# 2018–19 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 12th 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. In a season of bad records, the team finished with the most losses in a season in school history and also had its first last-place finish in Big 12 Conference play. They finished the season 15–21, 4–14 in Big 12 Play to finish in last place. They defeated Oklahoma and Texas Tech to advance to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the College Basketball Invitational where they defeated Grand Canyon in the first round before losing in the quarterfinals to Coastal Carolina.

## Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2017–18 season 26–11, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Baylor and Texas Tech to advance to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament where they lost to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Murray State and Marshall to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Villanova.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Jevon Carter | 2 | G | 6'2" | 205 | Senior | Maywood, IL | Graduated; Drafted by Memphis Grizzlies |
| Daxter Miles Jr. | 4 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Baltimore, MD | Graduated |
| D'Angelo Hunter | 11 | F | 6'6" | 190 | Junior | Louisville, KY | Transferred to Nicholls State |
| Teddy Allen | 13 | F | 6'5" | 225 | Freshman | Mesa, AZ | Transferred to Wichita State |
| Maciej Bender | 25 | F | 6'10" | 250 | Sophomore | Warsaw, Poland | Transferred to Mercer |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jermaine Haley | 10 | F | 6'8" | 215 | RS Junior | Burnaby, BC | Junior college transferred from Odessa College. |
| Andrew Gordon | 12 | C | 6'10" | 235 | RS Sophomore | Clearwater, FL | Junior college transferred from Northwest Florida State College. |

## Recruits
### Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Derek Culver #8 C | Youngstown, OH | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 238 lb (108 kg) | Aug 2, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jordan McCabe #19 PG | Kaukauna, WI | Kaukauna High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Aug 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Trey Doomes #52 SG | Acworth, GA | University School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 5, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Emmitt Matthews Jr. #56 PF | Tacoma, WA | Woodrow Wilson High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 12, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| 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: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### Recruiting class of 2019

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Miles McBride #50 PG | Cincinnati, OH | Moeller High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Feb 5, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: |||||||
| Oscar Tshiebwe C | Sharon, PA | Kennedy Catholic High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Oct 20, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| 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: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Roster

