2019–20 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2019–20 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 13th season as WVU's head coach, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. Preseason Big 12 polls picked the Mountaineers to finish 5th in the conference standings and Oscar Tshiebwe was picked as Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year. The Mountaineers season officially started on November 8, 2019.[1]

2019–20 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball
Cancún Challenge Riviera Division champions
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 24
APNo. 24
Record21–10 (9–9 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWVU Coliseum
Seasons
2019–20 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Kansas 17 1   .944 28 3   .903
No. 5 Baylor 15 3   .833 26 4   .867
No. 24 West Virginia 9 9   .500 21 10   .677
Texas 9 9   .500 19 12   .613
Oklahoma 9 9   .500 19 12   .613
Texas Tech 9 9   .500 18 13   .581
TCU 7 11   .389 16 16   .500
Oklahoma State 7 11   .389 18 14   .563
Iowa State 5 13   .278 12 20   .375
Kansas State 3 15   .167 11 21   .344
Note: The 2020 Big 12 Tournament was canceled prior to the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Mountaineers finished the 2018–19 season 15–21, 4–14 in Big 12 play to finish in last place in the conference. They defeated Oklahoma and Texas Tech to advance to the semifinal game of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Kansas. They received an invitation to the 2019 College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Grand Canyon and advanced to the second round where they were defeated by Coastal Carolina.[2]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Trey Doomes 0 G 6'3" 175 Freshman Acworth, GA Transferred to Chattanooga[3]
James Bolden 3 G 6'0" 188 RS Junior Covington, KY Graduate transferred to Alabama[4]
Andrew Gordon 12 F 6'9" 255 RS Sophomore Clearwater, FL Transferred to Louisiana Tech[5]
Lamont West 15 F 6'8" 222 RS Junior Cincinnati, OH Graduate transferred to Missouri State[6]
Taevon Horton 20 G 6'1" 190 Freshman Fairmont, WV Walk-on; transferred to Missouri State–West Plains[7]
Wesley Harris 21 F 6'8" 200 Junior Jackson, MS Dismissed from team (mid-season);[8] graduate transferred to Tennessee State[9]
Esa Ahmad 23 F 6'8" 225 Senior Cleveland, OH Dismissed from team (mid-season)[10]
Sagaba Konate 50 F 6'8" 250 Junior Bamako, Mali Play professionally[11]

Recruits

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Recruiting class of 2019

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Miles McBride
PG
Cincinnati, OH Moeller High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Feb 5, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN: 
Oscar Tshiebwe
C
Lubumbashi, DR Congo Kennedy Catholic High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 20, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jalen Bridges
SF
Fairmont, WV Fairmont Senior High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 2, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Gabe Osabuohien 3 F 6'7" 235 Junior Toronto, Ontario Transferred from Arkansas. His waiver for immediate eligibility was approved as of November 20, 2019.[12]
Taz Sherman 12 G 6'4" 185 Junior Missouri City, TX Junior college transferred from Collin College.
Sean McNeil 22 G 6'3" 207 Sophomore Union, KY Junior college transferred from Sinclair CC.

