WVU Basketball

5 Things to Know Before WVU vs. UCF

Published

3 months ago

January 23, 2024

Kelsie LeRose / WVSN

WVU Basketball traveled down to Orlando, Fl. to prepare for a Tuesday night matchup with UCF. Let’s take a look at five things to know before the game.

Meet the Opponent: UCF

UCF enters Tuesday’s game sitting at 11-6 and 2-3 in Big 12 play. The Knights have been an early surprise in the conference as the team wasn’t expected to hand Kansas and Texas losses this early. UCF HC Johnny Dawkins is in his eighth season in Orlando and is led by guards Jaylin Sellers (17.1 ppg) and Darius Johnson (13.5 ppg). The Knights also have a top-30 defense, as opponents average 15.7 turnovers per game.

West Virginia will have another quad-1 win opportunity on Tuesday.

Common Results Between WVU/UCF

West Virginia and UCF both have two wins in Big 12 play, both over Kansas and Texas. WVU beat KU and UT the last two weekends at home, while the Knights beat the Jayhawks in Orlando and Texas on the road.

Both teams have also lost to Kansas State and Houston.

Edwards’ Status Unknown

Jesse Edwards, WVU’s big man, has been out of action since Dec. 16 with a fractured right wrist. Edwards recently had his brace removed and has returned to basketball activities. The 6-foot-11 center warmed up and was dressed against Kansas on Saturday.

WVU interim HC Josh Eilert had conversations with Edwards about going against the Jayhawks but the result was an emergency situation if Edwards was needed. Eilert spoke with the media over Zoom on Monday morning, leaving Edwards’ status for the UCF game up on the air.

“[Monday] when we travel down to Orlando, we’ll see where he’s at, what his comfort level is and throw him out there probably at some more five-on-five to see where he is,” Eilert said. “It’s a fluid situation. Not sure if he’ll go tomorrow or not but the good thing is Pat [Suemnick] is playing really well and giving us great minutes. We don’t have to force the issue as much as we probably would have maybe a week or so ago.”