WVU Basketball Wants to Make the Most of Break Before Big 12 Play

WVU basketball is in its slowest part of the season as the Mountaineer will play just one game over the next two weeks.

“I’m excited about it for us,” WVU coach Darian DeVries said after the team’s win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. “You get a little bit of a break and really it’s like preseason practices.”

In the 17 days between the game against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14 and the start of Big 12 play at Kansas on Dec. 31, the Mountaineers will play just once, on Sunday, Dec. 22 against Mercyhurst.

“We kind of got through a long stretch right here of non-conference play, but we’ve got one left so we’ve got to make sure we finish this strong,” DeVries said. “Then we get a few days off before we prepare for league play.”

The time off is due to a combination of finals week for the players and a break for the holidays.

The extra time off comes at a fortuitous time for WVU basketball as the team is dealing with an injury to star player Tucker DeVries. 

With the senior out “indefinitely,” the Mountaineers are learning how to play without him and which lineups will work best in his absence. WVU has used two difference starting lineups in the two games since DeVries’s injury.

“Having guys in different spots is the biggest thing right now for being able to play fast without thinking so they know where they’re supposed to be,” Coach DeVries said. “Those are the things we’ll have to clean up as we move forward.”

WVU’s game against the Lakers on Sunday will tip off at 2 p.m. inside the WVU Coliseum and be broadcast on ESPN+.

For a related story, non-conference wins aren’t moving the needle much for WVU basketball.