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West Virginia Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Mountaineers

Mar 7, 2020; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Baylor Bears at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2020; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Baylor Bears at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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West Virginia Basketball
Bob Huggins West Virginia Basketball Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports /

Schedule

With nearly everyone from last year’s group returning, this West Virginia squad should be a lock for the NCAA tournament.  That being said, they will still have to compete in one of the strongest conferences in college basketball – and one that boasts two of the best teams this upcoming season.

Both Baylor and Kansas are projected to be top ten teams heading into next season – the former, arguably, may be the best team in college basketball alongside Gonzaga.  In addition, Texas and Texas Tech – the team’s picked to finish fourth and fifth in the Big 12, respectively – are expected to be top 25 squads.

The Big 12 is one of the few conferences to have a fully fleshed-out conference schedule set, and it follows the typical 18-game double round-robin format of previous years.  West Virginia’s trek through the Big 12 is slated to start on Dec. 18, hosting Iowa State, before traveling to Kansas four days later.

The Mountaineers will kick off 2021 in Oklahoma, taking on the Sooners on Jan. 2, and the Cowboys two days later.  Marquee matchups are spread out over the next two months – namely, a Jan. 12 showdown at Baylor and home tilts against Kansas and Baylor on Feb. 6 and Feb. 15, respectively.  The regular-season finale will come against Kansas State on Feb. 27, with the Big 12 Tournament beginning on Mar. 10.

Additionally, West Virginia has one of the more extensive – and public – non-conference schedules thus far.  The Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is loaded with talent – and West Virginia will have an opportunity immediately to cement themselves as one of the top teams in the country if they escape victorious.

The Crossover Classic will get underway at the start of the season, and West Virginia will take on Texas A&M in the opener on Nov. 25.  Ohio State or Memphis will follow the next day.  If the Mountaineers advance to the championship game, they will be greeted by one of Creighton, Dayton, Wichita State, or an undetermined fourth team – rumored to be South Dakota State, after Utah’s recent decision to drop out.

West Virginia’s remaining non-conference schedule will consist of at least six more games: Youngstown State on Dec. 2, Robert Morris on Dec. 9, an extremely good and potential top-25 squad in Richmond on Dec. 13, and Buffalo on Dec. 29 are four of those six.  The Mountaineers will partake in the Big East/Big 12 Battle again in early December, with their opponent yet to be named, as well as taking on Florida in late January in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.