What Will it Take for WVU to Get Back to a Final Four?

Bob Huggins led the West Virginia Mountaineers to the Final Four in his third year on the job back in 2010.

Since, the Mountaineers haven't been able to advance past the Sweet Sixteen. WVU has made the tournament seven times making it to the Sweet Sixteen three times while getting bounced in the first round three times and twice from the second round.

So, what will it take for WVU to return to a Final Four?

1. Luck on their side

More than anything, you have to have things go your way. This year's tournament is a perfect example of that. If Purdue doesn't lose to Fairleigh Dickinson does Florida Atlantic even get past the second round? My guess is probably not. Instead, they caught a big break and won a couple of games against tough opponents and are now in the Final Four. Although San Diego State took down No. 1 seed Alabama, they caught a little bit of luck with No. 2 Arizona losing in the first round and No. 3 Baylor falling in the round of 32.

Much of this comes down to matchups too. It's not always the best four teams that make it to the big stage. It's the ones who get a nice path and are good enough to overcome the matchups that may give them trouble.

2. Stay healthy

The big thing, at least for Huggins, is having a healthy roster. Kenyon Martin broke his leg during Cincinnati's incredible season in 2000 and then Da'Sean Butler went down in the Final Four in 2010. Also during that run, starting guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant broke his foot. Not that they would have made a deep run this year, but Mohamed Wague missed the last few games of the regular season due to a foot injury and never returned. It's hard to advance in the tournament when you're not fully healthy.

3. Tremendous guard play

It's hard to do much of anything in the NCAA Tournament if you don't have a pair of guards that can not only handle the ball, but can facilitate the rock, run the offense, and score it. WVU had that with Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. a few years back but ran into a buzzsaw in two of those three years - Gonzaga who lost in the national title, and Villanova, who won the darn thing. WVU hasn't had anywhere near that quality of guard play since those two graduated.

4. Get old, stay old

This is the new way to find success in the tournament, especially with the transfer portal now in full effect. Gone are the days when a team full of one-and-dones help lead you to cutting down the nets. No, WVU never recruited that kind of talent but they need to attack the portal the right way - get guys with multiple years of eligibility so that they can build together. Constantly patching together a roster with players heading into their last year of eligibility isn't going to be sustainable.

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