virginia University and the great state of West Virginia. So, anything we can do to represent that state and the people of that state, I'm all for."

Getting into any postseason tournament with a losing record isn't going to be easy. In fact, just a few years ago the NIT did not allow teams in the tournament if they finished the season with a losing record. The NIT dropped the requirement of having to have a .500 record or better to qualify for the tournament a few years ago, meaning WVU does have a chance to end up in the NIT which is the preferred destination after the NCAA Tournament.

As of Friday morning, WVU sits at No. 78 in the NCAA's NET Rankings. That alone should be enough to give them a spot in the NIT. The NCAA Tournament fields the top 68 teams and with the NIT fielding 32 teams, one would think WVU is in prime position to make the NIT. It's hard to believe that as rough as this season was for West Virginia, they did not have one "bad loss" on its resume and played 17 Quad-I games. When you play the third-toughest schedule in America, that's what you get.

Should the NIT pass up on West Virginia, that will conclude the 2021-22 season for the Mountaineers. According to multiple reports, WVU would not accept a bid from the CBI Tournament.

"We've got more games to play," Huggins said. "We'll get home and have them rest up for a day or so and we'll get back at it and get ready to bring home a trophy. That's what we do, that's what we set our goals for every year. It's obviously not going to be for the one that we wanted, but it's going to be a trophy that is well worth bringing home."

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