West Virginia's Tumbling Tournament Seed Projection Could Be a Blessing in Disguise

WVU's stock is decreasing, but it could be a good thing.

Mar 12, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Julian Hammond III (3) drives to the basket during the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

After dropping its first game in the Big 12 Conference tournament (the second round) against a really bad Colorado team, the West Virginia Mountaineers have seen their NCAA Tournament stock take quite the hit, as it should.

Fortunately for them, they won't have to worry all that much about making the field unless there's an unusual load of bid stealers from he mid-major level.

In the past three to four weeks, the Mountaineers have floated anywhere from a seven to a nine seed, but with the loss to the Buffs, we're starting to see them be projected a little lower. In Jerry Palm's latest bracketology projection on CBS Sports, he has WVU as a No. 11 seed in the West Region, facing No. 6 Memphis.

Palm's West Region projection

Mar 12, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) dunks during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

1. Florida vs. 16. Bryant

8. Creighton vs. 9. Utah State

5. Ole Miss vs. 12. Drake

4. Purdue vs. 13. High Point

6. Memphis vs. 11. West Virginia

3. Texas A&M vs. 14. Utah Valley

7. UCLA vs. 10. Vanderbilt

2. Texas Tech vs. 15. Montana

Falling stock is a good thing?

Feb 19, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) celebrates with West Virginia Mountaineers guard Sencire Harris (10) during the second half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

While you would typically want your NCAA Tournament seed to be as high as possible, when you get to this stage of the season, you know where you're hovering around. And if we're being honest, there's a significant disadvantage being a seven, eight, nine, and ten seed because if you win your first round game, you're playing the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the round of 32.

Falling to an 11 isn't the end of the world. Sure, you get a little tougher first round opponent, but there's not much difference between a six and a seven seed. There can be a huge difference between a two and a three, especially in this year's field.

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