Did Midweek Loss to Pitt Impact West Virginia's Chances to Host Regional?

Despite a stumble in the midweek game yet again, West Virginia still seems to be in a good position to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament, as long as they continue winning Big 12 series and win the regular season title.

Before blowing a big ninth-inning lead in the Backyard Brawl on Tuesday night, Jonathan Wagner of On3 Sports had the Mountaineers projected to host a regional that features Oklahoma, Troy, and Wright State.

"West Virginia remains in a good position atop the Big 12 and in the hosting race. The Mountaineers are 39-7 overall, 18-4 in Big 12 play, and No. 20 in RPI, which would be in range to host and likely as a top 12 seed as things currently stand. If they do stumble down the stretch and the RPI falls out of range, they could be left out of the hosting race, and a team like Oklahoma is still battling to get back in the picture."

While this was written before the loss, the projection likely holds up, considering WVU's overall record, RPI, and the fact that it was a midweek loss to a Power Four team and not a bad loss to some small school they had no business losing to.

This weekend, the Mountaineers have a pivotal three-game series at Kansas State. Depending on the results, they could claim the Big 12 regular season title by Sunday.

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