West Virginia’s Big 12 schedule is now on the board, and the first thing that jumps out is how quickly the grind starts.
The conference released the 16-team league slate on Thursday, and the Mountaineers open Big 12 play on Jan. 2 at Kansas. That’s followed by a home date with Oklahoma State on Jan. 5, then a trip to Colorado on Jan. 9 and a home game against Kansas State on Jan.
- The month keeps moving with Cincinnati coming to Morgantown on Jan. 16, before West Virginia heads west again for games at Utah on Jan. 20 and at BYU on Jan.
- Arizona State visits on Jan. 27, and Arizona comes in on Jan.
February brings another demanding run: at UCF on Feb. 3, home against Iowa State on Feb. 6, at Texas Tech on Feb. 13, home against UCF on Feb. 16, at Baylor on Feb. 20, at Cincinnati on Feb. 24, and then Houston on Feb. 27.
The opener at Kansas stands out right away. Somebody had to draw the Jayhawks first, but Ross Hodge probably would have preferred not to be the team making that initial trip to Lawrence. West Virginia’s only win there came in the conference opener during the 2024-25 season under Darian DeVries.
The travel is rough in spots, too. The Big 12 can only do so much for its Eastern Time Zone teams, but West Virginia’s trip to Colorado, then back home, then back out to Utah 11 days later is a brutal setup.
The double dip into Texas is awkward as well: the Mountaineers go to Texas Tech on Feb. 13, return home for UCF, and then head back to Texas for Baylor on Feb. 20.
A cleaner pairing of those road games would have made more sense.
The closing stretch looks especially nasty. If Cincinnati is better than expected and TCU carries over momentum from a 23-win season, the final five could be a real slog.
Three of those last five are on the road, and all three are in tough places to win. Getting Houston at home helps, but that matchup might have been better placed earlier in the year.
There is at least a section of the schedule that looks manageable. Right after the Kansas game, West Virginia hits a five-game stretch against what should be middle- to lower-tier Big 12 opponents.
The only road games in that run are at Colorado and at Utah, and those two teams went a combined 27-28 a year ago. They’ll have new teams, too, but West Virginia should be in better shape there and ought to have a real shot at going 2-0, or at worst 1-1, in those road trips.
In Other News...
WVU Is Suddenly Chasing A Recruiting Win That Could Reshape The Backcourt
West Virginias backcourt picture could shift quickly this weekend, with class of 2027 point guard Micah Gordon set to make his college choice on Saturday. The decision comes down to Creighton, VCU and the Mountaineers, and Gordons standing as a nationally highly ranked recruit gives this one real weight for a program looking to keep adding high-end perimeter talent.
If Gordon lands in Morgantown, it would count as one of the most notable recruiting wins in recent program memory, since he would be the second-highest rated player to commit to West Virginia. His decision also carries extra intrigue because of what it could mean for the guard rotation down the road, especially with current player Miles Sadler still part of the broader backcourt conversation. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fans Are Split On What This Team Can Really Do
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A fan poll on X captured that divide almost perfectly, with 50.9% showing little to no confidence in a West Virginia upset and 49.1% still believing the Mountaineers can pull it off. That split says plenty about the mood around the program right now: there is enough optimism to keep hope alive, but also enough doubt to make this feel like a measuring-stick game long before the final score tells the story. [Read more 🡒]
Backyard Brawl Gives WVU Fans A New Chance To Take Over
The Backyard Brawl is headed to a different stage this time, with West Virginia and Pitt set to meet at PPG Paints Arena instead of the Panthers usual home court. Pitt athletic director Allen Greene pointed to the chance for greater NIL revenue as a major reason for moving the game, but for the Mountaineers it also creates a familiar kind of road test in an unfamiliar building, one that could still feel like a home atmosphere if enough gold and blue find their way inside.
Ross Hodge and several WVU players took part in a press conference at the arena and sounded upbeat about what the matchup could mean for both the program and its fan base. The rivalry already carries its own energy, but a neutral-site setting adds a fresh layer to it, especially with Mountaineer supporters looking at this as another chance to show how quickly they can turn a big game into something that feels a lot closer to home. [Read more 🡒]