West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. UMass Minutemen — Preview, pre-game updates, TV info, and more
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WHEN/WHERE
Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
Tip-Off Time: 6:30 PM ET
Where: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
WATCH/LISTEN
Channel: ESPNU
Announcers: Robert Lee and Malcolm Huckaby
Online Streaming: ESPN with a valid cable subscription
Mountaineer fans can also catch all the action on fuboTV. fuboTV is an over-the-top streaming service that carries all the major networks, including CBS, NBC, FOX, and now….the ESPN Disney networks! It also carries ABC, CBS Sports Network, FS1, SEC Network, and more. fuboTV comes with a cloud DVR feature, so you can record the game and watch it later.
Sign up for a free seven-day trial of fuboTV by following THIS LINK.
Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates) | WVU Gameday App (Apple | Android) | SiriusXM Channel 385 or online at SiriusXM 975
Radio Announcers: Tony Caridi
Betting Odds: West Virginia -2.5, 146.5 total points via DraftKings Sportsbook
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.
THE ENEMY
Where are they from? Amherst, Massachusetts
Series History: WVU and Massachusetts, former Atlantic 10 rivals, will meet for the 42nd time since 1972. WVU leads 28-13. The two teams last met in the 2007 NIT in Morgantown with WVU winning, 90-77. The Mountaineers would then go on to win the NIT that season. • WVU last played in Springfield on Jan. 3, 1995, with No. 4 UMass winning, 95-65.
Record: 5-2
Record in 2022-23: 15-16 (6-12 A10)
Head Coach: Frank Martin (2nd Season)
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PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP:
West Virginia Mountaineers: Kobe Johnson, Ofri Naveh, Josiah Harris, Quinn Slazinski, Jesse Edwards
UMass Minutemen: Josh Cohen, Matt Cross, Rahsool Diggins, Keon Thompson, Jayden Ndigue
PREGAME READING & UPDATES
Follow along with us on Twitter @smokingmusket for running commentary and join us over on The Smoking Musket Varsity Club Discord.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
Find a warm, comfortable spot, grab a favorite beverage or threeve, and join in on the running commentary, random observations, silly images, gifs, snark, wit, bitches, complaints, moans, groans, cheers, celebration and jubilation in the comments section below.
And, as always…
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No. 21 West Virginia and Colorado face off in Boulder on Sunday at 3:0 p.m. EST. The Mountaineers are 2-1 in Big 12 play, while the Buffaloes are 0-3 in league play.
Computer models such as BartTorvik, BPI, and KenPom predict the matchup between both teams.
BPI — ESPN BPI gives West Virginia a 59.3 percent chance to win on Sunday. The Mountaineers are expected to win by 2.4 points. The Mountaineers are No. 44 in the BPI rankings while Colorado is No. 86.
BartTorvik — BartTorvik gives the Mountaineers a 65 percent chance to win the game. The projected final score is 67-63 in favor of West Virginia. WVU is No. 25 in the T-Rankings, and Colorado is No. 84.
KenPom — KenPom gives West Virginia a slight edge at a 51 percent chance to win the game. The projected final score is 67-66 in favor of the Mountaineers. WVU is ranked No. 47 by KenPom, while Colorado is ranked No. 81.
Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday and the game will be televised on ESPN+.
West Virginia has added another commitment from Wyoming defensive end transfer Braden Siders.
Siders, 6-foot-3, 252-pounds, spent four years with the Cowboys although he redshirted in his first with the football program. Over the past three seasons Siders appeared in 33 games and started a total of 26 of those.
The Colorado native is coming off a season where he recorded 21 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks but appeared in only a total of eight games. In 2022, Siders had 44 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks.
Over the course of his three years on the field, Siders has 91 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.
Siders entered the transfer portal Dec. 6 and reported offers from UAB, Louisiana-Monroe, Tulsa, James Madison and Bowling Green.
Siders becomes the first defensive lineman to commit to West Virginia from the transfer portal and has one year of eligibility remaining in his career.
WVSports.com will have more with Siders in the near future.
West Virginia Mountaineers: Commitment 101: Daveon Walker
West Virginia continues to add pieces to the roster and the latest was from the junior college ranks with a commitment from Butler C.C. Daveon Walker.
Walker, 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, grabbed an offer from the Mountaineers Jan. 4 and then took an official visit to Morgantown where he saw enough to commit to the program a few days later.
The talented wide receiver held offers from North Carolina, Samford and a number of others.
This past season at Butler he recorded a total of 19 catches for 331 yards.
Prior to that Walker was at Vanderbilt where he spent two seasons and played in just one game before transferring to Butler. The Georgia native played at Warer Robins High school where he caught 60 passes for 1,154 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Walker is the latest addition to the wide receiver room this off season joining four transfers in Jacksonville State transfer Cam Vaughn, Eastern Michgan transfer Oran Singleton, Youngstown State wide receiver Cyrus Traugh and Jacksonville State wide receiver Jarod Bowie.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Walker and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Walker is a wide receiver with good size that understands body positioning as well as how to go up and get the football when it’s in the air. He has the right combination of size to win in contested catch situations and the ability to win down the field.
Displays good body control to adjust to the football and is used primarily as an outside wide receiver during his lone season at Butler and there is likely where he ends up in Morgantown. Given his size, Walker also is a tough tackle once he catches the football and shows the ability to make people miss.
The Mountaineers have added a nice mixture of different skill sets for the wide receiver room so far this off-season and Walker has the versatility to fit several roles.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia offered Walker and was able to close the deal in a rather quick fashion. The Mountaineers will have 12 other scholarship wide receivers on the roster outside of Walker and he will have the chance to carve out a role given his experience throughout his career.
The Mountaineers needed to increase the talent level there and Walker certainly does that.
Walker has been to campus and should be able to adjust given his comfort level with the school as well as how the coaching staff prioritized him in his recruitment. He should have at least two years remaining as well which gives him time to make an impact.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia is still in pursuit of wide receivers to add to the roster with Anderson (S.C.) Westside 2025 athlete Armoni Weaver and Fort Myers (Fla.) 2025 athlete Madrid Tucker being two high school prospecrs that the new coaching staff has extended offers to. Both plan to visit.
———-
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