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West Virginia steps into the 2024–25 college basketball season looking to bounce back from a horrible 2023–24 stint where they went down 23–9 and tied for last place in the Big 12.
The lackluster performance forced the school to make drastic changes, hiring former Drake coach Darian DeVries to replace interim coach Josh Eilert. The team also splashed into the transfer portal and high school recruitment to acquire new players who would lead the Mountaineers' campaign in the coming season.
Here's a closer look into West Virginia's 2024-25 men's basketball season, featuring its biggest games this year and top players to watch out for.
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West Virginia's biggest games in the 2024-25 season
West Virginia will have its hands full early with the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 27-29 in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Darian DeVries' men will compete against Arizona, Arizona State, Gonzaga, Indiana, Louisville, Oklahoma and Providence in the three-day tournament. The complete schedule of the competition will be announced later.
A week later, the Mountaineers will play host to Georgetown in the Big 12-Big East Battle on December 6. Other programs that are set to face West Virginia are Robert Morris, UMass, Pitt, Iona, North Carolina Central, Bethune-Cookman and Mercyhurst.
The Big 12 Conference regular season will begin in early January and the Mountaineers are scheduled to face BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU and Utah twice in a home and away format.
On the other hand, West Virginia will play host to Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and UCF and visit Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.
Top West Virginia players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season
Darian DeVries had his hands full during the offseason in assembling a competitive team for the 2024–25 season. After agreeing to a deal to coach West Virginia, DeVries went to work early, bringing his son and Drake star Tucker with him.
Following Tucker DeVries' commitment with the Mountaineers, the coaching staff recruited seven more players from the transfer portal and signed up three incoming freshmen and a graduate student walk-on.
Here are the top players from West Virginia that fans should keep an eye on in the 2024–25 season.
#1. Tucker DeVries
Tucker DeVries is coming off his best collegiate stint, where he started in 34 games for Drake and averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-7 guard's leadership helped the Bulldogs clinch an NCAA Tournament bid.
With DeVries transferring to West Virginia, expect the incoming senior to be the team's top offensive option and playmaker but he'll have a lot of help as his father recruited a talented lineup to provide scoring backup when needed.
#2. Jayden Stone
Jayden Stone was the lone bright spot for Detroit Mercy's disastrous campaign this past season. The 6-4 Australian played 26 games for the Titans, where he averaged 20.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.
Stone, who was fielded in for 35.9 minutes per game last season, is expected to form a scoring partnership with DeVries that would shock the Big.
#3. Javon Small
Javon Small looked great as Oklahoma State's top playmaker this past season. Small started in 31 games for the Cowboys and tallied 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per outing.
He shot 44.1% from the field and made 86.6% of his free throws in the 2023–24 season. The 6-3 Small would likely use his playmaking skills to evenly distribute the ball and provide big baskets when needed.
West Virginia's predictions for the 2024-25 season
West Virginia will make big strides this coming season after hitting rock bottom the previous year. Expect the Mountaineers to be a dark horse in the Big 12 and a 20-win season is possible if the scoring combo of Tucker DeVries and Jayden Stone combine together as a unit.
West Virginia has a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament after a horrible stint last year. New coach Darian DeVries is expected to map out a plan that would ensure a possible NCAA Tournament bid this season.
Will West Virginia make the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let us know your views in the comments section.
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