Big East Tournament 2012: West Virginia in Deep Trouble After Brutal Loss

The Big East tournament separates the bubbles from the dancers, and the first game of Round 2 did just that.

In the UConn Huskies' 71-67 win over West Virginia, the Mountaineers had their chances. Despite out-rebounding UConn 40-24 and getting 25 points and 10 rebounds out of Kevin Jones, West Virginia is now going to be sweating it out until Selection Sunday, while UConn has undoubtedly punched its ticket.

At 19-13 (9-9 Big East) with an RPI of 44, it’s hard to see West Virginia getting in.

Its best win of the season came against Georgetown (RPI of 10), which is surely nothing to sneeze at. But other than that, wins against other bubble teams like Kansas State, Miami, Cincinnati, Oral Roberts and South Florida don’t exactly pop off the page.

The team finished the year on a 4-8 stretch, has a 4-6 road record and seemed to regress after such a strong start to the season. Aside from Kevin Jones, Darryl Bryant and Deniz Kilicli, the team lacks any sort of depth. The Mountaineers are not constructed to win two high-pressure games in a 48-hour span.

The one stat that bodes particularly well for Bob Huggins' crew is the 13th-hardest SOS. Playing in the Big East helps, but the committee has to love seeing a team go out of conference to play a potential Final Four team in Baylor. Then again, that’s the only Top 50 RPI team they played outside of the Big East, so it might be a moot point at this stage.

The Mountaineers have had plenty of opportunities to ensure they wouldn't be in this position, but couldn’t do enough with them. I know it’s the Big East, but 13 losses is simply too many for a team that doesn’t have a signature win.

It was a game where the loser would be placed on life reserve, and right now the pulse of West Virginia is barely beating.

It’s NIT city for WVU. 

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