It doesn’t matter much in the long run of the season, but the WVU basketball team earned a solid win to start the year off on the right foot.
On Saturday night in an exhibition game at the WVU Coliseum, the WVU basketball team beat Albany, 98-67. It was a good chance for the fans to see how this team looks and what they’ve done to improve in the offseason. There’s not a whole lot the Mountaineers can do to improve from last season, but there are still unreached goals out there.
The path to a national championship started off well. The Mountaineers are still led by Jevon Carter, but Lamont West showed that he can be a great complementary piece. He scored 26 points to lead the WVU basketball team with five of his baskets coming as 3-pointers.
If West can establish himself as a true outside threat it could take some pressure off Carter as he sets things up as the Mountaineers’ point guard. Carter finished with a solid 15 points. Two other WVU basketball players scored in double figures with James Bolden recording 16 and Teddy Allen adding 15.
According to WVUsports.com, the starting lineup for the game was Carter, West, Daxter Miles Jr., Sagaba Konate and Wesley Harris. Esa Ahmad would be a normal starter but he will miss the first half of the season. Maciej Bender was also unavailable because of a minor injury.
It’s hard to take too much away from a game like this because Albany is not exactly on par with the teams West Virginia will face in the Big 12. But Albany isn’t a slouch. The Great Danes are consistent threats to make the NCAA Tournament. This year, they are projected to come in second place in the American East Conference and last year they recorded 21 victories.
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West Virginia will play its first regular season game on Nov. 11 in Germany against Texas A&M. The real path to a national title starts then but it was good to see the WVU basketball team do what was needed to earn a victory at home.