# 2021–22 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 15th season as WVU's head coach, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Mountaineers finished the 2020–21 season 19–10, 11–6 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place in the conference. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Oklahoma State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Morehead State in the first round before losing to Syracuse in Second Round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Number | Height | Weight | Previous School | Hometown | Reason for Leaving |
| Derek Culver | 1 | F | 6'10" | 255 | Junior | Youngstown, OH | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Miles McBride | 4 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Sophomore | Cincinnati, OH | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Jordan McCabe | 5 | G | 6'0" | 188 | Junior | Kaukauna, WI | Transferred to UNLV |
| Emmitt Matthews Jr. | 11 | F | 6'7" | 215 | Junior | Tacoma, WA | Transferred to Washington |
| Jay Moore | 20 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Freshman | Beckley, WV | Walk-on; transferred |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Pauly Paulicap | 1 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Graduate Student | Elmont, NY | DePaul |
| Dimon Carringan | 5 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Graduate Student | Boston, MA | FIU |
| Malik Curry | 10 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Graduate Student | Wilmington, DE | Old Dominion |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Seth Wilson #28 PG | Lorain, OH | Lorain High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Kobe Johnson #33 PG | Canton, OH | McKinley High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Jamel King #40 SF | Uniontown, AL | Bella Vista College Prep | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jun 24, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| James Okonkwo #41 C | Maidenhead, England | Beckley Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jun 24, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

#### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Josiah Harris #21 PF | Cleveland, OH | Richmond Heights High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 31, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Josiah Davis #34 PG | Kitchener, ON | Teays Valley Christian School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Feb 22, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Akron Charity Exhibition | W 74–59 | | 29 – Sherman | 6 – Carrigan | 4 – Curry | WVU Coliseum (9,434) Morgantown, WV |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oakland | W 60–53 | 1–0 | 18 – Sherman | 9 – Osabuohien | 5 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (9,408) Morgantown, WV |
| November 12, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPNU | | Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl | W 74–59 | 2–0 | 18 – Bridges | 6 – Bridges | 6 – Ke. Johnson | WVU Coliseum (14,100) Morgantown, WV |
| November 18, 2021* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Elon Charleston Classic Quarterfinals | W 87–68 | 3–0 | 27 – Sherman | 6 – Paulicap | 5 – Sherman | TD Arena (4,213) Charleston, SC |
| November 19, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Marquette Charleston Classic Semifinals | L 71–82 | 3–1 | 21 – Sherman | 6 – Bridges | 5 – Sherman | TD Arena Charleston, SC |
| November 21, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Clemson Charleston Classic Consolation – 3rd Place | W 66–59 | 4–1 | 15 – McNeil | 7 – Osabuohien | 4 – Osabuohien | TD Arena Charleston, SC |
| November 26, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Eastern Kentucky | W 80-77 | 5–1 | 28 – Sherman | 7 – Osabuohien | 3 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (10,062) Morgantown, WV |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bellarmine | W 74–55 | 6–1 | 18 – Sherman | 9 – Bridges | 3 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (9,523) Morgantown, WV |
| December 4, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Radford | W 67–51 | 7–1 | 27 – Sherman | 5 – Paulicap | 3 – Curry | WVU Coliseum (11,014) Morgantown, WV |
| December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 15 UConn Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 56–53 | 8–1 | 23 – Sherman | 7 – Osabuohien | 3 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (12,045) Morgantown, WV |
| December 12, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Kent State | W 63–50 | 9–1 | 27 – Sherman | 6 – Bridges | 3 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (11,532) Morgantown, WV |
