West Virginia Appears on NCAA Tournament Bubble for First Time This Season

With the regular season starting to wind down, the margin for error continues to shrink for the West Virginia Mountaineers. That's why beating UCF on the road on Saturday night was so huge for their NCAA Tournament odds.

With the win, WVU has officially moved onto the bubble for the first time this season, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

Joe Lunardi's bubble

Last Four Byes: Saint Mary's, Texas, Georgia, UCF

Last Four In: USC, UCLA, TCU, Missouri

First Four Out: San Diego State, Ohio State, New Mexico, California

Next Four Out: VCU, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, West Virginia

What's up next for West Virginia?

Feb 14, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Amir Jenkins (2) shoots against UCF Knights guard Themus Fulks (1) during the first half at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

If we're being honest, West Virginia is in the tournament right now. And by that, I mean they're essentially playing tournament games just to get into the tournament. A single loss could ruin all hopes of hearing their name called on Selection Sunday, especially when it comes to Wednesday's home game against the Utah Utes, who come to Morgantown with an ugly record of 9-15 (1-10). You lose that one, and you might as well forget about dancing unless you win out and make a deep run in the Big 12 Conference tournament.

What do the Mountaineers need to do?

West Virginia University guard Treysen Eaglestaff | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Following the matchup with Utah, the Mountaineers will hit the road for a pair of games against TCU (Feb. 21) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 24). Winning both would be ideal, but splitting the road trip isn't going to knock them out of contention. Then they'll get their shot at a struggling BYU team, go for the sweep of Kansas State, and then a rematch of Saturday's game against UCF in Morgantown.

So, beat Utah, Kansas State, UCF, and at worst split the two-game road trip, and they'll have a chance to get in. That would put them at 20 wins, although I still believe they need 21 (regular season wins) to feel really good, which would be either sweeping the two-game roadie or taking down BYU, which would do wonders for their resume. Somehow, some way, the Mountaineers are playing meaningful basketball down the stretch.

Joe Lunardi's bubble

What's up next for West Virginia?

What do the Mountaineers need to do?

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI