MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Bob Huggins met with reporters on the eve of West Virginia’s season opener against Monmouth, a game that should feature the Mountaineers unveiling full-court pressure and a retooled roster.
Tip time is 7 p.m. Friday at the WVU Coliseum with local TV coverage around the state and a live stream at WVUsports.com
Let’s get acquainted with the Monmouth Hawks:
Monmouth last season: 11-21, 5-15 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
This season: Picked sixth in the 11-team MAAC
About the school: Located in West Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth’s alums include NFL receiver Miles Austin, U.S. women’s soccer captain Christie Rampone, and noted traffic snarler Chris Christie (honorary doctorate). There’s also adult video hall-of-famer Luc Wylder, the self-described “thinking man’s porn producer,” which is helpful to know lest you miss all the nuanced complexities found within his film “Sleeping Booty.”
Coach: King Rice, who was a Final Four point guard under Dean Smith, faced alcohol demons under Kevin Stallings and is now trying to make the most of his first head coaching gig. It has been a rough go—he’s 33-62 so far with three straight 20-loss seasons.
Why an upset is possible: It probably isn’t, considering Monmouth is 0-12 against top-100 RPI teams under Rice, most of those blowouts. But to humor the question, the Hawks have four returning starters, giving them an edge in cohesiveness over WVU’s reconfigured rotation.
Hawks to watch: The top returnees are 6-6 forward Deon Jones (15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds) and 6-6 guard Andrew Nicholas (14.2 points, team-high 62 3-pointers). … Also back is 5-foot-8 point guard Justin Robinson, who actually blocked a shot last year. … Monmouth rotates a pair of 6-10 sophomores in the middle, Zac Tillman and Chris Brady, though they combined to average only six rebounds in 29 minutes. … The roster includes Oklahoma transfer Je’lon Hornbeak, though he won’t be eligible until next season.
Mountaineers to watch: All five newcomers are expected to see minutes at the wing spots, plus there’s the long-awaited debuts of forwards Jonathan Holton and Elijah Macon.
Prediction: West Virginia 81-66