| December 18, 2021* 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at UAB | W 65–59 | 10–1 | 17 – Sherman | 9 – Osabuohien | 4 – Ke. Johnson | Legacy Arena (8,427) Birmingham, AL |
| December 22, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Youngstown State | W 82–52 | 11–1 | 23 – McNeil | 8 – Bridges | 4 – Curry | WVU Coliseum (9,784) Morgantown, WV |
| January 1, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at No. 17 Texas | L 59–74 | 11–2 (0–1) | 18 – Bridges | 9 – Carrigan | 4 – Johnson | Frank Erwin Center (12,864) Austin, TX |
| January 8, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kansas State | W 71–68 | 12–2 (1–1) | 26 – McNeil | 12 – Osabuohien | 3 – Ke. Johnson | WVU Coliseum (11,919) Morgantown, WV |
| January 11, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Oklahoma State | W 70–60 | 13–2 (2–1) | 22 – Bridges | 8 – Osabuohien | 5 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (10,352) Morgantown, WV |
| January 15, 2022 2:00 p.m., CBS | | at No. 9 Kansas | L 59–85 | 13–3 (2–2) | 23 – Curry | 11 – Bridges | 2 – Curry | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| January 18, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 5 Baylor | L 68–77 | 13–4 (2–3) | 18 – Sherman | 6 – Tied | 3 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (12,692) Morgantown, WV |
| January 22, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 18 Texas Tech | L 65–78 | 13–5 (2–4) | 21 – Sherman | 6 – Osabuohien | 2 – Tied | United Supermarkets Arena (14,556) Lubbock, TX |
| January 26, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Oklahoma | L 62–72 | 13–6 (2–5) | 17 – Osabuohien | 6 – Bridges | 2 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (10,997) Morgantown, WV |
| January 29, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Arkansas Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 68–77 | 13–7 | 18 – Ke. Johnson | 6 – Bridges | 4 – McNeil | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 31, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 8 Baylor | L 77–81 | 13–8 (2–6) | 29 – Sherman | 5 – Tied | 4 – Ke. Johnson | Ferrell Center (8,226) Waco, TX |
| February 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 14 Texas Tech | L 53–60 | 13–9 (2–7) | 16 – Bridges | 13 – Osabuohien | 3 – Osabuohien | WVU Coliseum (12,673) Morgantown, WV |
| February 8, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Iowa State | W 79–63 | 14–9 (3–7) | 16 – Sherman | 8 – Sherman | 6 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (11,191) Morgantown, WV |
| February 12, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Oklahoma State | L 58–81 | 14–10 (3–8) | 13 – Curry | 4 – Osabuohien | 3 – Osabuohien | Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,013) Stillwater, OK |
| February 14, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Kansas State | L 73–78 | 14–11 (3–9) | 23 – Sherman | 10 – Bridges | 4 – Johnson | Bramlage Coliseum (5,401) Manhattan, KS |
| February 19, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 6 Kansas | L 58–71 | 14–12 (3–10) | 18 – McNeil | 6 – Osabuohien | 3 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (14,012) Morgantown, WV |
| February 21, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at TCU Rescheduled from January 3 | L 67–77 | 14–13 (3–11) | 23 – Sherman | 6 – Paulicap | 4 – Johnson | Schollmaier Arena (5,374) Fort Worth, TX |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Iowa State | L 81–84 | 14–14 (3–12) | 19 – Curry | 6 – Curry | 3 – McNeil | Hilton Coliseum (12,810) Ames, IA |
| February 26, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 20 Texas | L 81–82 | 14–15 (3–13) | 27 – Curry | 6 – Cottrell | 3 – Osabuohien | WVU Coliseum (13,470) Morgantown, WV |
| March 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Oklahoma | L 59–72 | 14–16 (3–14) | 17 – Curry | 6 – Curry | 4 – Curry | Lloyd Noble Center (7,259) Norman, OK |
| March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | TCU | W 70–64 | 15–16 (4–14) | 25 – Sherman | 10 – Osabuohien | 4 – Sherman | WVU Coliseum (11,324) Morgantown, WV |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | (9) | vs. (8) Kansas State First round | W 73–67 | 16–16 | 21 – McNeil | 9 – Sherman | 3 – Sherman | T-Mobile Center (15,295) Kansas City, MO |
| March 10, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN | (9) | vs. (1) No. 6 Kansas Quarterfinals | L 63–87 | 16–17 | 19 – Curry | 5 – Paulicap | 2 – Curry | T-Mobile Center (15,845) Kansas City, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
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