[wvuauthor]

If West Virginia is looking to make a repeat run to the elite 8 they are going to have to beat some very good teams.

If everything pans out they will have to beat:
1. Southern Illinois
2. Iowa
3. Texas

And this is just to get to the elite 8. Is there any chance of this happening? I think they have a shot at the first 2, but after that it will be tough.

[Lefty Noob]

No, I don't think it is possible. Too much stiff competition for the Mountaineers. They may beat one, perhaps even two of those teams, but running the table in their bracket is nigh impossible.

[desertrat]

Earlier in the year I would have said yes, but in the 2nd half of the season they slipped a little IMO.

[Who Dey]

Remeber last year? Gange and Pittsnogle droppin' bombs all night long. I would not want to see them in my bracket.

[wvuauthor]

You're right, they did have a great tournament last season. But that was when they were relatively unknown. I am worried that they are not going to be able to duplicate that performance because of their bad shooting as of late.

They are the hunted now. Teams are aware of what they are all about.

[wvuauthor]

With West Virginia beating Southern Illinois and Iowa losing, it looks like the Mountaineers should be able to reach the Sweet 16 at the very least. All they need to do is knock off Northwestern State on Sunday. Things are shaping up nicely.

[wvuauthor]

It appears that the Mountaineers have regained there shooting touch. I am looking forward to the sweet 16 matchup against Texas-a team that they lost to by one point early in the season.

[cjg11582]

Here's hoping they beat Texas, for the past two years this has been one of the two most enjoyable teams to watch in college basketball (it is a stalemate between them and Villanova, though I probably do give the edge to WVU). A head-to-head with Duke or LSU would be a phenomenal regional final and this rematch with Texas should be as entertaining as their prior match-up. Count me in as those sold on WVU athletics.

[Who Dey]

Originally Posted by wvuauthor

It appears that the Mountaineers have regained there shooting touch. I am looking forward to the sweet 16 matchup against Texas-a team that they lost to by one point early in the season.

Well, My Cats are done, after a hard fought battle with UConn. Soooo... I would usually begin rooting for another SEC team if it were not for WVU. I told you before this team is dangerous.
When you have a guy 6'11" that can drop bombs on big guys and then go down low and abuse smaller guys, they you have a team built to play tourney games.
It is very easy to look at the regular season and say, "Yeah, but they lost to alot of teams in their own league." This is true, but those teams know well in advance what they are up against and have time to prepare.
Not so in the Tourney. Especially if it's the second game of a weekend. It is just too difficult to prepare for a player like Pittsnogle.
If you go small, he takes you down low. If a talented big man tries to come out and gaurd him, then WVU has essentially taken that player out of the game.
WVU is built for Tourney B-ball. I see them in the final four.

[wvuauthor]

I hope you guys are right about the Mountaineers. Like always, the key will be if they can make shots. They will not be able to withstand a long scoring drought against Texas...

[desertrat]

Please beat Texas. I already am sick of hearing their fans brag about winning the BCS football title and College World Series in the last year. Can you imagine how hard it will be to talk to them if they take the basketball tourney also? Let's go Mountaineers. This Arizona fan is 100% behind you next week.

[wvuauthor]

Good point!

It is getting a tad bit ridiculous how they keep talking about winning this and winning that. I hope the Mountaineers come to play on Thursday night!

[wvuauthor]

The big night is tonight. I hope the Mountaineers get it done. They are going to have to shoot lights out, and control the Texas front line...

[wvuauthor]

The Mountaineers lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer tonight, 74-71. It really was a shame that they could not get it done, but they played hard the entire night. The seniors should be commended for bringing the program back to the top!

[desertrat]

Tough loss after fighting so hard to get back in it. All in all, another good year for West Virginia basketball though.