West Virginia Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Mountaineers
Season Outlook
Expectations are undoubtedly high in Morgantown, West Virginia, and rightfully so. This is a West Virginia team with unbelievable depth and one of the best frontcourts in the country. They also have one of the best defenses in the country and are led by one of the greatest and most accomplished coaches in college basketball history in Bob Huggins.
Huggins’s resume is marred by one glaring omission: he has not won a national title. He has been to the Final Four twice – once with Cincinnati in 1992, and once with West Virginia ten years ago. This year, arguably, may be his best chance at reaching the Final Four since that 2010 squad.
Likewise, while there may not be an individual talent on this year’s team that matches someone like Jevon Carter a few years ago, the pairing of Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver might be the best power forward/center combination in college basketball this coming season.
And, barring any unexpected roster moves or potential jumps into the NBA draft, there are only two seniors on this roster in Gabe Osabuohien and Taz Sherman. If the Mountaineers fall short this year, they will return nearly all of their core group for the 2021-22 season and have the opportunity for another attempt.
If West Virginia can take care of business against the teams projected to finish lower than them in the Big 12, then they are undeniably a lock for the NCAA Tournament, even without wins over Baylor and Kansas. They failed to claim a few of those easy victories last season, and it is imperative to win those games this year if they hope to legitimize themselves as contenders.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently projects the Mountaineers as being a three-seed in this season’s NCAA Tournament, and that is a fair assessment of just how high West Virginia’s ceiling is. I am not sure if this team has the talent to consistently find themselves among the ranks of teams like Gonzaga, Baylor, Villanova, Virginia, and Iowa night-after-night – but they do have the talent to pull off a win over one of those teams.
Next. Preseason Big 12 power rankings for 2020-21. dark
Obviously, time will tell whether the Mountaineers are legit or not, but they have an early opportunity to prove themselves courtesy of the Crossover Classic. If their offensive woes subside, watch out for West Virginia – they will give Baylor and Kansas a run for the Big 12 title, and they are just as capable of winning their first-ever national championship.