Roster

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2019–20 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 1 Derek Culver 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Warren G. Harding HS Youngstown, OH
G 2 Brandon Knapper 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Hargrave Military Academy South Charleston, WV
F 3 Gabe Osabuohien 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Arkansas Toronto, ON
G 4 Miles McBride 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Fr Moeller HS Cincinnati, OH
G 5 Jordan McCabe 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) So Kaukauna HS Kaukauna, WI
G 10 Jermaine Haley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Odessa College Vancouver, BC
F 11 Emmitt Matthews Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Woodrow Wilson HS Tacoma, WA
G 12 Taz Sherman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Collin College Missouri City, TX
G 14 Chase Harler 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Wheeling Central HS Moundsville, WV
F 15 Jalen Bridges   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Fairmont Senior HS Fairmont, WV
G 22 Sean McNeil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 207 lb (94 kg) So Sinclair CC Union, KY
G 30 Spencer Macke (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Silver Grove HS Fort Thomas, KY
F 31 Logan Routt 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Cameron HS Cameron, WV
F 34 Oscar Tshiebwe 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 258 lb (117 kg) Fr Kennedy Catholic HS Lubumbashi, DR Congo
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Source[13]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2019*
7:00 pm, ATTSNPT
Duquesne
Charity Exhibition
W 78–70 
 17  Tshiebwe   14  Tshiebwe   4  McCabe  WVU Coliseum (9,705)
Morgantown, WV
Regular season
November 8, 2019*
7:00 pm, ATTSNPT
Akron W 94–84  1–0
 16  Culver   7  Culver   4  McBride  WVU Coliseum (12,513)
Morgantown, WV
November 15, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Pittsburgh
Backyard Brawl
W 68–53  2–0
 20  Tshiebwe   17  Tshiebwe   4  McCabe  Petersen Events Center (11,725)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 18, 2019*
7:00 pm, ATTSNPT
Northern Colorado
Cancún Challenge campus-site game
W 69–61  3–0
 18  Haley   12  Haley   4  McCabe  WVU Coliseum (9,740)
Morgantown, WV
November 22, 2019*
7:00 pm, Nexstar
Boston University
Cancún Challenge campus-site game
W 69–44  4–0
 21  Tshiebwe   10  Tshiebwe   4  McCabe  WVU Coliseum (10,743)
Morgantown, WV
November 26, 2019*
8:30 pm, CBSSN
vs. Northern Iowa
Cancún Challenge semifinals
W 60–55  5–0
 18  McBride   15  Culver   5  McBride  Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (1,478)
Riviera Maya, Mexico
November 27, 2019*
8:30 pm, CBSSN
vs. Wichita State
Cancún Challenge championship
W 75–63  6–0
 19  Tshiebwe   18  Tshiebwe   4  McBride  Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (1,729)
Riviera Maya, Mexico
December 1, 2019*
2:00 pm, ATTSNPT
Rhode Island W 86–81  7–0
 25  Culver   11  Culver   4  McBride  WVU Coliseum (10,973)
Morgantown, WV
December 7, 2019*
12:00 pm, FS1
at St. John's
MSG Holiday Festival; Big East/Big 12 Battle
L 68–70  7–1
 13  McNeil   18  Culver   4  Tied  Madison Square Garden (7,281)
New York, NY
December 12, 2019*
7:00 pm, Nexstar
Austin Peay W 84–53  8–1
 16  Matthews   10  Matthews   5  Osabuohien  WVU Coliseum (9,987)
Morgantown, WV
December 14, 2019*
2:00 pm, ATTSNPT
Nicholls W 83–57  9–1
 16  Culver   16  Culver   5  Osabuohien  WVU Coliseum (10,991)
Morgantown, WV
December 21, 2019*
1:00 pm
No. 25 at Youngstown State W 75–64  10–1
 19  Tshiebwe   7  Culver   7  Culver  Covelli Centre (3,614)
Youngstown, OH
December 29, 2019*
12:00 pm, FS1
No. 22 vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Cleveland Classic
W 67–59  11–1
 21  McBride   10  Culver   3  Haley/Osabuohien  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (16,781)
Cleveland, OH
January 4, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN+
No. 16 at No. 3 Kansas L 53–60  11–2
(0–1)
 17  Tshiebwe   17  Tshiebwe   2  Culver  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 6, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 17 at Oklahoma State W 55–41  12–2
(1–1)
 12  Tshiebwe   12  Culver   2  Tied  Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,764)
Stillwater, OK
January 11, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 17 No. 22 Texas Tech W 66–54  13–2
(2–1)
 22  McBride   17  Tshiebwe   2  4 Tied  WVU Coliseum (14,111)
Morgantown, WV
January 14, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 12 TCU W 81–49  14–2
(3–1)
 17  Culver   11  Culver   5  Osabuohien  WVU Coliseum (11,445)
Morgantown, WV
January 18, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 12 at Kansas State L 68–84  14–3
(3–2)
 11  Tied   7  Tshiebwe   2  Tied  Bramlage Coliseum (8,549)
Manhattan, KS
January 20, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 14 Texas W 97–59  15–3
(4–2)
 13  Tied   11  Tshiebwe   4  Sherman  WVU Coliseum (12,592)
Morgantown, WV
January 25, 2020*
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 14 Missouri
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 74–51  16–3
 15  Tied   12  Osabuohien   3  McCabe  WVU Coliseum (14,031)
Morgantown, WV
January 29, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN+
No. 12 at Texas Tech L 81–89  16–4
(4–3)
 16  Culver   4  Osabuohien   2  Harler  United Supermarkets Arena (13,586)
Lubbock, TX
February 1, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 12 Kansas State W 66–57  17–4
(5–3)
 19  Culver   14  Culver   3  McBride  WVU Coliseum (14,224)
Morgantown, WV
February 5, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 13 Iowa State W 76–61  18–4
(6–3)
 16  Tshiebwe   10  Tshiebwe   5  Haley  WVU Coliseum (11,103)
Morgantown, WV
February 8, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 13 at Oklahoma L 59–69  18–5
(6–4)
 15  Haley   9  Tied   3  Haleu  Lloyd Noble Center (8,484)
Norman, OK
February 12, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+
No. 14 No. 3 Kansas L 49–58  18–6
(6–5)
 14  Tshiebwe   9  Tshiebwe   4  Culver  WVU Coliseum (14,212)
Morgantown, WV
February 15, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN+
No. 14 at No. 1 Baylor L 59–70  18–7
(6–6)
 20  Sherman   12  Tshiebwe   2  Sherman  Ferrell Center (10,305)
Waco, TX
February 18, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 17 Oklahoma State W 65–47  19–7
(7–6)
 11  Tied   15  Tshiebwe   2  4 tied  WVU Coliseum (12,053)
Morgantown, WV
February 22, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 17 at TCU L 60–67 OT 19–8
(7–7)
 18  Culver   12  Culver   4  Tied  Schollmaier Arena (6,290)
Fort Worth, TX
February 24, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 20 at Texas L 57–67  19–9
(7–8)
 14  Tshiebwe   6  Tied   3  Tied  Erwin Center (8,333)
Austin, TX
February 29, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 Oklahoma L 62–73  19–10
(7–9)
 13  McBride   10  Tshiebwe   2  Tied  WVU Coliseum (14,044)
Morgantown, WV
March 3, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPNU
at Iowa State W 77–71  20–10
(8–9)
 17  Tied   9  Tied   3  3 tied  Hilton Coliseum (13,870)
Ames, IA
March 7, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN+
No. 4 Baylor W 76–64  21–10
(9–9)
 18  Matthews Jr.   12  Tshiebwe   3  McNeil  WVU Coliseum (14,014)
Morgantown, WV
Big 12 tournament
Mar 12, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2
(6)
No. 22
vs. (3) Oklahoma
Quarterfinals
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[14] Sprint Center
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRVRV2522161712141213141720RV22-T24
CoachesRVRVRV23171713151111141819RV2324

