WVU Basketball

5 Things to Know Before WVU vs. Bellarmine

Published

5 months ago

November 26, 2023

Kelsie LeRose / WVSN

West Virginia will host Bellarmine on Sunday night at the WVU Coliseum. Let’s take a look at five things to know before the game.

Meet the Opponent: Bellarmine

Bellarmine returns to Morgantown for the first time since 2021 on Sunday. The Knights are in year four in Division-I and currently play in the Atlantic Sun.

So far this month Bellarmine is 2-4 with wins over Bowling Green (85-67) and Midway (77-56) with losses to Washington (91-57), Kansas State (83-75), Chattanooga (72-64) and Morehead State (64-51). Bellarmine is led by sophomore guard Ben Johnson, who is averaging 13.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Can WVU Bounce Back Without Another Home Loss?

After losing both games in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, West Virginia heads back home for a four-game homestand. The Mountaineers will host Bellarmine, St. John’s, Pitt and Drexel before playing UMass in Springfield on Dec. 16. West Virginia will be home for a while and will need to take advantage of it.

WVU already has an early season loss to Monmouth at home. With the up and down performance in Florida, WVU now sits at 2-3. The Mountaineers cannot afford another quad-four loss in November.

Nothing New on Battle, Akok

Most recently, the NCAA denied WVU G RaeQuan Battle immediate eligibility, resulting in him sitting out this season for now. West Virginia’s Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is coordinating with Battle’s attorney while the team looks to talk to the NCAA once more. WVU F Akok Akok (health) is expected to miss Sunday’s contest as well.

WVU G RaeQuan Battle Releases Statement: ‘I Will Not Go Quietly’

West Virginia will roll with Quinn Slazinski, the team’s leading scorer through five games, as well as Jesse Edwards, Kobe Johnson, Seth Wilson, Josiah Harris, Ofri Naveh and Patrick Suemnick. WVU G Jeremiah Bembry’s status is unknown for Sunday after missing the Fort Myers Tip-Off with an injury.