WVU to the College Basketball Crown? When and Where to Watch the Bracket Reveal

WVU will find out Monday evening if they are participating in the College Basketball Crown.

Mar 6, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Honor Huff (3) speaks to the media after defeating the UCF Knights at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the West Virginia Mountaineers did not hear their name called for the NCAA Tournament, of course, or the NIT. That leaves one postseason event left for them to play in, and it's the one we've been stating for weeks is WVU's preference — the College Basketball Crown.

What is the College Basketball Crown?

The event is entering its second year of existence and is quickly becoming the go-to destination for those who don't make the NCAA Tournament. The only problem? Not many teams receive an invite. The NIT is a 32-team field while the Crown is just an 8-team event.

In its inaugural year, the tournament had 16 teams and paid the champion $300,000 in NIL money, while the runner-up received $100,000, and the semifinalists received $50,000. No details have been made public as to how much money is on the line for this year's event.

Why the Crown would be beneficial for West Virginia

Well, for starters, it's an opportunity for this team to finish the season strong as opposed to losing five of their last seven, including a 20-point loss to BYU in the Big 12 Conference tournament.

Secondly, it's a possible springboard for WVU to use heading into year two of the Ross Hodge era. Thinks that sounds crazy? Well, Nebraska won the Crown last year and is a No. 4 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. Yes, a good chunk of the roster will be graduating, but guys like Amir Jenkins and DJ Thomas can use this as an event to get better and put more on tape.

And lastly, it could help WVU gain some momentum in the transfer portal. Winning the Crown isn't going to have prospects lining up at the door, but you'll enter the portal with some extra cash, assuming you can finish in one of the prize money spots.

Where and when to watch the reveal

The bracket will be announced at 5:30 p.m. on Monday evening during "First Things First" on FS1. The field will consist of the top two teams from the Big East, Big 10, and Big 12 Conferences that did not make the NCAA Tournament, in addition to two other teams that the selection committee will choose. The field may not be the top two teams from each conference, however, as some teams may decline all non-NCAA Tournament postseason invites, such as Indiana.