Are the West Virginia Mountaineers a legitimate Final Four contender?

The West Virginia Mountaineers are less than a month away from college basketball season officially tipping off, and Ross Hodge will embark on his second season at the helm of the program. The question that remains is just how far he can take the program this early in his tenure.

And there are some people who apparently believe that Hodge currently has a team that can make a lot of noise. How much noise? Perhaps as much noise as a run to the Final Four.

Andy Katz predicts West Virginia as Final Four dark horse

Andy Katz, who serves as an analyst for NCAA.com covering college basketball, just dropped a list of 10 dark horse Final Four contenders, and he included the Mountaineers on his list. Also included on the list were TCU, Providence, Missouri, VCU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Marquette, Maryland, and Grand Canyon.

So, is a Final Four really a possibility in West Virginia's immediate future? Well, probably not this year. It's probably best to lower expectations on that front.

You've got to think, wiith Brenen Lorient, you'll have just one starter from last season back. The player you're counting on to be your star is a true freshman. And most of these players outside of Jenkins and Lorient have not played with each other before this year.

None of that exactly spells a recipe for the type of success needed for a team to make a Final Four run. Is West Virginia an NCAA Tournament team? Yeah, probably. Perhaps even a Sweet 16 team if things click as Hodge is probably hoping they will. But it takes an elite team to make the Final Four, and the current roster looks good – but not neccessarily elite.

And this is all assuming that that Brenen Lorient and Javan Buchanan do end up playing. They have been granted an injunction to play this coming year, but the NCAA has since appealed that ruling, and has won several similar appeals in recent months.

And if neither of those athletes end up playing, that lowers the ceiling for this team significantly. To the point that their might be a debate on whether the team even makes the NCAA Tournament. So the current reality is likely no, the Mountaineers will not be a Final Four contender.

But the fact that Hodge has put together a roster worthy of being considered a dark horse for the Final Four by national analysts, and is regarded highly enough as a coach that their is a belief he can get West Virginia back to their first Final Four appearance in 17 years, is a good sign. That means the program is likely in the right hands, and that's a reason for West Virginia fans to be excited.

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