9 seed West Virginia (19-14) gets the first round of the NCAA tournament underway as they take on 8 seed Maryland (21-12). The Mountaineers certainly had their share of highs and lows this season, but they ended the regular season on a relatively strong note, winning four of their last six games. Maryland has been a bit weaker down the stretch, going .500 in their last six games. What’s potentially more intriguing about this game is the rivalry angle, as these two teams are very geographically close and have a long history of heated showdowns. In my mind, this game is a bit of a toss up (as 8/9 games tend to be), but I’ve got Maryland winning this one as a substantially better defensive squad than the Mountaineers.
Big 12 MBB Preview: NCAA Tournament First Round
