MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — The West Virginia Mountaineers welcome the Missouri State Bears into the Coliseum for the opening game for both teams. The Mountaineers are currently a 5.5 favorite to win its opener. Here’s how our experts believe that the game will play out.
Wyatt Coffman, Graphic Designer, The Voice of Morgantown (0-0)
College basketball season is finallyhere and the Mountaineers are back in the Coliseum! After a tough offseason and a new interim head coach, I think WVU will struggle to start. When the entire team is back and healthy, I think that WVU has a lot of potential this season. However, tonight, I think WVU snags the close win to open the season in front of the home fans to move to 1-0.
WVU 76 Missouri State 71
Brayden Cline, Writer, The Voice of Morgantown, (0-0)
Unfortunately I don’t have much high hopes going into this season as of now without Akok Akok, Kerr Kriisa and RaeQuan Battle. I think we will struggle in this one and maybe even losing at the half. Although I think the talent of Jesse Edwards will take over and the Mountaineers will pull away with this one in the end.
WVU 77 Missouri State 65
Clark Johnson, Senior Writer, The Voice of Morgantown, (0-0)
Could tonight be the beginning of the Josh Eilert era? It remains to be seen. However, I like the chances for our Mountaineers tongiht. It’ll be a little too close for comfort, and fans may get a little restless. But this should be a win in what is hopefully a successful seeason of WVU Men’s basketball.
WVU 71 Missouri State 61
Brad Smith, Publisher, The Voice of Morgantown, (0-0)
It’s impossible to accurately predict a game like this, but I’ll give it a shot. West Virginia’s depth is going to be an issue all season, but tonight, they’ll be heads and shoulders better than Missouri State, even with only 8 or 9 players on the roster. If Missouri State can get Jesse Edwards in early foul trouble, Josh Eilert really doesn’t have anyone available to replace Edwards and that could be a real problem for the Mountaineers. If Edwards can stay out of foul trouble, his presence should be enough to get past Missouri State tonight.
WVU 64 Missouri State 55
How to watch Missouri State @ West Virginia
- When: Monday, 6 p.m.
- Where: Morgantown, West Virginia
- Watch: ESPN+
