WVU Basketball Middle of the Pack in Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll

WVU basketball is tied for eighth place with Cincinnati in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Thursday afternoon.

Both the Mountaineers and the Bearcats tallied 116 points in the poll.

Arizona was picked as the repeat-champion of the conference with 12 first-place votes. Houston received four first-place votes and placed second.

Also ahead of WVU is Kansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, BYU and TCU. WVU ranks ahead of Baylor, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, UCF, Colorado, Kansas State and Utah.

The Mountaineers have potential to make the NCAA Tournament and advance from there. That’s the clear goal for the program as the next step after a season where they were on the bubble consistently. WVU has also increased depth with a tougher non-conference schedule.

In head coach Ross Hodge’s first year, West Virginia finished the season at 18-14 with a 9-10 Big 12 record, including 0-1 in the conference tournament. The Mountaineers finished with three straight wins, culminating in a College Basketball Crown Championship.

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