West Virginia Got Its First Bracketology Mention — How Far Out Are They?

The Mountaineers still have a lot of work to do.

Jan 24, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Amir Jenkins (2) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

For the most part, West Virginia has beaten the teams it is supposed to beat and has lost the games it was expected to lose. That's one of the reasons why they haven't been getting much attention in regards to the NCAA Tournament despite a 13-7 (4-3) start to the season.

Prior to Saturday's blowout loss to No. 1 Arizona, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi put the Mountaineers on his radar for the first time this season, putting them at No. 83 in the "considered" bucket, alongside Baylor, TCU, LSU, Cal, VCU, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and Wake Forest.

In that latest update, Lunardi had UCLA, New Mexico, USC, and Virginia Tech as his last four in. Stanford, Santa Clara, Indiana, and Texas were his first four out. And George Mason, Butler, Creighton, and Missouri as his next four out.

pic.twitter.com/LEEwWHeJwY

— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) January 24, 2026

Now obviously, Lunardi probably won't have WVU in his next bracketology update, but I seriously doubt he's going to penalize them for losing to the No. 1 team in the country, even if it was by 35. They've done enough to be at least in the conversation and will have a strong opportunity this week to put themselves right back in Lunardi's list if they can take care of business at home against Kansas State and Baylor.

Two signature win opportunities remain

From here on out, West Virginia's schedule gets much lighter. Yes, it's still the Big 12, so you're never really going to have a night off. That said, the only two ranked teams still left on the schedule are Texas Tech and BYU, both of which will be coming to Hope Coliseum. For West Virginia to truly make a statement, they need to find a way to win one of those games, giving it a second high-quality win to go with the victory over Kansas earlier in the year.

The Mountaineers and the Kansas State Wildcats will tip off tomorrow night's action at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

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