WVU Basketball

DeVries: ‘If Season Ended Today, WVU Would Be in Tournament’

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2025

Cody Nespor

WVU Basketball Head Coach Darian DeVries, Huddle

Kelsie LeRose / WVSN

Darian DeVries believes if the 2024-25 season ended today, his WVU Mountaineers would be in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think most people would agree that if the season ended today, we’d be in the tournament,” DeVries said Monday morning.

DeVries is right, most March Madness experts have the Mountaineers (16-11, 7-9 Big 12) on the right side of the bubble and earning an at-large bid to the tournament.

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The problem is, the season doesn’t end today, and a lot can change for the Mountaineers in their final four games of the regular season. A poor showing over the next two weeks could easily have West Virginia on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday.

DeVries isn’t telling his team the next four games are do-or-die to save the season, but he’s also not downplaying how important they are.

“Our only communication with our team has been ‘we are playing for something right now,’” DeVries said. “We’ve just got to continue to do our part and know that these are meaningful games.”

West Virginia was 13-4, ranking inside the top 25 and angling for a single-digit seed when the Mountaineers knocked off Iowa State 64-57 last month. Since then, however, WVU has dropped seven of its last 10 games and is experiencing life on the bubble.

DeVries said he has an idea of how many wins over the next two weeks would lock up a tournament spot for WVU, but he’d rather his team approach each of the next four games as their own challenge.

“Deep down, I think I know what it is, but overall, let’s just go win games,” DeVries said. “Let’s win the next one and try to finish out the year. I believe we have a tournament team, I think we have a tournament resume that stands up really well. But again, we have to continue to play and finish the season off.”