# 2024–25 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2024–25 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by first year head coach Darian DeVries, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum located in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. Despite improving upon their 9–23 record from the previous season, the Mountaineers failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.
After one season at the helm, DeVries would depart the West Virginia program to become head coach at Indiana.

## Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2023–24 season 9–23, 4–14 in Big 12 Play to finish in a tie for last place. They lost in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to Cincinnati.

### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Number | Height | Weight | Previous School | Hometown | Reason for Leaving |
| Noah Farrakhan | 1 | G | 6'2" | 165 | Junior | Hillside, NJ | Transferred to Hampton |
| Kobe Johnson | 2 | G | 6'3" | 210 | Junior | Canton, OH | Transferred to Saint Louis |
| Kerr Kriisa | 3 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Senior | Tartu, Estonia | Transferred to Kentucky |
| Jeremiah Bembry | 5 | F | 6'5" | 185 | Freshman | Brooklyn, NY | Transferred Oakland |
| Jesse Edwards | 7 | C | 6'11" | 230 | GS Senior | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Quinn Slazinski | 11 | F | 6'9" | 215 | GS Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |
| Akok Akok | 13 | F | 6'10" | 225 | GS Senior | Manchester, MH | Graduated |
| Seth Wilson | 14 | G | 6'2" | 215 | Junior | Lorain, OH | Transferred to Akron |
| RaeQuan Battle | 21 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Senior | Tulalip, WA | Graduated |
| Josiah Harris | 22 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Sophomore | Canton, OH | Transferred to Akron |
| Patrick Suemnick | 24 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Junior | Green Bay, WI | Transferred to Oklahoma State |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Eduardo Andre | 0 | C | 6'11" | 248 | GS Senior | London, England | Fresno State |
| Joseph Yesufu | 1 | G | 6'0" | 185 | GS Senior | Bolingbrook, IL | Washington State |
| Toby Okani | 5 | G | 6'8" | 210 | GS Senior | Orange, NJ | UIC |
| Javon Small | 7 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Senior | South Bend, IN | Oklahoma State |
| Jake Auer | 8 | G | 6'0" | 178 | GS Senior | Clive, IA | Rockhurst |
| Sencire Harris | 10 | G | 6'4" | 160 | Sophomore | North Canton, OH | Illinois |
| Tucker DeVries | 12 | G/F | 6'7" | 210 | Senior | Waukee, IA | Drake |
| Amani Hansberry | 13 | F/C | 6'8" | 225 | Sophomore | Silver Spring, MD | Illinois |
| Jayden Stone | 14 | G | 6'4" | 200 | GS Senior | Perth, Australia | Detroit Mercy |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jonathan Powell #21 SF | Centerville, OH | Centerville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | May 6, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Emerson Tenner #57 PG | Cordova, TN | Cordova High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A | Apr 4, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| 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: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll
| | Big 12 Coaches | Points |
| 1. | Kansas | 215 (9) |
| 2. | Houston | 211 (5) |
| 3. | Iowa State | 194 (1) |
| 4. | Baylor | 185 |
| 5. | Arizona | 179 (1) |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 140 |
| 7. | Texas Tech | 135 |
| 8. | Kansas State | 133 |
| 9. | BYU | 116 |
| 10. | TCU | 90 |
| 11. | UCF | 83 |
| 12. | Arizona State | 64 |
| 13. | West Virginia | 62 |
| 14. | Oklahoma State | 46 |
| 15. | Colorado | 37 |
| 16. | Utah | 30 |
| Reference: (#) first-place votes |||
Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team

### First Team

| Player | School |
| Caleb Love | Arizona |
| LJ Cryer | Houston |
| J’Wan Roberts | Houston |
| Tamin Lipsey | Iowa State |
| Hunter Dickinson† | Kansas |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||

### Second Team

| Player | School |
| Norchad Omier | Baylor |
| Jeremy Roach | Baylor |
| Keshon Gilbert | Iowa State |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. | Kansas |
| Coleman Hawkins | Kansas State |
| † denotes unanimous selection Reference: ||
* Player of the Year: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
* Co-Newcomer of the Year: Jeremy Roach, Baylor & Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
* Freshman of the Year: V. J. Edgecombe, Baylor

