Ohio State vs West Virginia: 2023-24 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
The headline game of the Legends of Basketball Showcase is between Ohio State and West Virginia, a must-win game for both sides.
TV schedule: Saturday, December 30th, 7:00 pm ET, FOX
Arena: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio
It's been a rough season to this point in West Virginia (5-7) who has had roster changes almost every day. They're without star center Jesse Edwards, still out with a wrist injury. The good news is that newly-eligible transfers, RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan, have been highly impactful players for the team in the past couple of weeks.
Battle has scored 29 pts in the last two games, including in a 91-81 win over Toledo to snap a two-game losing skid. Three others were in double figures, including Kerr Kriisa with 12 pts and 10 asts. With Farrakhan (14.3 ppg) back, the backcourt finally has some scoring pop. Iona transfer Quinn Slazinski (15.9 ppg) has been a nice surprise as well but without any good wins on the resume, the Mountaineers desperately need a win against the Buckeyes this weekend.
Ohio State (10-2, 1-1 Big Ten) was bad last year but has seemingly bounced back, currently with two straight wins including over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. Bruce Thornton has become the team's best player, averaging 17.4 ppg and 4.1 apg in a sophomore breakout campaign. Roddy Gayle (13.8 ppg) is another key sophomore starter, while Jamison Battle has been an impact wing transfer, averaging 14.1 ppg.
We've seen Battle and Farrakhan against mid-major competition and can clearly score but defense has been a big issue. Ohio State is the toughest test for them to date. And that doesn't even include how WVU deals with the frontcourt of Zed Key and Felix Okpara without Edwards around.
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It's good that the Mountaineers has everyone back except Edwards. Unfortunately, they're a long way from competiting against power conference competition. Look for the Buckeyes to make a statement on Saturday.
Prediction: Ohio State 87, West Virginia 72