West Virginia is back at home Thursday night, looking to keep its unbeaten start rolling when Mercer comes to town.
The Mountaineers enter at 2-0 after picking up their second win of the season nearly a week ago, while the Bears arrive at 2-2. Tipoff is set for Thursday night, with West Virginia once again expected to be heavily favored. The current line has the Mountaineers laying 27.5 points, and the over/under is 151.5.
For fans tuning in, the game will be carried on the Mountaineers Sports Network, with a long list of radio affiliates across West Virginia and beyond. Among the outlets listed are stations in Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Pittsburgh, Wheeling and many more.
On the floor, Mercer’s clearest path to staying competitive runs through Quinton Perkins II. The 6-foot-2 senior guard leads the Bears with 16.3 points per game while shooting 44% from the field and 33% from three.
He’s shown he can be more dangerous from deep, too, after hitting 40% of his threes on 4.5 attempts per game a season ago. Mercer’s lone game against a power conference opponent did not go his way - Perkins finished with eight points against Virginia Tech - but if the Bears are going to stick around, he’ll need to keep stringing together big scoring nights.
He’s coming off back-to-back 20-point games, and a third straight would be a major boost.
For West Virginia, Seydou Traore is the name to watch. He’s already in the starting lineup, so this isn’t some hidden gem story, but he stands out as the Mountaineers’ best defender. There isn’t a single matchup that jumps off the page in this one, but Traore’s impact both on the ball and away from it is worth tracking throughout the night.
West Virginia has covered in both of its first two games, and with another big spread on the board, the Mountaineers will try to keep that trend going against Mercer.
In Other News...
WVU Offense Is Earning Serious Buzz Ahead Of A Big Test
Kansas heads into Saturday evenings matchup with West Virginia still searching for traction, but the bigger conversation around this game has been the Mountaineers offense and the problems it can create. After a close loss to UCF left the Jayhawks at 3-6, Lance Leipold spent part of the buildup acknowledging just how difficult this trip could be, pointing to West Virginias quarterback and the other playmakers around him as the kind of group that can stress a defense in a hurry.
For West Virginia, the buzz is coming at a useful time, because this is the sort of test that can either validate the momentum or expose the gaps that still need cleaning up. Kansas will have to deal with the pace, the versatility and the overall explosiveness that has made the Mountaineers a tougher opponent to prepare for, and ESPNU will have a good one to follow when the teams kick off Saturday night. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces A Brutal Test With Bowl Hopes On The Line
The stakes are clear when Kansas heads to Milan Puskar Stadium on Nov. 14, 2026, with bowl eligibility still hanging in the balance. The Jayhawks are 3-6 overall and 1-5 in Big 12 play, which means they need to win out to reach a postseason berth, while West Virginia enters at 5-4 and needs one more victory to lock up its own bowl spot.
That setup gives this one a late-season edge that should make it feel bigger than a mid-November conference game. West Virginia has the more comfortable path, but not by much, and Kansas is walking into Morgantown with no margin left for error. ESPNU will carry the game, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. CT, and both teams know exactly what is at stake. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias Hot Start Just Set Up A Huge Reality Check
West Virginias early run has given the program a real boost, and the bracket buzz is starting to follow. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently projects the Mountaineers as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, a sign that the strong start has already put them on the national radar and given fans reason to think bigger about March.
The next stretch should tell a lot more about where this team actually stands. A tougher tournament in Las Vegas is coming up, along with a neutral-court meeting with North Carolina, and those games will offer a far sharper read on whether West Virginias opening success is the start of something lasting or just a fast start before the schedule tightens up. [Read more 🡒]