Joe Lunardi reveals West Virginia's NCAA Tournament standing at conclusion of regular season

West Virginia should safely be in the NCAA Tournament following back-to-back wins to close the regular season. According to ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi, the Mountaineers are off the bubble after an 89-81 victory against Kansas State on Saturday.

“West Virginia is officially above the bubble (No. 37 overall) after picking up its seventh Big 12 win,” Lunardi wrote in a Saturday afternoon update.

West Virginia was listed as a No. 11 seed according to Lunardi heading into Saturday. However, with the big victory against the Wildcats, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them move up a line.

Three WVU players scored 20 or more points in Saturday’s win, led by Erik Stevenson with 27. The Mountaineers shot 30-of-59 (50.8%) from the floor and came away with 14 steals while forcing 20 K-State turnovers. It was their third win in the past four games with their only loss coming to No. 3 Kansas by a score of 76-74.

It would be the 11th NCAA Tournament for West Virginia in coach Bob Huggins’ 16 seasons. That includes a Final Four appearance in 2010, the deepest he has taken them in March Madness. The Mountaineers missed the tournament in the 2021-22 season after finishing 16-17. They are one of seven Big 12 schools currently projected to make the tournament according to Lunardi.

Coming off the win against Kansas State, West Virginia heads to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament. The first round is set to begin Wednesday with the championship game scheduled for Saturday.

If Oklahoma State beats Texas Tech on Saturday, the Mountaineers would be the No. 8 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and face the Red Raiders. If the Cowboys lose, WVU would slide into the No. 7 seed and take on last-place Oklahoma in the opening round.