Alright so I gotta come clean right away – I got suckered into this whole state tournament prediction gig because my nephew plays JV ball down in Charleston. Kid won’t shut up about “uncle you should analyze this!” Fine, fine. Pulled out my ancient laptop covered in coffee stains and dove in headfirst.
The Wild Goose Chase Begins
Figured it’d be easy – just Google “who gonna win WV basketball 2025” right? Big mistake. Ended up scrolling through:
- Some sketchy forum where people argued whether point guards should chew gum during games
- A weather site predicting snow patterns instead of scores
- Five different “Top 10 Teams!!!” lists that all named completely different schools
Seriously. Felt like herding cats. Finally said screw it and grabbed my old-school notebook – the paper kind with ripped corners.
My Data Mining Operation (aka Calling Coaches)
Started ringing up coaches I knew from way back. Half didn’t pick up – tournament season’s crazy. The ones who answered?
- Martinsburg’s coach just laughed: “Everyone’s chasing our big man #34. Good luck.” Cocky.
- Parkersburg South guy sounded exhausted: “We lost three seniors to graduation. Still figuring things out.” Ouch.
- Woodrow Wilson’s staff got hype about their sophomore point guard: “Kid sees the court like nobody else. Wait ’til March.”
Took notes till my hand cramped. So much for fancy spreadsheets – half my notes were in the margins.
Putting My Own Eyes on Tape
Finally sat down with last season’s championship highlights and a giant bag of chips. Made tally marks whenever:
- Teams ran full-court press
- Key players looked gassed by the 4th quarter
- Some poor kid airballed free throws
Realized George Washington High kept murdering teams with fast breaks late in games – endurance is no joke. Meanwhile, Morgantown’s defense looked like a brick wall unless their center got in foul trouble.
The Final Showdown In My Spreadsheet
Stared at my messy stats until 2 AM. Coffee was cold. Notebook looked like a toddler scribbled on it. But here’s where things shook out:
- Contenders: Martinsburg (size), Woodrow Wilson (young talent), George Washington (speed)
- Sleepers: Huntington High if their shooter gets hot, Cabell Midland with lockdown defense
- Probably Not: Any team with more than two starters under 6’ tall – hate to say it but height matters
Look, my gut’s screaming Martinsburg vs. Woodrow Wilson finals. Martinsburg’s got muscle, but Woodrow’s got that sophomore magic. If the kid stays healthy? My money’s on Woodrow pulling the upset. Yeah I said it. Fight me.
But honestly? Ask me tomorrow and I might flip sides again. March Madness hits different here in the mountains – anything can happen.