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West Virginia Basketball: West Virginia Mountaineers Have Easy Non-Conference Schedule

By Michael Bonaventura

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The West Virginia Mountaineers should have a very busy, yet very easy November.

Their non-conference schedule isn’t the hardest schedule I’ve ever seen, though it might not be the easiest.

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Even though I think that the Big 12 is a tough conference, I don’t think that they need to take it this easy in their non-conference schedule.

Through the month of November, I think that West Virginia will be undefeated. This will help to build the momentum that they need when it comes time for Conference play.

They start the season on November 13th against Northern Kentucky. I get it. Most teams want to start with a very easy opponent.

They want a team that they can come in and beat easily, get the spirits of the team up, and move on with high morale to harder opponents.

Now the Mounties do have a little bit of a tougher test in their next game on Nov. 16th against James Madison.

This game is played in Charleston, WV. Not a home game for WVU, but not really an away game either. This shouldn’t be a tough test, but James Madison always seems to give the Mounties fits.

WVU will have three more games in November. Again, these aren’t the hardest of games. These games shouldn’t even be mentioned, that’s how easy they should be for the Mounties.

Jan 5, 2015; Lubbock, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins on the sidelines during the game with the Texas TechRed Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Mountaineers have four days off before their next task. November 20th, they take on Stetson in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.

Even though it is a Las Vegas Invitational, this game will be played in Morgantown.  I think that the home game will benefit the Mountaineers.

They have another game in Morgantown in the Invitational, and that’s against Bethune-Cookman.

Both of these games will be an easy task for WVU. Their toughest test will happen when they actually get to Vegas. They take on Richmond in the first of two games once they arrive in Vegas.

The last game has yet to be determined, but it will be against either San Diego State or California.

I’m going to highlight a few key games that WVU will have going forward.

The first of these games will be against Virginia in Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic.

This is going to be a tough test for the Mountaineers. They will be playing on a big stage, in a remote location, against a tough opponent. Virginia isn’t a team to be taken lightly. Virginia will be integrating younger players into the lineup, like the Mounties, but they have something that WVU doesn’t, that’s size.

They have height and big bodies to bang around on the inside. The smallest person on Virginia’s team is 6’2”. Not to say WVU doesn’t have size, but they will have to use their speed to counteract Virginia’s size.

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    • After that, they have another big game against Marshall. Now, Marshall isn’t known for their basketball program, but it’s a rivalry game and that’s never an easy game to go into, especially after a tough game against Virginia.

    I’m interested to see what happens in this game. These teams always play each other hard, and I look for a lot of fouls to be had in this game.

    After getting a nice break from the holidays, WVU will have the Big 12/SEC Challenge where they will be taking on the Florida Gators.

    The Big 12 has always had a tough time in these games. I’m sure that WVU will hold their end of the bargain and take down the Gators.

    This is it for the non-conference games. After this, comes the real test for the Mountaineers, getting into conference games. Once you go into the conference schedule, anything can happen.

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