On Feb 11, 2019 Esa Ahmad and Wesley Harris were dismissed from the team.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 3, 2018* 7:00 pm, ATTSNPT | No. 13 | Penn State Charity Exhibition | L 82–84 | – | 25 – Ahmad | 7 – Tied | 3 – Harler | WVU Coliseum (9,517) Morgantown, WV |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 13 | Buffalo | L 94–99 $^{OT}$ | 0–1 | 22 – West | 9 – West | 4 – Bolden | WVU Coliseum (12,657) Morgantown, WV |
| November 15, 2018* 7:30 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Monmouth Myrtle Beach Invitational Quarterfinals | W 71–53 | 1–1 | 16 – Ahmad | 8 – Konate | 3 – Tied | HTC Center (3,307) Conway, SC |
| November 16, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Western Kentucky Myrtle Beach Invitational | L 57–63 | 1–2 | 12 – Ahmad | 6 – Tied | 3 – Bolden | HTC Center (3,370) Conway, SC |
| November 18, 2018* 4:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. St. Joseph's Myrtle Beach Invitational | W 97–90 | 2–2 | 27 – West | 9 – Konate | 5 – Knapper | HTC Center (3,094) Conway, SC |
| November 24, 2018* 2:00 pm, ATTSNPT | | Valparaiso Myrtle Beach Invitational campus-site game | W 88–76 | 3–2 | 30 – Ahmad | 10 – Konate | 7 – Knapper | WVU Coliseum (9,188) Morgantown, WV |
| November 28, 2018* 6:30 pm, ATTSNPT | | Rider | W 92–78 | 4–2 | 20 – West | 8 – Tied | 8 – McCabe | WVU Coliseum (9,124) Morgantown, WV |
| December 1, 2018* 4:00 pm, ATTSNPT | | Youngstown State | W 106–72 | 5–2 | 15 – Tied | 9 – Konate | 5 – Bolden | WVU Coliseum (10,849) Morgantown, WV |
| December 4, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Florida Jimmy V Classic | L 56–66 | 5–3 | 11 – Harler | 9 – Ahmad | 5 – Haley | Madison Square Garden (8,499) New York, NY |
| December 8, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl | W 69–59 | 6–3 | 18 – Bolden | 9 – Konate | 4 – Bolden | WVU Coliseum (13,670) Morgantown, WV |
| December 16, 2018* 1:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Rhode Island Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase | L 70–83 | 6–4 | 18 – Harris | 9 – Harris | 4 – Ahmad | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT |
| December 22, 2018* 12:00 pm, ATTSNPT | | Jacksonville State | W 74–72 | 7–4 | 20 – Harris | 8 – Harris | 5 – Bolden | WVU Coliseum (8,231) Morgantown, WV |
| December 30, 2018* 2:00 pm, ATTSNPT | | Lehigh | W 78–68 | 8–4 | 22 – Bolden | 11 – Culver | 5 – Bolden | WVU Coliseum (10,754) Morgantown, WV |
| January 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 11 Texas Tech | L 59–62 | 8–5 (0–1) | 22 – West | 8 – Culver | 2 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (10,358) Morgantown, WV |
| January 5, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Texas Saturday Showcase | L 54–61 | 8–6 (0–2) | 17 – Culver | 9 – Culver | 2 – West | Frank Erwin Center (9,195) Austin, TX |
| January 9, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Kansas State | L 69–71 | 8–7 (0–3) | 21 – West | 12 – Culver | 3 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (9,590) Manhattan, KS |
| January 12, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPNU | | Oklahoma State Saturday Showcase | L 77–85 | 8–8 (0–4) | 31 – Bolden | 15 – Culver | 3 – McCabe | WVU Coliseum (11,339) Morgantown, WV |
| January 15, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at TCU Super Tuesday | L 67–98 | 8–9 (0–5) | 15 – Bolden | 5 – Harris | 5 – Haley | Schollmaier Arena (6,734) Fort Worth, TX |
| January 19, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 7 Kansas Saturday Showcase | W 65–64 | 9–9 (1–5) | 13 – Haley | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (12,657) Morgantown, WV |
| January 21, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Baylor Big Monday | L 73–85 | 9–10 (1–6) | 22 – Bolden | 8 – Culver | 3 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (9,936) Morgantown, WV |
| January 26, 2019* 4:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 1 Tennessee Big 12/SEC Challenge/Saturday Showcase | L 66–83 | 9–11 | 16 – Ahmad | 7 – Ahmad | 4 – McCabe | Thompson–Boling Arena (22,149) Knoxville, TN |
| January 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 20 Iowa State | L 68–93 | 9–12 (1–7) | 24 – West | 5 – Tied | 5 – Haley | Hilton Coliseum (14,252) Ames, IA |
| February 2, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Oklahoma Saturday Showcase | W 79–71 | 10–12 (2–7) | 25 – Knapper | 14 – Culver | 4 – Ahmad | WVU Coliseum (11,611) Morgantown, WV |
| February 4, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 18 Texas Tech Big Monday | L 50–81 | 10–13 (2–8) | 23 – Culver | 12 – Culver | 4 – Haley | United Supermarkets Arena (12,831) Lubbock, TX |
| February 9, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Texas Saturday Showcase | L 53–75 | 10–14 (2–9) | 14 – Ahmad | 11 – Culver | 4 – Culver | WVU Coliseum (12,815) Morgantown, WV |
| February 16, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 14 Kansas Saturday Showcase | L 53–78 | 10–15 (2–10) | 11 – Tied | 12 – Culver | 4 – Tied | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| February 18, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 23 Kansas State Big Monday | L 51–65 | 10–16 (2–11) | 16 – West | 13 – Culver | 2 – Tied | WVU Coliseum (9,266) Morgantown, WV |
| February 23, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Baylor Saturday Showcase | L 75–82 | 10–17 (2–12) | 16 – West | 7 – Haley | 5 – Haley | Ferrell Center (6,262) Waco, TX |
| February 26, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | TCU Super Tuesday | W 104–96 $^{3OT}$ | 11–17 (3–12) | 25 – McCabe | 21 – Culver | 11 – McCabe | WVU Coliseum (8,798) Morgantown, WV |
| March 2, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Oklahoma Saturday Showcase | L 80–92 | 11–18 (3–13) | 23 – Haley | 10 – Matthews. Jr. | 5 – Haley | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK |
| March 6, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | Iowa State | W 90–75 | 12–18 (4–13) | 28 – Haley | 12 – West | 5 – McCabe | WVU Coliseum (10,354) Morgantown, WV |
| March 9, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPNews | | at Oklahoma State Saturday Showcase | L 77–85 | 12–19 (4–14) | 16 – Tied | 21 – Culver | 5 – McCabe | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,279) Stillwater, OK |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2019 9:30 pm, ESPNU | (10) | vs. (7) Oklahoma First Round/Champ Week | W 71–70 | 13–19 | 15 – West | 12 – Haley | 4 – Haley | Sprint Center (18,858) Kansas City, MO |
| March 14, 2019 9:30 pm, ESPN2 | (10) | vs. (2) No. 7 Texas Tech Quarterfinals/Champ Week | W 79–74 | 14–19 | 28 – Matthews | 13 – Culver | 8 – McCabe | Sprint Center (18,927) Kansas City, MO |
| March 15, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | (10) | vs. (3) No. 17 Kansas Semifinals/Champ Week | L 74–88 | 14–20 | 16 – West | 11 – Culver | 6 – Haley | Sprint Center (19,066) Kansas City, MO |
| College Basketball Invitational |||||||||
| March 20, 2019* 7:00 pm, Frontier | | Grand Canyon First round | W 77–63 | 15–20 | 24 – Haley | 10 – Culver | 4 – Harler | WVU Coliseum (5,313) Morgantown, WV |
| March 25, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Coastal Carolina Quarterfinals | L 91–109 | 15–21 | 21 – Matthews/West | 10 – Haley | 6 – McCabe | WVU Coliseum (6,775) Morgantown, WV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## 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 | 13 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | |
| Coaches | 13 | 13^ | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.