2022-23 Record Predictions for WVU Basketball
The West Virginia Mountaineer men's basketball team will tipoff the 2022-23 season Monday, November 7 at 7:00 pm against Mount St. Mary's.
Schuyler Callihan: 14-17, 6-12
This is going to be another tough year for Mountaineer basketball. There's a ton of turnover from last year's roster with just five players returning (Kobe Johnson, Kedrian Johnson, Seth Wilson, Jamel King, and James Okonkwo). Of those five, Kedrian Johnson was the only one to average over 10 minutes per game last season.
The additions of Erik Stevenson and Joe Toussaint will help solidify the backcourt, but there are still some kinks for them to work through and it may take some time for that to happen. True freshman Josiah Harris is going to be a building block for this program's future but he's so young.
Combine all of the young and inexperience of playing together with having what is thought to be the most challenging schedule in the history of WVU basketball and you're going to get a team that's going to finish at or near the bottom of the Big 12 standings. The future is bright in Morgantown although it may not appear as so this season.
Christopher Hall: 18-13, 7-11
I might be a bit optimistic at 18-13 but I think this group will stick together through the rigorous Big 12 Conference schedule and battle to get into the postseason.
This group has talent and seems to have boughten into Huggs' philosophy, but chemistry on the court will take time.
The biggest concern for me going into the season is the front court. St. Louis/ Moberly Area C.C. transfer Jimmy Bell cut approximately 70 pounds in the offseason, while it will help him run the floor, it will be a huge learning curve to play underneath in the Big 12 without the extra weight and Texas transfer Tre Mitchell has been banged up this offseason where he averaged 8.7 points 4.0 rebounds per game.
The guards should be solid highlighted by Erik Stevenson and the lone returning starter from last year, Kedrian Johnson. They have a Daxter Miles and Jevon Carter feel to them. They are competitive and pride themselves on the defensive end.
Then, there's Emmitt Matthews Jr. He should be the "glue guy" that keeps this team together while Stevenson will be the fire in the belly this group needs.
History is on the side of the Huggins and the Mountaineers. Huggins has never had consecutive losing seasons. While there was not big jumps in the last two losing season under Huggins, there was not a transfer portal full of talented players.
It's going to be a battle all season, there will be frustrating moments but there should be some fun nights as well. Give the Mountaineers 18 regular season wins, a pair of wins in the Big 12 tournament and trip back to the NCAA tournament.
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