National Analyst Higher on WVU Basketball Than Most

March Madness analyst Andy Katz is higher on WVU basketball than most as the Mountaineers get ready for Big 12 play this week. Katz has the Mountaineers at No. 35 in his Power 37 Rankings.

“The Mountaineers aren’t healthy, and they still are playing like an NCAA-bound team,” Katz wrote.

Katz has WVU at No. 35, compared to KenPom (No. 47), NET (No. 33) and the AP Poll (received 26 votes).

WVU basketball hasn’t been at 100% for a few weeks, with star senior Tucker DeVries missing the last three games with an upper-body injury. Even without DeVries, however, the Mountaineers closed out non-conference play with a 9-2 record, already matching last season’s win total. West Virginia has won five straight games, including all three without DeVries, and seven of their last eight.

DeVries isn’t the only injury the Mountaineers are dealing with as starting center Amani Hansberry rolled his ankle during the team’s win over Mercyhurst on Sunday. Transfer guard Jayden Stone is also still out with a preseason injury that has kept him off the floor completely this season.

WVU basketball kicks off Big 12 play on New Year’s Eve with a trip to Allen Fieldhouse to take on No. 7 Kansas. The Jayhawks are No. 10 in Katz’s power ranking.

“The Jayhawks appear to have settled down and are ready for the Big 12 title chase,” Katz wrote.

Other Big 12 teams ranked by Katz include No. 3 Iowa State, No. 24 Cincinnati, No. 28 Baylor and No. 36 Houston. Arizona State, Texas Tech, Colorado and BYU all dropped out of Katz’s ranking this week.

The only teams to beat WVU this season are Louisville, who Katz ranked No. 21, Pitt, who dropped out of the rankings. Obviously, Pitt not being included while holding a higher KenPom, NET and a head-to-head win over the Mountaineers is somewhat confusing and adds more fuel to the Backyard Brawl rivalry on social media.

WVU’s game against Kansas tips off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

For a related story, Mike Asti and Cody Nespor discuss WVU’s chances in Big 12 play without Tucker DeVries on a recent edition of Mountaineer Report.