The Baylor Bears enter Wednesday night’s game with the West Virginia Mountaineers outside the top 25 for the first time since March 2019, losers of three straight contests. Last week, Baylor dropped two heartbreakers by a combined three points to top 25 opponents TCU and Kansas State.
While the Bears’ struggles have been well-documented, the Mountaineers have also hit a rough patch after a promising start, themselves sitting at 0-3 in conference play. West Virginia will welcome a familiar face to the coliseum, as Bears forward Jalen Bridges played 52 games for Bob Huggins over two seasons in Morgantown before transferring in the offseason.
While Baylor’s football program has never won in Morgantown, the basketball program has seen success in the Mountain State, holding a 6-4 record at the West Virginia Coliseum and a 14-8 overall record over the Mountaineers.
The struggles have come on defense for Baylor, allowing over 80 points in each of the last three games. Offensively, their guard play is still carrying them, with Keyonte George and Adam Flagler being named to the Wooden Award Mid-Season top 25, being the only program outside last year’s national championship combatants Kansas and North Carolina to have multiple players on the list.
WEST VIRGINIA STARTERS
G Kedrian Johnson
G Erik Stevenson
F Emmitt Matthews
F Tre Mitchell
F Jimmy Bell
BAYLOR STARTERS
G Keyonte George
G LJ Cryer
G Adam Flagler
F Flo Thamba
F Jalen Bridges
