Ross Hodge’s West Virginia tenure started with a 70-54 win over Mount Saint Mary’s on Tuesday night. While there are numerous takeaways from a not so pretty performance, it was good to see the new-look team on the floor in a game that resulted in a W in the win column. Now, West Virginia shifts their attention to Thursday’s matchup with Campbell.
Campbell Fighting Camels
The Fighting Camels will be making the trip to Morgantown, coming from Buies Creek, North Carolina. Campbell started this season with a tough road test against the 24th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers on Monday night. Though it was just a 10-point deficit at halftime, Wisconsin ran away with it in a 96-64 victory.
Much like the Mountaineers, Campbell underwent a major roster overhaul under new head coach John Andrzejek, who spent the previous two seasons as an assistant with the Florida Gators. Campbell is part of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and was picked to finish seventh in the conference’s preseason poll.
Players to Know
In the 32-point loss to Wisconsin in the season opener, Robert Morris transfer DJ Smith led the way with 23 points. Campbell is the 5-foot-11 senior guard’s fourth stop in his collegiate career. Smith averaged nine points per game last season at Robert Morris while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc.
Sophomore Dovydas Butka, a Pepperdine transfer, nearly recorded a double-double at Wisconsin with 10 points and eight rebounds. The 6-foot-9 forward started every game for Pepperdine last season, averaging nearly 10 points and six rebounds per contest.
Cam Gregory is the lone returning starter from last year’s Campbell team. He averaged nearly eight points per game last season but did not score on an 0-for-3 night in Wisconsin. He collected three rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes played.
To go along with Smith and Butka, Campbell had one more double-figure scorer in the season opener. Norfolk State transfer forward Chris Fields Jr. picked up 13 points, five rebounds, and four steals off the bench against the Badgers.
How to Watch
West Virginia’s Thursday night matchup with Campbell can be found on ESPN+ at 7PM ET. Ross Hodge and Co. will be looking to collect with No.2 of the season against a Campbell team that has already been battle-tested by a ranked Big Ten team on the road.