College GameDay Crew Picks WVU to go Far in NCAA Tournament

Could the Mountaineers reach the Final Four?
College GameDay Crew Picks WVU to go Far in NCAA Tournament
College GameDay Crew Picks WVU to go Far in NCAA Tournament

Sunday evening, the Mountaineers were named one of the 68 teams to play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and received a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region. West Virginia will play No. 14 Morehead State in the first round and if they are able to move on, they would play the winner of No. 6 San Diego State/No. 11 Syracuse.

1. Illinois vs 16. Drexel

8. Loyola-Chicago vs 9. Georgia Tech

5. Tennessee vs 12. Oregon State

4. Oklahoma State vs 13. Liberty

6. San Diego State vs 11. Syracuse

3. West Virginia vs 14. Morehead State

7. Clemson vs 10. Rutgers

2. Houston vs 15. Cleveland State

Several tournament projections had West Virginia as a No. 4 seed and some even had them in the same region as Gonzaga. Not only did WVU get a No. 3 seed but they were able to completely avoid Gonzaga's region and side of the bracket. The only way those two would meet is if they were to reach the national championship game.

For the first time in quite a while, it seems like the Mountaineers got a pretty good draw from the selection committee. The path for West Virginia to make a deep run in the tournament is there, and Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale, LaPhonso Ellis, and Seth Greenberg of ESPN all have the Mountaineers making a deep run. Take a look at their predictions below!

Jay Bilas

Elite Eight

No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 2 Iowa

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 2 Alabama

No. 1 Baylor vs No. 2 Ohio State

No. 1 Illinois vs No. 3 West Virginia

Final Four

Gonzaga vs Alabama

Baylor vs Illinois

Dick Vitale

Elite Eight

No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 2 Iowa

No. 1 Michigan vs No. 2 Alabama

No. 1 Baylor vs No. 2 Ohio State

No. 1 Illinois vs No. 3 West Virginia

Final Four

Gonzaga vs Michigan

Ohio State vs Illinois

LaPhonso Ellis

Elite Eight

No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 2 Iowa

No. 4 Florida State vs No. 3 Texas

No. 1 Baylor vs No. 2 Ohio State

No. 1 Illinois vs No. 3 West Virginia

Final Four

Gonzaga vs Florida State

Baylor vs Illinois

Seth Greenberg

Elite Eight

No. 1 Gonzaga vs No. 3 Kansas

No. 4 Florida State vs No. 3 Texas

No. 1 Baylor vs No. 2 Ohio State

No. 1 Illinois vs No. 3 West Virginia

Final Four

Gonzaga vs Texas

Baylor vs Illinois

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

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