Despite talented rosters, both the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Baylor Bears sit at 0-3 through three games in Big 12 conference play.
WVU is coming off its largest loss of the season after No. 2 Kansas made quick of the Mountaineers, dropping them by 14 points inside a sold out WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers will have a chance to redeem themselves in front of another sellout crowd, as the 10-5 Baylor Bears come to town, and one player on the Bears’ squad will rub the WVU faithful the wrong way.
Jalen Bridges, the former Fairmont, WV native, will make his return to the Coliseum after transferring from WVU’s program in the offseason. In Bridges’ first season under head coach Scott Drew, the former Fairmont Senior Polar Bear is averaging nearly nine points and five rebounds per game and has started every game.
In Baylor’s last game against Kansas State, Bridges scored 11 points and made a game-tying three-pointer in the final minute of regulation to send the contest to overtime.
While there’s no doubt the West Virginia crowd will focus its attention to the former Mountaineer Bridges, the Bears have other weapons that can turn this game in their favor.
Returning from last year’s Baylor squad is Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer in the back court. Flagler has been with Drew and the Bears since 2020, winning a National Championship in his first season after transferring from Presbyterian. Flagler is a problem for defenses, as the senior gets 16.7 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 48% from three-point range.
Adding to the experienced Baylor back court is LJ Cryer. Cryer is averaging 13.8 points per game and shoots 43% from the field.
A talent that Drew added to the back court is freshman Keyonte George. George was a five-star recruit from Texas, and in his first collegiate season, the 19-year old is putting up 16.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. George shoots the ball a lot, but he can score, as the freshman registered 27 points against TCU, 22 points against Kansas State, and 16 against Iowa State.
As for WVU, the battered back court will need to be on top of its game against the quick, athletics Bears. On Tuesday, head coach Bob Huggins called fifth-year senior Kedrian Johnson a “game-time decision” at this point. Johnson missed WVU’s game against Kansas with a concussion, and Joe Toussaint moved into the starting lineup. Johnson’s presence on the defensive end and his ability to bring the ball down the floor will be needed by this Mountaineer team if they want to match up well.
Staying along the theme of guard play, WVU has a certain player that can turn into an x-factor when on his game, and that is Erik Stevenson. Stevenson has been a bit off his game since league play began, as the senior only scored seven points in WVU’s loss against Kansas State, and tho he scored 17 against Oklahoma State, he fouled out with nearly six minutes left in a tight game.
Stevenson struggled against the Jayhawks, shooting 4-for-19 from the field and 0-for-5 from three-point range. Despite the recent struggles, Stevenson is an experienced player, and he has shown his ability to take over a game, as the Washington native scored 16 points against Pitt while shooting 7-for-12. Stevenson also added 16 points against Xavier, 21 points against Penn, and 15 points against Florida.
Assuming Kedrian Johnson is either out or limited on Wednesday night, bench bodies such as Toussaint and Seth Wilson will be vital for WVU’s success. Toussaint, the Iowa transfer, has provided solid minutes for Huggins off the bench, and in games against Pitt and UAB, he was the spark the Mountaineers needed off the bench, scoring 18 and 14 points in those contests.
Wilson is still in a limited role in his second season, as the sophomore averages only 15 minutes per game. Despite that, Wilson has shown that he can shoot the ball, as the Ohio native scored 12 points while shooting 4-for-5 from three-point range against Portland State in the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament. Wilson also added eight points off the bench against Xavier, while going 2-for-4 from three-point range.
Both the Bears and the Mountaineers have taken their lumps early in conference play, as both teams have dropped two conference games by seven or less points. Baylor and West Virginia share an overtime loss to Kansas State, as the Bears lost by two points at home and the Mountaineers fell by six on the road.
Although Baylor and West Virginia have not had enough to pull out an early conference win yet, both teams have the ability to be at the top of the standings as the season progresses. Unfortunately, one talented club will be 0-4 in league play after Wednesday.
The Bears and Mountaineers will clash on Wednesday, January 11 from the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. and the action will be aired on ESPN+.