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.

References

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  1. ^ "West Virginia releases full 2019-20 men's basketball schedule". WV MetroNews. September 18, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Albright, Matt (October 8, 2019). "West Virginia Men's Basketball 2019-20 Preview". WV Sports Now. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  3. ^ Horten, Jim (July 31, 2019). "2019-20 Roster Reveal: Trey Doomes". gomocs.com. Chattanooga Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Clark, Dave (April 14, 2019). "James 'Beetle' Bolden, former Holmes High School star, transfers to Alabama from WVU". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  5. ^ McGuire, Kane (July 22, 2019). "Bulldogs Add Transfer Forward Andrew Gordon". latechsports.com. LA Tech Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Clark, Dave (April 1, 2019). "Lamont West to transfer to Missouri State from West Virginia, per reports". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Clark, Dave (September 11, 2019). "Fairmont's Horton Transfers to JUCO Missouri State-West Plains". wdtv.com. WDTV. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Boone, Kyle (February 11, 2019). "West Virginia basketball dismisses starters Esa Ahmad, Wesley Harris for violation of policie". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Boone, Kyle (June 5, 2019). "Men's Basketball Signs Wesley Harris". tsutigers.com. TSU Tigers. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  10. ^ Boone, Kyle (February 11, 2019). "West Virginia basketball dismisses starters Esa Ahmad, Wesley Harris for violation of policie". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Taylor, Sean (October 16, 2019). "Bad News for Sagaba Konate". mountaineersports.com. Mountaineer Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  12. ^ "Osabuohien's Waiver Approved by NCAA".
  13. ^ wvusports.com. "2019-20 Men's Basketball Schedule". Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  14. ^ "All Power 5 leagues cancel conference tournaments". ESPN.com. March 12, 2020.