ESPN BPI Predicts Every Game of West Virginia's Big 12 Conference Schedule

Is sixteen wins enough for the Mountaineers to go dancing?

West Virginia University head coach Darian DeVries. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

It's been a great start to the Darian DeVries era in Morgantown as the West Virginia Mountaineers completed non-conference play with a 9-2 record, notching wins over a pair of top 25 teams in No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 24 Arizona during their trip to the Bahamas in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

WVU has dealt with some injuries along the way, as Tucker DeVries has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury, Jayden Stone (undisclosed) has yet to make his season debut, and Amani Hansberry exited Sunday's game versus Mercyhurst with an apparent ankle injury.

Nonetheless, the Mountaineers have positioned themselves nicely heading into Big 12 Conference play, which will begin on New Year's Eve when they square off with the Kansas Jayhawks on the road.

How well will DeVries' squad do in conference play? The ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI) matchup predictor has them favored in seven of the 20 league games. If that holds, and the Mountaineers go 7-13 in the Big 12, they'll finish the regular season with a 16-15 record, putting them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. To punch their ticket to the big dance, they'll likely have to win a couple of games in the Big 12 Conference tournament, depending on which teams they beat along the way.

ESPN Matchup Predictor's Game-by-Game Breakdown for WVU

Note: The percentage listed is West Virginia's chance to win the game.

12/31 at Kansas: 14.2%

1/4 vs. Oklahoma State: 84.6%

1/7 vs. Arizona: 33.9%

1/12 at Colorado: 55.9%

1/15 at Houston: 7.6%

1/18 vs. Iowa State: 34.1%

1/21 vs. Arizona State: 71.3%

1.25 at Kansas State: 56.3%

1/29 vs. Houston: 19.4%

2/2 at Cincinnati: 21%

2/5 at TCU: 42.1%

2/8 vs. Utah: 61.3%

2/11 vs. BYU: 52.4%

2/15 at Baylor: 16.6%

2/19 vs. Cincinnati: 43.5%

2/22 at Texas Tech: 20.6%

2/25 vs. TCU: 67.8%

3/1 at BYU: 27.5%

3/4 at Utah: 35.3%

3/8 vs. UCF: 75%

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