5 overrated NCAA basketball teams that won’t be as good as you think next season

3. Most overrated NCAA basketball teams: West Virginia – FanSided Rank: No. 10

The Mountaineers finished last season 21-10 with a 10-9 mark in Big 12 play, and faded down the stretch of the season in conference play, losing six of their final nine games. However, they finished the season ranked 10th at KenPom, a ranking that indicates West Virginia was a better team than its results said it was.

As we enter 2020-2021, the questions become about which version is most correct: the one that came out like gangbusters firing on all cylinders or the version that faded down the stretch, heavily reliant on youth.

The frontline was led by Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver, both returning for their sophomore and junior seasons respectively. Tshiebwe put together a talented freshman season averaging 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, and his return to Morgantown despite dangling his feet in the NBA Draft waters gives Bob Huggins an impact player around which to build his 2020-2021 campaign. Incoming four-star freshman Isaiah Cottrell should contribute immediately out of the post and in the midrange.

West Virginia is going to need to find scoring from somewhere other than down low if they’re going to meet top-10 expectations. Last year’s team did not shoot the ball well, ranking 338th in the nation in 3-point percentage and 334th in free throw percentage. Returners Miles McBride and Emmitt Matthews need to lead the way in the shooting department.

This is going to be another version of West Virginia that we’ve been used to seeing: strong defensively, reliant on size and low-post scoring, and very streaky shooting the basketball. This could be a top-25 team for a good portion of the season, but it’s not going to score enough to win enough to be considered a top-10 caliber team.