West Virginia heads to the Legends of Basketball Showcase in Cleveland tomorrow to take on Ohio State.
The Mountaineers and Buckeyes are each off to different starts of sorts to the season. Ohio State is 10-2, and are ranked inside the top 30 of both the NET Rankings and in KenPom. The Buckeyes have played six games against teams ranked higher than WVU in KenPom (127) and they are 4-2 in those games.
West Virginia is currently 5-7 on the season, and Ohio State will be the toughest test they face so far this season. The Mountaineers are still having to play without Jesse Edwards at the center position, but got a boost the last two games with the return of RaeQuan Battle.
Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m., while the game will be televised on FOX.
Our staff gives their predictions for the game:
Ashley O’Brien: It will certainly be a Battle on Saturday night with RaeQuan Battle of WVU and Jamison Battle of Ohio State. I think this will be a spot where the Mountaineers are going to have to just play a gritty brand of basketball and use the veteran leadership of guys like Battle and Kerr Kriisa to help them get a big win. At some point, the veterans will make a play and for the Mountaineers in a big game and I think that happens tonight. WVU finds some magic and repeats what they did in Cleveland in 2019.
West Virginia 73, Ohio State 69
Wesley Shoemaker: West Virginia has to play their toughest game of the season, and they do so in win-now mode more than ever. If WVU wants to go anywhere, games like these are going to have to be won, even if they will be without Jesse Edwards. What better way to enter Big 12 play than with a regional matchup win at a neutral site. WVU was able to have some magic against No. 2 Ohio State in 2019, but I don’t think they will follow that up with another win this year. I think the Buckeyes are talented and deep and they can score the ball from deep and that will put a lot of stress on WVU’s perimeter defense. Also, hard to ask RaeQuan Battle to score 29 every game.
Ohio State 79, West Virginia 68
Patrick Reneau: In a highly anticipated matchup, West Virginia takes on Ohio State in a game that could honestly go any single way possible. WVU has an elite scorer in RaeQuan Battle but how will he do against an opponent such as Ohio State. In 2019, West Virginia defeated Ohio state for their first statement win of that season and I expect the same thing to happen in Cleveland this year.
West Virginia 76, Ohio State 72
Ryan Roddy: Saturday night the Mountaineers play Ohio State in a Legends of Basketball Showcase matchup. I predict this game to be high scoring, yet out of reach for WVU. RaeQuan Battle continues his hot start to his West Virginia career, but the Mountaineers struggle without their big man Jesse Edwards. I think West Virginia stays in up until the very end and falls short due to a great shooting display for the Buckeyes late in the second half.
Ohio State 91, West Virginia 82
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