West Virginia vs Western Kentucky Preview: Mountaineers and Hilltoppers set to clash for Myrtle Beach Invitational championship game berth

WHEN/WHERE

Date: Friday, November 16th

Tip-Off Time: 9:00PM ET

Where: The HTC Center, Conway, South Carolina

WATCH/LISTEN

TV: ESPNU

Streaming Video: Fans can watch the game on WatchESPN.com with an active cable subscription

Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates)

Streaming Audio: Locate the Mountaineers Sports Network from IMG on TuneIn Radio (or the TuneIn app for smartphones)

ODDS

Spread: West Virginia -7.5
Total: 148.5 Points

THE ENEMY

Where are they from? Bowling Green, Kentucky

Series History: West Virginia leads the all-time series 2-1.

Last Time: The last meeting was on March 13, 1987, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Syracuse, N.Y. Western Kentucky came away with a 64-62 win.

SB Nation Blog: Underdog Dynasty

Record: 2-1

Record in 2017-18: 27-11 (14-4 C-USA)

Head Coach: Rick Stansbury (3rd Season)

Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports

KEYS TO THE GAME

• Get the ball inside to Sags. West Virginia has struggled to get the ball down low for Sagaba Konate in its first two games. If they can start getting the ball into the post, we’ll start seeing this offense finally take the shape Bob Huggins wants.
• Limit Turnovers. This one plays into the first key a bit. West Virginia is averaging 18.5 turnovers a game this season so far, and is losing the turnover margin vs. opponents. The Mountaineers have seen numerous possessions killed by sloppy, forced passes. Clean it up, and things will start going our way.

HOW AFRAID SHOULD WE BE (ON A SCALE OF 1-10)?

Seven. Until I see proof that this team can form some sort of identity, it’s going to be extreme #LemonBootySZN. That’s not saying we’re going to lose every game, but the margins are going to be way to close for comfort. That’s not what we want.

PREDICTION THAT WILL BE WRONG

West Virginia struggles. Western Kentucky capitalizes on stupid turnovers. This one could honestly go either way, but the Mountainers somehow pull it out in the end.

West Virginia 78, Western Kentucky 75