MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In West Virginia’s 72-59 loss at UCF last month, the Mountaineers lost the battle on the boards and they were unable to handle the physicality that the Knights brought to the floor.
A change in strategy and a healthy Jesse Edwards made all the difference Tuesday night in front of 8,882 fans at the Coliseum as the Mountaineers defeated UCF, 77-67.
Feb 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers center Jesse Edwards (7) celebrates with teammates after defeating the UCF Knights at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Edwards notched his fifth double-double of the season with a 15-point, 10-rebound effort as WVU put a stop to their four-game losing streak.
“It is a physical team and we knew that coming in, especially after the last game,” Edwards said. “So we expected it and I think we did a good job with it.”
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“Having him made a tremendous difference, especially opening up our guard play,” said WVU head coach Josh Eilert.
“You are talking about a 7-plus-footer who is very mobile and active,” said UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. “He really finishes well around the basket. If he gets the ball down low, you can pretty much mark two points.”
Edwards’ play, combined with a steady diet of zone defenses, forced the Knights into taking quick shots from the perimeter. UCF made just 9-of-38 shots from beyond the arc.
“We changed some things up defensively in our man and went back-and-forth with our defenses. Certainly, our guys took that and ran with it and executed it. Credit to out guys for taking that approach, especially after the loss in Orlando,” Eilert said.
“I told our guys, ‘They are going to make some shots. We can’t get frustrated when they do. That’s what we are going to live with’.”
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WVU outrebounded UCF, 42-36.
“The hardest thing to do in the zone is to rebound out of it because you don’t have a man,” said WVU forward Quinn Slazinski. “What helps with that is us being vocal. Guys were stepping up. It is hard being vocal for the whole game because it was very tiring. We were able to do that.”
“We settled for too many threes,” Dawkins said. “On the road, you can’t do that. Our guys got caught up with getting looks, taking them and settling.”
Feb 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Josiah Harris (22) celebrates during the second half against the UCF Knights at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia led wire-to-wire after quickly jumping out to a seven-point lead before the first media timeout. The Mountaineers built a 13-point lead in the opening half before UCF closed the gap to seven points, 37-30, at halftime.
The Mountaineers kept the Knights at a distance on the scoreboard in the second half. UCF crept within six points (62-56) with 6:30 to play before WVU pulled away down the stretch.
RaeQuan Battle led the Mountaineers with 24 points. It was his eighth 20-plus point game of the season. In his last three games, Battle has scored 70 points.
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“Really just stay the course and don’t let them knock you off your trail. That’s kind of what I did today. I wasn’t trying to talk back to them if they tried to get in my head like last game,” Battle said.
“It is a lesson learned. I just turned it around, especially after a game like Texas when we got blown out of the water. That was when I was like, ‘Alright, I just need to relax and play the game I have always been playing my whole life’.”
“He is doing a lot better of a job in letting the game come to him and being patient with it,” Eilert said. “He is going to get his touches one way or the other.”
Slazinski scored 14 points for the Mountaineers. Josiah Harris scored eight points while making all three of his attempts from the floor in 11 minutes.
“He was excellent coming in,” Eilert said. “We need to find some more minutes for him.”
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Kerr Kriisa scored seven points and dished out a game-best seven assists.
Feb 20, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Josh Eilert yells out a play during the second half against the UCF Knights at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia (9-17, 4-9 Big 12) has drawn even with UCF (13-12, 4-9) in the conference standings. WVU hopes to avoid playing on Day 1 of the Big 12 Tournament, which the bottom four teams will do.
“As much as you guys want us to win, we want it ten times more. I know the fans are so great. But the league is so hard,” Slazinski said.
“Our staff has done a great job in trying to motivate us and keep us locked in for these last few games to really see if we can make something happen in the tournament.”
The Mountaineers will visit Iowa State Saturday and Kansas State on Monday.
“It is critical at this juncture, especially when you go on the road and play two really tough opponents,” Eilert said. “K-State has had their struggles but they are as hard as anyone to beat in Bramlage. You have a two-game road trip. Hilton and Bramlage are not fun places to play.”
Join the Main Street Morgantown family-friendly holiday shopping event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 13) in Downtown Morgantown.
The event will feature a district-wide scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes and the opportunity to explore holiday pop-up markets by Hoot and Howl, The Co-Op and Apothecary Ale House.
