WVU Basketball: Best and Worst Case Scenarios
With March quickly approaching, every college basketball fan is curious about their teams ceiling, or lack thereof. For Mountaineer fans, excitement continues to skyrocket.
Let's face it, March is the best time of the year for college basketball fanatics. It's where the Jimmer Fredette's and Steph Curry's of the world are born. March is a time where players can raise their draft stock on a national level.
With that being said, March can also hold a bit of sadness. So just what should Mountaineer fans be expecting come March?
Ever since the magical 2010 Final Four run, Mountaineer fans have waited eagerly for another Cinderella run. In return, fans have been met somewhere in between, a couple Sweet Sixteen appearances and some early exits.
In years prior, those Mountaineer teams were a piece away from a historical run. For example, certain teams lacked guard play and others lacked shooting. Every Mountaineer team has had their flaw and this team is no exception. The only difference is the simple fact that the college basketball world isn't filled with a true title favorite.
In an ideal world, the defense suffocates teams playing on a shortened schedule, the offense hits some shots and plays to their potential and another magical run is in store, but this time with a Cinderella type ending.
That being mixed with the fact that this is easily the deepest Mountaineer team we've seen in a long time.
With the potential soaring, Mountaineer fans need to be realists. The NCAA Tournament started on March 17, 1939 and West Virginia has never won a national championship. Times that with the fact that this is still a very young and somewhat inexperienced group of guys, a disaster waiting to happen.
If the Mountaineers get off the bus like they did in Manhattan, missing shots and a defensive implosion, the Mountaineers could be leaving the tournament earlier than expected.
Season Record Prediction:
Best Case: 25-6
The Mountaineers are currently 17-4, with 10 games remaining on their schedule. Five more games in Morgantown and five more of those grueling road trips, a perfect split to end the regular season.
The only games that are concerning - #3 Kansas in Morgantown, #1 Baylor in Morgantown, #1 Baylor in Waco and Iowa State in Ames. All four are very losable games. For the sake of going 25-6, I have the Mountaineers splitting those games at 2-2 and winning the other six.
Worst Case: 21-10
Again, let's look at those four games mentioned above. They are the only four games that could realistically go either way. Worst case, the Mountaineers drop all four, but win the other six, going 21-10 before the Big 12 Tournament.
Big 12 Tournament:
Best Case: Big 12 Champions
The Mountaineers are 3rd in the Big 12 with a 5-3 conference record. The trickiest part of this equation, we have not seen the Mountaineers play against Baylor this season. With so many opportunities still on the table, the ceiling has to stay high for West Virginia.
Worst Case: Semifinals
All of this depends on what actual seed the Mountaineers land, but as of right now, they aren't losing in rounds one or two of the Big 12 tournament.
NCAA Tournament:
Best Case: National Champions
The time has never been better for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets. For the first time in several years, college hoops does not have a blue-blood title favorite. Assume West Virginia's bigs play up to par down low, shooters make shots and the defense plays lock down, the Mountaineers will be bringing a title to Morgantown for the first time in program history.
Worst Case: SFA Remix
With all the talent, hope and potential, one thing is clear, the Mountaineers don't have a title for one reason, it's hard to do. March isn't called March Madness for nothing. So, assume that shooters miss some good looks, the defense gets figured out early and the bigs get into foul trouble, we could be looking at a deja vu of Stephen F. Austin.
