Over the last three weeks, West Virginia men’s basketball has hosted ranked opponents twice at the WVU Coliseum. Each time, the Mountianeers came out on top.
This Saturday, they will look to continue that trend, while also break multiple other ones as they face No. 22 BYU. The Cougars are coming off their bye week, while WVU is coming off a win against Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Our staff predicts the game:
Wesley Shoemaker: For West Virginia the question ahead of Cincinnati was does home cooking exist. It seemed like it didn’t exist, until they came back from a 10-point deficit with less than seven minutes to play. Now, they face a BYU team who is really good on offense, and can make a lot of three’s and in a hurry. For WVU, it’s also about can they break the streak of not winning two games in a row, something they haven’t done all season. Overall, I think this is a tough spot for WVU. You get a well rested team, who is really good and you’re on a somewhat short of rest after an emotional win. I think the Mountaineers hang around, but BYU shoots the ball too well in the second half.
BYU 77, West Virginia 68
Patrick Reneau: WVU picked up a much needed win against Cincinnati whilst having their back against the wall when down 10. Now the gauntlet continues with another newcomer in BYU who’s had an up and down start to conference play. The big difference for West Virginia now though is the evident connection that Kerr kriisa and Jesse Edwards have. The key to success will be continuing to ride that but also keeping everyone else involved. BYU, lead by senior guard Jaxson Robinson, are considered one of the best teams in the country according to the NET and KenPom rankings. A win for West Virginia would be big, but I don’t see them pulling this one out.
BYU 79, West Virginia 73
Ryan Roddy: West Virginia found a spark in their last game defeating Cincinnati with a late run. Jesse Edwards was monumental in the victory with 25 points and 10 boards to go along with four blocks. Now, they face a tough task in No. 22 BYU. The Mountaineers have undoubtedly played best at home, with all of their eight wins coming in the WVU Coliseum, including two wins over ranked opponents (Texas and Kansas) and just one loss in conference play. The Cougars pose a huge threat all-around with multiple players averaging 10+ points per game and a defense that holds opponents to under 70 points on average. If WVU plays as a cohesive unit and uses the energy of the crowd to their advantage as they have done, I predict they’ll come away with a surprising victory before a week off ahead of a two-game road trip in Texas.
West Virginia 72, BYU 69