While exploring downtown shops, participants who spot DASH the Dog can collect stamps. Each stamp brings participants closer to the chance of winning prizes from downtown merchants such as gift cards and goods. To qualify for prizes, completed Downtown Dash Guides with five or more stamps must be turned into Hoot and Howl, The Co-Op, Apothecary Ale House or at Breezeline’s play-to-win tent on Courthouse Square.
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As a break from shopping, parents and their little ones can visit Kids Craft, Cookies & Cocoa Central at the WARD Building to enjoy a complimentary hot cocoa and cookie bar and children’s crafts provided by Hotel Morgan sponsored by Main Street Morgantown and Breezeline.
Visitors can also visit the beautiful 25-foot-tall holiday tree on display at Courthouse Square, a collaboration between the City of Morgantown, Monongalia County and Main Street Morgantown.
Sponsored by Breezeline, the Downtown Dash celebrates the holiday season, promotes walking and shopping throughout the downtown district, and supports local businesses by driving foot traffic directly to storefronts.
WHEELING, W.Va. — The West Virginia First Foundation visited the Wheeling Police Department to commend its efforts in addressing the area’s mental health and opioid crisis.
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger presented to the WVFF board, highlighting the department’s progress.
Schwertfeger attributed a 14% decrease in Group A crimes from 2024 to 2025 to the department’s crisis intervention program.
“Just another great partnership,” he said. “More collaboration in this area that we are very proud of and we want to keep the momentum going,.”
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WVFF Executive Director Jonathan Board praised the program’s success.
“This in particular, the CIT program, that isn’t just in the ether, but is showing success – actual scientific success about de-escalation, about bringing together services providers and to boots on the ground and first responders, this is vitally important to not only this region but the entire state,” Board said.
The visit was part of WVFF’s ‘Hold the Line’ tour across the state.
Now that you know about West Virginia’s2026 recruiting class, I figured it’d be a good time to give a little insight into those who were once committed to the Mountaineers and landed elsewhere.
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What happened, and where did they go?
QB Brodie McWhorter (Mississippi State)
McWhorter committed to Neal Brown and his coaching staff, but reopened his recruitment when the coaching change was made. Rich Rodriguez did recruit him at the beginning, holding several conversations with him before backing off and pursuing Jyron Hughley and Legend Bey. Hughley committed, Bey committed to Ohio State (signed with Tennessee), while WVU added two more quarterbacks in Wyatt Brown and John Johnson III.
RB Jett Walker (Texas)
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Walker fit the bill for what Rodriguez wanted in the backfield. A big, physical presence who could absorb contact and hammer it in between the tackles. With multiple backs committed and feeling good about a few others, WVU didn’t feel pressed to hold onto him. Walker flipped to Minnesota and then flipped to Texas just three weeks later
WR Jeffar Jean-Noel (Georgia Tech)
Jean-Noel was the second recruit to commit to Rodriguez in the 2026 class, but reopened his recruitment in mid-April. He then considered Purdue, Pitt, Kentucky, UCF, and Florida State before landing at Georgia Tech.
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OL Justyn Lyles (Marshall)
The Mountaineers had a number of offensive line commits, and with the late additions of Kevin Brown and Aidan Woods, and their chances of securing Jonas Muya, Lyles took a visit to Marshall and flipped his commitment.
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LB Caleb Gordon (North Carolina)
Gordon’s commitment to WVU was very brief. As a matter of fact, it was the shortest of the bunch, announcing his pledge on November 24th and then flipping to NC State on the first day of the early signing period (December 3rd).
LB Daiveon Taylor (Kent State)
Taylor was the first commit in the class; however, it was so early that he was committed to Neal Brown’s staff, announcing his decision in April of 2024. He backed off that pledge the very day Brown was fired (December 1st) and eventually signed with Kent State.
CB Emari Peterson (unsigned)
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Peterson decommitted from WVU just days before signing day, likely due to the Mountaineers zeroing in on a pair of JUCO corners in Rayshawn Reynolds and Da’Mun Allen. He will sign in February and currently has offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Liberty, LSU, South Florida, Southern Miss, Texas A&M, Toledo, Wake Forest, and a few others.
S Aaron Edwards (committed to Tulsa)
West Virginia chose to part ways with Edwards and ultimately replaced his spot with fellow JUCO safety Da’Mare Williams.
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S Jaylon Jones (undecided)
Jones decommitted in late October and did not sign during the early signing period. He will likely choose between Central Michigan, Hawai’i, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Texas State.
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S Taj Powell (Louisville)
Taj is the brother of former Mountaineer basketball guard Jonathan Powell, who is now at North Carolina. He decommitted the day after West Virginia lost to Ohio and flipped to Louisville that same day.
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