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WHEN/WHERE
Date: Saturday, November 24th
Tip-Off Time: 2:00PM ET
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
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WATCH/LISTEN
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
Streaming Video: Today’s game will be streamed across multiple platforms for users outside of the AT&T SportsNet viewing footprint. The stream will be available on WVUsports.com and the WVU Gameday App. Additionally, fans will be able to tune in live via Roku and Apple TV by searching for the “MountaineerTV” channel on each device.
Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates); Sirius 94, XM 210
Streaming Audio: Locate the Mountaineers Sports Network from IMG on TuneIn Radio (or the TuneIn app for smartphones)
ODDS
Spread: West Virginia -16
Total: 139.5 Points
THE ENEMY
Where are they from? Valparaiso, Indiana
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Series History: Valparaiso leads the all-time series 1-0.
Last Time: The only other meeting took place on Dec. 28, 2001, in the opening game of the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Arizona. West Virginia led 32-31 at halftime before Valpo came away with a 76-57 victory.
SB Nation Blog: Underdog Dynasty
Record: 3-2
Record in 2017-18: 15-17 (6-12 Missouri Valley Conference)
Head Coach: Matt Lottich (3rd Season)
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PROBABLE STARTERS
West Virginia
| No. | Name | Pos | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Stats |
| 23 | Esa Ahmad | F | 6-8 | 225 | Sr. | 13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg |
| 21 | Wesley Harris | F | 6-8 | 200 | Jr. | 6.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg |
| 50 | Sagaba Konate | F | 6-8 | 250 | Jr. | 12.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg |
| 10 | Jermaine Haley | G | 6-7 | 215 | Jr. | 2.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg |
| 14 | Chase Harler | G | 6-3 | 210 | Jr. | 6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg |
Valparaiso
| No. | Name | Pos | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Pos | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Stats |
| 21 | Derrik Smits | C | 7-1 | 240 | Jr. | 12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg |
| 0 | Javon Freeman | G | 6-3 | 175 | Fr. | 13.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg |
| 2 | Deion Lavender | G | 6-3 | 205 | Sr. | 9.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg |
| 4 | Bakari Evelyn | G | 6-2 | 180 | Jr. | 9.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg |
| 35 | Ryan Fazekas | G | 6-7 | 200 | Jr. | 12.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg |
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. The Mountaineers did a better job at this vs. Saint Joseph’s, but Valparaiso enters this game averaging over 6 steals per game. If we continue taking care of the ball, we should be okay.
HOW AFRAID SHOULD WE BE (ON A SCALE OF 1-10)?
Five. Last Saturday vs. Saint Joseph’s was an improvement, but until we see these Mountaineers show some consistency, it’s still #LemonBootySZN. Lamont West isn’t going to turn in career high performances every game, and we shouldn’t expect him to.
PREDICTION THAT WILL BE WRONG
Sagaba Konate has a career day, and the Crusaders just can’t keep up.
West Virginia 84, Valparaiso 71