ESPN Bracketology: West Virginia Inches Closer to Being Off the Bubble

WVU continues to build its NCAA Tournament resume.

West Virginia University guard Jonathan Powell. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

No offense to NC Central, Bethune-Cookman, or Mercyhurst, but West Virginia is in the cruise control portion of its 2024-25 schedule.

Before Tuesday's win over NC Central, the Mountaineers received another bump up in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's NCAA Tournament projection. This week, Lunardi moved West Virginia from the "Last Four In" to "Last Four Byes" and has them as an 11-seed pitted against No. 6 UConn in the East Region.

Lunardi's East Region Projection:

1. Iowa State vs. 16. American

8. Maryland vs. 9. Texas

5. UCLA vs. 12. BYU/Indiana

4. Texas A&M vs. 13. Arkansas State

6. UConn vs. 11. West Virginia

3. Purdue vs. 14. High Point

7. Cincinnati vs. 10. Penn State

2. Kentucky vs. 15. UMass Lowell

Assuming West Virginia takes care of business in its next two games, they'll enter Big 12 Conference play with a 9-2 record, matching their win total from all of last season. They have a massive opportunity in the Big 12 opener against Kansas on the road, and if the Mountaineers are somehow able to pull off a stunner in the Phog, their stock will skyrocket.

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