Predicting WVU's Non-Conference Hoops Schedule

West Virginia's starting five and rotation will feature a bevy of newcomers as head coach Bob Huggins spent a lot of time mining the transfer portal this offseason.

Kerr Kriisa (Arizona), RaeQuan Battle (Montana State), Jose Perez (Manhattan), and Jesse Edwards (Syracuse) will likely join Tre Mitchell in the starting lineup while Omar Silverio (Manhattan) will be a key piece off the bench to go along with Joe Toussaint, Seth Wilson, Josiah Harris, James Okonkwo, Mohamed Wague, and others.

Many publications believe West Virginia had the best performance in the portal this offseason and because of it, they are expected to be back in the conversation in regards to being a Big 12 title contender.

Last month, WVU released its non-conference schedule, featuring notable matchups with St. John's, Pitt, and Ohio State in addition to an appearance in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

Although we are still several months away from the season getting underway and a lot of things can change, it looks to be a very favorable schedule for the Mountaineers. Could West Virginia go undefeated in non-conference play? It's possible but not likely. It's never happened in the history of WVU basketball. The Final Four team in 2010 and the Jerry West-led teams weren't even able to go unscathed in non-conference play. So, somewhere along the line, the Mountaineers will probably lose a game or two.

Which games will they win? Which ones could they lose? Here's my quick, way-too-early prediction for the non-conference schedule.

11/6 vs Missouri State - WIN

11/10 vs Monmouth - WIN

11/14 vs Jacksonville State - WIN

11/20-22 vs Virginia, Wisconsin, or SMU (Fort Myers Tip-Off)

Note: We won't know the matchups for the Fort Myers Tip-Off until later this summer but regardless of who WVU draws, it will be a challenging game. With that said, I can see WVU going 1-1 here. Don't see them winning or losing both games.

11/26 vs Bellarmine - WIN

12/1 vs St. John's - LOSS

12/6 vs Pitt - WIN

12/9 vs Drexel - WIN

*12/16 vs UMass (in Springfield, MA)

12/20 vs Radford - WIN

12/23 vs Toledo - WIN

*12/30 vs Ohio State (in Cleveland, OH) - WIN

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