WVU Basketball

5 Things to Know Before WVU vs. Navy

Published

1 year ago

December 7, 2022

Photo: Kelsie LeRose / WVSN

West Virginia will look to bounce back from the Xavier loss over the weekend as they host Navy on Wednesday night. Here are five things to know before the game.

Can West Virginia Bounce Back?

West Virginia is coming off a terrible second half performance against Xavier that they wish they had back. The Mountaineers played terrific in the first half but let the foot off the gas in the second, falling 84-74. Luckily for WVU, the loss really didn’t hurt them statically. West Virginia was ranked No. 11 in the initial NET rankings that came out on Monday and still received vote points in the latest AP poll.

WVU’s two losses prove that they can compete with some of the best teams in the country. The question is can they bounce back against Navy? West Virginia’s next quality game is on Saturday against UAB. Hopefully for the team they don’t look ahead past Navy.

Meet the Opponent: Navy

During Bob Huggins’ press conference on Tuesday, the Hall of Fame coach stated that Navy is a well disciplined group. The Midshipmen come into Morgantown with a 5-3 record with notable wins over Youngstown State and Mount St. Mary’s. Navy averages 74.8 points per game while allowing 70.5 points per game. Navy F Tyler Nelson is the leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Young Players Should Get Good Minutes

So far this season most of the minutes played for West Virginia are by the fourth and fifth year seniors. Seth Wilson, Kobe Johnson and Mohamed Wague receive the most minutes as sophomores but neither average over 15 minutes per game. This game against Navy has the chance for the underclassmen to get into the game. Expect Josiah Harris and James Okonkwo to receive quality playing time if the Mountaineers are controlling the game.