Big 12 reveals WVU basketball opponents
MORGANTOWN — The first — and perhaps not the last — year of a 14-team Big 12 basketball season will give West Virginia fans a taste of what the expanded conference will be like.
The conference, of course, brings in four new teams — Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and Central Florida — while both Texas and Oklahoma, who are jumping to the SEC, remain for one final season.
The home conference schedule is attractive for new coach Josh Eilert, headed with Kansas coming into the Coliseum along with Cincinnati, which figures to become the big rivalry for the Mountaineers, although it won’t quite have the same flair it would have had if Bob Huggins had been able to stay in his job.
Here is the way the Big 12 has matched the Mountaineers schedule as it strays from playing each team home and away in a balanced 18-game schedule since WVU joined the conference.
West Virginia
Home-and-away: UCF, Cincinnati, K-State, TCU, Texas
Home-only: Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Texas Tech
Away-only: Iowa State, Houston, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
And so it is that WVU will face Kansas, Kansas State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor at home among holdover schools while welcoming newcomers Cincinnati, UCF and BYU to the Coliseum.
The Mountaineers will play on the road at UCF, Cincinnati, Kansas State, TCU, Texas, Iowa State, Houston, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
There is a different mix waiting for WVU’s new women’s coach Mark Kellogg.
This is the schedule the league has given his revamped new team as he takes over after the one-year Mountaineer “career” of Dawn Plitzuweit:
West Virginia
Home-and-away: Baylor, UCF, Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU
Home-only: Houston, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech
Away-only: BYU, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State
As listed, the Mountaineers will play twice against Baylor — which is never a favor — plus Iowa State and TCU among holdover teams while facing newcomers Cincinnati and Central Florida home and home.
Also playing at the Coliseum are Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech among the old conference teams and newcomer Houston.
WVU will make trips to BYU, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Kansas State for its road-only games.