KenPom Releases West Virginia’s Odds for Big 12 Tournament
After a February full of struggles, the West Virginia men's basketball team has turned things around with two wins to kick off the month of March.
The analytics of KenPom.com think the Mountaineers will continue that success, slotting Bob Huggins' team with the third-best odds to win the Big 12 Conference tournament behind Kansas and Baylor. Despite being seeded sixth after the end of the regular season, West Virginia was an Oklahoma comeback against TCU from landing third in the final standings.
Ken Pomeroy's odds have loved the team all season, consistently ranking it above the merits of its record and higher than the AP Poll. As a result, those same calculations love the Mountaineers in the conference tournament.
Breaking things down by round, West Virginia has an automatic bye into the quarterfinals, giving them a 100% chance of reaching that stage. Likely duet a tough first game with Oklahoma, the Mountaineers actually trail Texas Tech with the fourth best odds to reach the semifinals but there is where the chances go way up.
Headed into the final, they jump over the Red Raiders into third, holding a 29.6% chance of reaching the championship game. The numbers love Kansas and Baylor at that stage, giving the two a combined 77.8% probability to win the tournament.
However, the Mountaineers come in with the next best odds, sitting with a 9.6% chance of bringing the trophy back to Morgantown. Despite the horrible skid in February, West Virginia is still a favorite underdog in the analytical community.
The postseason is always crazy, especially in the conference tournament. The numbers love the Mountaineers but we will have to see if they live up to the praise.
