Nostradamus of WVU Basketball

With my infinite powers (and having seen WVU play several games), I have decided to take it upon myself the task of predicting the rest of the basketball season. Now, mind you, this isn't easy. It takes a trained eye, omnipotence, and a keyboard. I just happen to possess all three.

So, here is how I see this year's season playing out:

• Arkansas-Monticello -- W


• Prairie View -- W


• Tennessee -- L


• New Mexico State -- W


• Maryland-Eastern Shore -- W


• Winthrop -- W


• @ Auburn -- W


• Duquesne -- W

OK, so we're 7-1 so far. A great start. A few more non-conference games...

• Maryland-Baltimore County -- W


• @ Radford -- W


• @ Canisius -- W


• Oklahoma -- W

11-1 after our non-conference slate (minus Marshall). This is an absolute dream start. While there is no marquee win, victories over Winthrop, @ Auburn, and Oklahoma will look good at the end of the season. We probably couldn't have played a worse game against Tennessee and were in that one until the end. All in all, I'll take it. Unfortunately, things get a lot tougher from here...

• @ Notre Dame -- L


• Marquette -- W


• @ Louisville -- L


• Syracuse -- W

Just a murderous start to the Big EAST campaign. Notre Dame is an extremely tough place to play, especially for WVU over the years. They will most likely be riding a 28 game home winning streak when we meet on January 3rd. Marquette, on the other hand, is a better team than Notre Dame. But, of course, they play in Morgantown, in front of what should be a raucous crowd. As for Louisville and Syracuse, both teams have disappointed, though both have a lot of talent. A split is likely.

• St. John's -- W


• @ South Florida -- W


• Marshall -- W

A nice breather in the middle of the season. I will be severely disappointed if we don't sweep all three of these games.

• Georgetown -- L


• Cincinnati -- W


• @ Providence -- L


• @ Pittsburgh -- L

Georgetown is almost a sure loss. They are a fantastic basketball team. Same with Pitt, at least in Pittsburgh. Providence is a tough game, especially in the Dunkin' Donuts Center. It's a game we'll be in, but sometimes, you lose games you probably shouldn't.

• Rutgers -- W


• Seton Hall -- W


• @ Villanova -- L

OK, here comes the home stretch. We're currently 19-7 and in pretty good shape for an NCAA berth. Just need to close out the season with a few W's to ensure a good seed in New York and an invite to the dance...

• Providence -- W


• @ DePaul -- W


• @ UConn -- L


• Pittsburgh -- W


• @ St. John's -- W

23-8 overall and 11-7 in conference. That, my friends, is a great season. There's no way, with that resume, that we'd be any less than a 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Marquee wins over Marquette and Pitt really help to solidify the record. And with the Big EAST as strong as it is, 11-7 is a real accomplishment. Probably good for a 5 seed in New York.