5 Things to Know Before WVU vs. UMass

WVU and UMass are set to battle it out in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Saturday in Springfield, Mass. Let’s take a look at five things to know before the game.

Meet the Opponent: UMass

UMass enters Saturday’s game with a 5-2 record with a notbale win over South Florida. The Minutemen have lost to Harvard (78-75 OT) and Towson (81-71). The Minutemen are led by frontcourt duo Josh Cohen and Matt Cross. Cohen is leading the team in points (18.0) and rebounds (8.0) per game.

UMass has a top-70 adjust tempo, according to KenPom, which could give West Virginia issues. WVU has played slow this season after having a short-handed roster. Now that changes with some returnees.

WVU Returns Battle, Farrakhan, Kriisa

West Virginia had their best week all season despite not playing a single game. It all started with Kerr Kriisa completing his nine-game suspension following the Drexel win last weekend. Kriisa was suspended right before the regular season started for making unauthorized benefits while at Arizona. WVU wasn’t aware of this until August and the NCAA suspended him for the first six weeks of the season.

The good news continued as the TRO ruling on Wednesday resulted in Judge John P. Bailey restricting the NCAA from using their transfer rules on a temporary basis. This allows RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan to be eligible for the Mountaineers starting on Saturday.

This trio debuting for the Mountaineers joins Akok Akok, who also returned to the team last Wednesday in the Backyard Brawl against Pitt. Now WVU has 13 players available to play.

Eilert to Face-Off Against Familiar Face

WVU interim HC Josh Eilert will go against a familiar face in Frank Martin on Saturday. Eilert and Martin have been on the same coaching staff together while at Kansas State under Bob Huggins. Martin is currently in his second season at UMass after stints at K-State and South Carolina.

Betting Lines

The spread for the WVU-UMass game is currently WVU -3.5. The over/under is set at 149.5.

How to Watch

West Virginia and UMass will tip off at 6:30 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center on Saturday. The Mountaineers and Minutemen will be on ESPNU.