*Photo by Charleston Gazette*
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - U92 The Moose will travel to Charleston to broadcast the Holiday Hoopfest, as West Virginia meets Wake Forest for the 11th time.
WVU leads the all-time series 7-3. The teams last met on March 19, 2005, when the Mountaineers defeated the No. 5 seed Demon Deacons in a double-overtime NCAA Tournament thriller. Mike Gansey scored 29 points, including 19 in the two overtime periods, while senior Tyrone Sally added 21 before fouling out. Wake Forest All-American Chris Paul finished with 22 points.
This year’s matchup marks WVU’s first appearance at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center since Dec. 7, 2016, when the Mountaineers defeated Western Carolina 90-37.
WVU head coach Ross Hodge said returning to Charleston is meaningful for the program.
“When I got the job, there were a lot of people around the state, in particular down in the southern part of the state, that really enjoyed games in Charleston,” Hodge said. “They played a lot of games there in the past, but we haven’t played one there since 2016. That was something that was important to myself and my staff, to not only get a game there but a quality opponent in Wake Forest, so it should be exciting.”
Wake Forest enters the contest at 6-3, with losses to several top programs, including No. 3 Michigan, where the Demon Deacons fell 65-64.
West Virginia comes in at 7-2 following a 91-49 win over Coppin State. Senior guard Honor Huff led the Mountaineers with 17 points, shooting 5 of 15 from the field and 5 of 14 from 3-point range.
Hodge’s roster features multiple standouts. North Texas transfer Jasper Floyd leads the Big 12 with 24 steals, and Huff ranks second in the conference with 31 made 3-pointers.
Sports Director Quinn Robie will call the action with Brett Berner providing color commentary. Coverage begins at 6 p.m.
Pregame begins at 5:30 p.m. with host Andrew Hartlove, joined by Blake Fuchs, Curtis Shinn and John Doucette.
Listeners can tune in on 91.7 FM in Morgantown, online at u92themoose.com, on Alexa-enabled devices or through the TuneIn app.