The West Virginia Mountaineers have a little bit of basketball left to play, and it'll happen this coming week in the College Basketball Crown.
But most of the season, the Mountaineers and their fans harbored hopes of making it to the NCAA Tournament. And for certain, they had their opportunities to play their way into the Big Dance throughout the season and fell short. But just how close were they?
How close were the West Virginia Mountaineers to March Madness?
On Monday, Ross Hodge spoke with the media at a press conference, and he was asked about how far away he feels the Mountaineers are from being an NCAA Tournament team. And for Hodge, the answer wasn't very far – because he realizes just how close the Mountaineers came this past season.
"From being an NCAA Tournament team? I mean, this team was five or six possessions away from it, that close," Hodge said. "Obviously, the games that you had a chance to win and you needed to make one more play, whether it was the Clemson game, the Ohio State game, the Utah game at home, Oklahoma State on the road."
WVU HC Ross Hodge says West Virginia was "five or six possessions away" from being in the NCAA Tournament this past season.
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 30, 2026
"I mean, the combination of any two or three of those games, you are in the NCAA Tournament. And if you get into the NCAA Tournament, you can advance in the NCAA Tournament."
But even though the Mountaineers aren't getting their opportunity at the Big Dance this season, the program is still very grateful for the opportunity to see their season close out with more basketball at the College Basketball Crown.
"I think anytime you get a chance to put on a college uniform, and it's obviously something we've talked about with our seniors, and they could all tell you just how fast those four years really do go," Hodge said. "So any time you get a chance to represent your university and in our case a state themselves, you've got to take advantage of those opportunities."