West Virginia
Penny Hardaway Believes Ross Hodge Will ‘Take West Virginia Back to the Glory Days’
Penny Hardaway had a fantastic career in the NBA as a player, making four All-Star appearances, three All-NBA selections, and winning the 1993-94 Rookie of the Year Award. Now, he’s one of the best head coaches at the mid-major level, leading the Memphis Tigers.
In seven years as Memphis’s head coach, Hardaway has a record of 162-68 and three NCAA Tournament appearances. It’s safe to say the man knows what it takes to win, and knows a winner when he sees one.
On Thursday, Hardaway was asked about West Virginia’s hire of Ross Hodge, who he’s faced twice over the last two years, and gave the new Mountaineer head coach a glowing review.
“Ross is definitely one of my favorite coaches in the country. He is the next big-time coach to take West Virginia back to the glory days of winning and playing in NCAA Tournaments. He is arguably one of the best in the country defensively and his teams will always be a hard out. They are relentless in their efforts for 40 minutes. It’s one of the hardest teams that I have ever had to coach against because they are so tough.”
Hardaway and Hodge split their two meetings against each other with Hodge and the Mean Green taking the first game 76-66 last season and Memphis getting their revenge this season with a narrow 68-64 victory.
Hardaway isn’t the only college head coach who has praised Hodge, either. Michigan’s Dusty May, Baylor’s Scott Drew, and Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland also had great things to say about him, which you can read here.
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ESPN Analyst Says West Virginia Landed a ‘Program Builder’ in Ross Hodge
The Ohio State basketball team has had an up-and-down year so far. The record is respectable at 7-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, but by and large, it has beaten teams it was supposed to beat and lost in its two biggest contests.
The Buckeyes will try to get some forward momentum when they head to Cleveland to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Cleveland Hoops Showdown Saturday night. Much like Ohio State, the Mountaineers have had mixed reviews and lost games against the better competition. They sit at 8-3 overall.
As we pause for the Ohio State football team to get back in action, what better way to put your scarlet and gray colored glasses on than by watching OSU hoops try to notch another win in what we all hope is a berth in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season. If so, we’ve got all you need to know to find and watch the game on Saturday.
Stream Ohio State basketball vs. West Virginia
What channel is Ohio State vs. West Virginia on today?
- TV Channel: ESPNU
- Livestream: FuboTV (subscription to new subscribers may be available)
Ohio State-West Virginia will be televised nationally on ESPNU. John Schriffen (play-by-play) and King McClure (analyst) will call the action from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which may offer a free trial to new subscribers.
Ohio State vs. West Virginia game time today
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 13
- Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET
The Ohio State-West Virginia game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Stream Ohio State basketball vs. West Virginia
Ohio State vs. West Virginia, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday, Dec. 13
- Ohio State 72, West Virginia 67: This game will not be a free-flowing one and will look more like the game against Pitt than Illinois. That will benefit Ohio State with its ability to get into half-court sets and use its size and dribble penetration in the paint. It’ll be a lower-scoring, physical affair, but one in which the Buckeyes are able to outlast the Mountaineers.
- Spread: Ohio State -3.5
- Over/Under: 144
- Money line: Ohio State (-170), West Virginia (+145)
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
Cleveland; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Buckeyes -4.5; over/under is 143.5
BOTTOM LINE: Ohio State takes on West Virginia at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Buckeyes have a 6-1 record against non-conference oppponents. Ohio State ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 16.4 assists per game led by Bruce Thornton averaging 4.2.
The Mountaineers are 8-3 in non-conference play. West Virginia is 3-3 against opponents with a winning record.
Ohio State averages 87.4 points, 29.0 more per game than the 58.4 West Virginia gives up. West Virginia has shot at a 45.4% clip from the field this season, 3.4 percentage points greater than the 42.0% shooting opponents of Ohio State have averaged.
TOP PERFORMERS: Thornton is shooting 62.3% and averaging 21.7 points for the Buckeyes. John Mobley Jr. is averaging 13.7 points.
Honor Huff is shooting 41.5% and averaging 17.3 points for the Mountaineers. Brenen Lorient is averaging 10.2 points over the last 10 games.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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