Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Players to Watch: West Virginia Mountaineers

Wes Miller and the Bearcats renew a longtime rivalry with former Big East foe in West Virginia.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Jan 31, 2024 6:20 AM EST

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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bearcats (14-6, 3-4 Big 12) travel to Morgantown, West Virginia to take on a struggling West Virginia (7-13, 2-5 Big 12) squad.

Players to watch for the Mountaineers

Senior guard RaeQuan Battle leads the Mountaineers in scoring averaging nearly 16 points and four rebounds per game. Battle missed the first 10 games of the season while awaiting the decision of his waiver appeal but has since become the number one offensive threat for the Mountaineers since December.

Battle is an elite scorer, with great size standing 6-foot-5 using that to get downhill and create contact. Battle is shooting at an efficient 40% clip but has struggled shooting the three-ball (26% from behind the arch in 11 games this season).

This will be the matchup assignment if I had to guess for John Newman III, just as Battle has taken the NCAA by storm since becoming eligible back in December. It's safe to say this team goes, as Battle goes. We saw that over the last two games, where Battle combined for seven points on a poor 3-of-12 shooting.

Big center Jesse Edwards is slated to return after missing 10 games due to a broken wrist, and that is a huge impact player for the Mountaineers in the front court. The Syracuse transfer was averaging nearly 14 points and eight rebounds per game before the injury. However, he missed 10 games before returning for limited action over the weekend in the Mountaineers' loss to Oklahoma State.

Edwards provides great size and physicality in the front court and was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal this offseason. Edwards is a very efficient player around the basket shooting nearly 56% from the field this season, but his presence in the paint opens the floor and allows West Virginia to do so much more offensively. Edwards's ability to crash the glass is also something worth monitoring especially if the Bearcats get into early foul trouble.

Arizona transfer Kerr Kriisa was someone the Bearcats got an up close and personal look at last season when the two teams faced off in the Maui Invitational. However, Kriisa is still yet to find his true role this season for the Mountaineers after missing the first ten games of the season due to suspension, for impermissible benefits stemming from his time at Arizona.

Kriissa averages nearly 11 points, three rebounds, and four assists per game for the Mountaineers on 42% field goal shooting. The Mountaineer backcourt of Kriisa and Battle has shown they are capable of carrying the load for Josh Eilert this season, but it will be interesting to see what the tandem will be able to due on Wednesday night vs the Bearcats.

Players to watch for the Bearcats

This is a huge opportunity to see how Viktor Lakhin responds after missing the UCF game due to illness. The status of Lakhin is still worth monitoring as we have not had an official update as of yet on his status. Miller did mention after the UCF game that the Bearcats were battling an illness within the locker room over the last week and a half roughly.

The Russian forward will be able to alleviate some pressure off Aziz Bandaogo and the Bearcats in the paint with his size and physicality.

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