After a crushing 80-59 defeat at No. 3 Iowa State University on Jan. 2 in the team’s Big 12 opener, WVU Men’s Basketball now opens its conference home slate with a duel against the University of Cincinnati at Hope Coliseum.
The Mountaineers, under first-year Head Coach Ross Hodge, sit at 8-5 on the season, but are a perfect 8-0 at Hope Coliseum. WVU is 1-4 against Power Four opponents, with a home win in the Backyard Brawl against the University of Pittsburgh being its lone triumph.
Cincinnati is 8-6 on the season and is 0-4 against P4 opponents.
WVU is led by a hodgepodge of transfers and first-year players, with senior guard Honor Huff leading the way in points and triples. The Mountaineers play aggressively on defense, but struggle at times to garner consistent offensive output in half-court sets.
The Bearcats have two former Mountaineer guards, Sencire Harris and Kerr Kriisa. However, Kriisa is listed as doubtful to play in tonight's game.
WVU was without senior forward Brenen Lorient in the loss to ISU. Lorient is a big part of the offense’s connection as a high-point playmaker and cutter on the backdoor; he is questionable to play against Cincinnati.
WVU is ranked No. 69 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings Net Rating statistic, while Cincinnati sits four spots ahead at No. 65. The Bearcats have the second-worst offensive rating out of all Power Four programs, at 106, with only Boston College being worse.
A defensive battle is expected as students begin to return from winter break and U92 The Moose will broadcast the entire showdown between the Mountaineers and Bearcats!
The Daily Athenaeum’s Executive Sports Editor, Bryce Cohen, will have play-by-play duties and U92’s Assistant Sports Director, Nico Caretto, will join him as the color commentator. Sports Director Quinn Robie and Matt Foley will bring pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.
The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. Eastern at Hope Coliseum and pregame coverage will begin at 6:30. The broadcast can be heard locally on 91.7 FM in Morgantown, online at U92TheMoose.com, on the TuneIn app and on Alexa-enabled devices.