WVU men’s hoops picked 9th in first Big 12 preseason poll

On Friday, the Big 12 Conference revealed its preseason men’s basketball polls and West Virginia was ranked ninth, surpassing three new Big 12 teams and Oklahoma.

The poll positions Kansas at the top with 12 first-place votes, followed by Houston, a newly joined member, who received two first-place votes, and then Texas.

Baylor takes the fourth spot, trailing behind the Longhorns, followed by TCU and Kansas State. Iowa State and Texas Tech are ranked sixth and seventh respectively, just ahead of West Virginia.

Further down the poll, Oklahoma State lands at 10th, Cincinnati at 11th, and Oklahoma at 12th. The two new member schools, BYU and UCF, round out the polls at 13th and 14th.

This marks the second consecutive season that West Virginia has been chosen as the ninth-ranked team in the Big 12 Preseason Polls. However, the Mountaineers improved their ranking by one spot at the end of last season, finishing in eighth place with a conference record of 7-11.

Last year, they also secured a victory in the Big 12 Conference Tournament against Texas Tech and managed to earn a NCAA tournament berth as a nine-seed with an overall record of 19-15.

As the upcoming season approaches, there are many uncertainties for the team following the resignation of former head coach Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers are now under the guidance of interim head coach Josh Eilert and have a mix of nine newcomers and four returners. Additionally, some key contributors have transferred to other schools, including within the Big 12 Conference.

West Virginia’s transfer class features notable players such as All-ACC center Jesse Edwards from Syracuse and PAC-12 assists leader point guard Kerr Kriisa from Arizona in 2022. The team also welcomes forward Quinn Slazinski from Iona and big man Akok Akok from Georgetown, among others.

Furthermore, West Virginia is currently awaiting a transfer waiver decision for guard RaQuan Battle, who joined the team from Montana State.