The Big 12 Conference released the league schedule for the 2024-25 season, so that means the entire West Virginia schedule has been pieced together for first-year head coach Darian DeVries.
They may only be a couple of days into practice, but why not go ahead and drop a way-too-early record prediction following the schedule release? Here are our initial thoughts on WVU’s schedule and prediction for the upcoming season.
Darian DeVries was a home run hire by Wren Baker, so don’t mistake this as a knock on him. This is a tough situation for DeVries to walk into as he brings in an entirely new roster with just one returning player, Ofri Naveh.
West Virginia’s lack of size will hurt them on most nights, meaning they’re going to have to shoot the three-ball at a high clip and not gift teams extra possessions. With so many new faces, avoiding turnovers will be a chore. It’s going to take some time for this group to understand how to play with and off one another, so naturally turnovers are going to happen.
The Mountaineers did themselves no favors with its non-conference slate and it didn’t help matters when they drew Gonzaga for the first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. The first month or so of league play is going to be difficult, but it will be good for this team to learn how to play through adversity. The back half of the schedule “lightens up” which gives WVU an opportunity to get on a little bit of a run heading into conference tournament play.
A new era begins in Morgantown with Darian DeVries taking over the WVU basketball program.
Devries will begin his tenure with 14 transfers with his son, Tucker, leading the way as a 2025 NBA Draft prospect after averaging 21.6 points per game last season at Drake and will undoubtedly prove his talent in the best league in the country, the Big 12 Conference.
DeVries and his staff have brought in multiple pieces through the transfer portal and one of the concerns prior to the start of the season is team chemistry. although they had a bit of a head start with a summer trip to Italy.
The biggest issue heading into the season is the lack of depth in the frontcourt. Eduardo Andre is expected to lead West Virginia in the paint, while freshman Abraham Oyeadier will have to play beyond his years to give the Mountaineers valuable minutes in the middle.
While West Virginia lacks ‘bigs’, they do have length at guard and the wing, led by Tucker DeVries, which will be a strength of this Mountaineer group and will lead to some surprising victories.
The Mountaineers will need stability in the backcourt and Javon Small looks poised to play the part.
West Virginia did have a host of transfers last season and it led to an abysmal 9-23 record, and on paper, the roster was far more talented than this year. However, a proven winner in Darian DeVries and a scorer in Tucker DeVries, I suspected the Mountaineers will play above expectations and will play their way into the postseason.
MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI
Darian DeVries Expects Big Things Out of True Freshman Jonathan Powell
RaeQuan Battle Waived by the Charlotte Hornets
Latest Injury Update on WVU’s Joseph Yesufu and Tucker DeVries
Quick Hits: Practice Begins, Newcomers, Early Signs, Injury Update + More
