Pros vs. Cons: Should WVU Basketball Accept Bid to Non NCAA Tournament?

Even though Joe Lunardi and others still have WVU basketball on the bubble, West Virginia’s chances to actually make the NCAA Tournament seem low.

Regardless of whatever record they finish with, aside from running through the Big 12 Tournament, WVU will likely have a decision to make about their priorities come March.

Do they want to keep playing and have a postseason or just end the 2025-26 campaign and focus on rebuilding the roster moving forward?

And to clear up any confusion, the options will be play in the new College Basketball Crown or end the season. After debuting last year, the Big 12’s relationship with the College Basketball Crown will now serve as WVU’s non NCAA Tournament option, not the more traditional NIT.

College sports is often all about money

On one hand, playing in the Crown provides an opportunity to make extra money for the program to utilize to improve in the future. Last season’s Crown winner took home $300,000 for their NIL bank, the runner-up won $100,000 and semifinalists didn’t go home empty-handed either – they won $50,000.

But of course, WVU will need to have players willing to participate. Without an opportunity to play on the NCAA Tournament stage, the players, whether or not they have eligibility remaining or not, may prefer to just put a bow on the season and move on.

West Virginia will likely ask the players what their interest level is before making a final decision about participating.

It’s not 2007 anymore

WVU fans will always bring up how winning the 2007 NIT laid the groundwork for what would become a Final Four program just three years later, even in spite of a coaching change from John Beilein to Bob Huggins. 

The argument against trying to duplicate that progression is simple: this is a completely different era and teams are built on a year-to-year basis, making swinging momentum from one season to the next extremely difficult, especially with a constantly changing roster.

It’s also not as if winning the Crown will garner any argument for claiming anything beyond what it is – WVU claims their 1942 NIT title as a national championship due to it being the more prestigious tournament at the time.

Mike Asti / WVSN

So if using a non NCAA Tournament as a pivot point is borderline impossible in this era, what’s the true benefit outside of financial reward totals that won’t really move the needle?

Perception is reality

Like it or not, perception is the other issue.

In recent years, major programs have set a tone by declining bids to the NIT or any other non NCAA Tournament postseason event. Those schools have often cited a desire to focus on recruiting for the next season while also making it clear anything shy of the NCAA Tournament is beneath them.

Many of the programs who have declined non NCAA Tournament bids are above WVU’s level. However, some have been below the standard and history of the Mountaineers as well.

Will WVU accepting a bid to a lesser tournament when their rival Pitt, a similar program with a weaker history basketball wise, refused one in recent memory, reflect poorly on the Mountaineers? Should WVU care about that?

Find more coverage of the WVU basketball program at WV Sports Now.