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Charleston | W 94–61 | – | 18 – DeVries | 8 – Andre | 4 – DeVries | WVU Coliseum (9,636) Morgantown, WV |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Robert Morris | W 87–59 | 1–0 | 18 – DeVries | 12 – Hansberry | 5 – Small | WVU Coliseum (9,229) Morgantown, WV |
| November 8, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UMass | W 75–69 | 2–0 | 17 – DeVries | 8 – DeVries | 4 – Small | WVU Coliseum (10,017) Morgantown, WV |
| November 15, 2024* 8:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | at Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl | L 62–86 | 2–1 | 16 – Powell | 6 – Harris | 2 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (10,882) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Iona | W 86–43 | 3–1 | 23 – Small | 9 – Hansberry | 5 – Small | WVU Coliseum (8,591) Morgantown, WV |
| November 27, 2024* 2:30 p.m., ESPN | | vs. No. 3 Gonzaga Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | W 86–78 $^{OT}$ | 4–1 | 31 – Small | 8 – Hansberry | 4 – DeVries | Imperial Arena (959) Paradise Island, Bahamas |
| November 28, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Louisville Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | L 70–79 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 | 26 – Small | 7 – Small | 7 – Small | Imperial Arena (767) Paradise Island, Bahamas |
| November 29, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 24 Arizona Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd place game | W 83–76 $^{OT}$ | 5–2 | 26 – DeVries | 6 – Hansberry | 8 – Small | Imperial Arena (796) Paradise Island, Bahamas |
| December 6, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Georgetown Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 73–60 | 6–2 | 26 – Small | 9 – Harris | 4 – Harris | WVU Coliseum (11,522) Morgantown, WV |
| December 10, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Carolina Central | W 79–45 | 7–2 | 17 – Powell | 12 – Hansberry | 6 – Tenner | WVU Coliseum (8,711) Morgantown, WV |
| December 14, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bethune–Cookman | W 84–61 | 8–2 | 27 – Small | 7 – Harris | 6 – Small | WVU Coliseum (9,651) Morgantown, WV |
| December 22, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mercyhurst | W 67–46 | 9–2 | 19 – Small | 12 – Okani | 7 – Small | WVU Coliseum (10,777) Morgantown, WV |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| December 31, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 7 Kansas | W 62–61 | 10–2 (1–0) | 15 – Andre | 11 – Small | 6 – Small | Allen Fieldhouse (15,300) Lawrence, KS |
| January 4, 2025 12:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Oklahoma State | W 69–50 | 11–2 (2–0) | 24 – Small | 11 – Small | 4 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (11,753) Morgantown, WV |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 21 | Arizona | L 56–75 | 11–3 (2–1) | 17 – Small | 6 – Small | 6 – Small | WVU Coliseum (10,566) Morgantown, WV |
| January 12, 2025 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 21 | at Colorado | W 78–70 | 12–3 (3–1) | 26 – Small | 5 – Harris | 7 – Small | CU Events Center (6,975) Boulder, CO |
| January 15, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 10 Houston | L 54–70 | 12–4 (3–2) | 16 – Hansberry | 5 – Okani | 8 – Small | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 18, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 2 Iowa State | W 64–57 | 13–4 (4–2) | 27 – Small | 7 – Small | 5 – Small | WVU Coliseum (14,444) Morgantown, WV |
| January 21, 2025 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 23 | Arizona State | L 57–65 | 13–5 (4–3) | 14 – Small | 5 – Hansberry | 6 – Tenner | WVU Coliseum (10,528) Morgantown, WV |
| January 25, 2025 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 23 | at Kansas State | L 60–73 | 13–6 (4–4) | 22 – Small | 9 – Harris | 5 – Small | Bramlage Coliseum (9,018) Manhattan, KS |
| January 29, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 6 Houston | L 49–63 | 13–7 (4–5) | 9 – Yesufu | 5 – Hansberry | 5 – Okani | WVU Coliseum (12,083) Morgantown, WV |
| February 2, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati Rivalry | W 63–50 | 14–7 (5–5) | 19 – Small | 11 – Hansberry | 9 – Small | Fifth Third Arena (11,085) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 5, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at TCU | L 60–65 | 14–8 (5–6) | 17 – Small | 8 – Hansberry | 7 – Small | Schollmaier Arena (4,878) Fort Worth, TX |
| February 8, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Utah | W 72–61 | 15–8 (6–6) | 17 – Hansberry | 7 – Tied | 8 – Small | WVU Coliseum (13,166) Morgantown, WV |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | BYU | L 69–73 | 15–9 (6–7) | 16 – Okani | – Tied | 9 – Small | WVU Coliseum (10,879) Morgantown, WV |
| February 15, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Baylor | L 71–74 $^{OT}$ | 15–10 (6–8) | 22 – Small | 9 – Powell | 6 – Small | Foster Pavilion (7,500) Waco, TX |
| February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Cincinnati Rivalry | W 62–59 | 16–10 (7–8) | 17 – Hansberry | 13 – Hansberry | 4 – Small | WVU Coliseum (10,683) Morgantown, WV |
| February 22, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 9 Texas Tech | L 51–73 | 16–11 (7–9) | 14 – Hansberry | 11 – Hansberry | 5 – Small | United Supermarkets Arena (14,466) Lubbock, TX |
| February 25, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | TCU | W 73–55 | 17–11 (8–9) | 23 – Small | 6 – Yesufu | 10 – Small | WVU Coliseum (10,167) Morgantown, WV |
| March 1, 2025 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 25 BYU | L 56–77 | 17–12 (8–10) | 15 – Small | 6 – Hansberry | 2 – Tied | Marriott Center (17,978) Provo, UT |
| March 4, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Utah | W 71–69 | 18–12 (9–10) | 18 – Small | 6 – Hansberry | 7 – Small | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,763) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 8, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | W 72–65 | 19–12 (10–10) | 25 – Small | 10 – Hansberry | 9 – Small | WVU Coliseum (12,523) Morgantown, WV |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2025 3:00 p.m, ESPN+ | (8) | vs. (16) Colorado Second round | L 60–67 | 19–13 | 23 – Small | 6 – Hansberry | 5 – Small | T-Mobile Center (12,922) Kansas City, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 21 | RV | 23 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 25 | 23 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |