Back in May, we wrote this about WVU men’s basketball and its scheduling future: “Playing Virginia, Virginia Tech, even Wake Forest, makes a lot of sense for the Mountaineers.”
Clearly, either Ross Hodge was listening or came to that conclusion on his own. The Mountaineers announced a two-year series with the Demon Deacons, and they’ll play this year in Charleston and next year in Greensboro, N.C.
That’s a great move for the Mountaineers, and it signals a new era for WVU men’s basketball scheduling. Obviously, Hodge still has to prove that he can coach in the Big 12. But his recruiting has looked good, and his scheduling philosophy is five steps in the right direction. Here’s an analysis of why this is a great move for West Virginia.
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Hodge Has the NCAAs in Mind
The main reason that West Virginia missed the NCAAs last year was its schedule. Specifically, it was the Mountaineers’ schedule away from home that killed them. They had a strong tournament in November, then won at Kansas, and that was about it.
When the Jayhawks imploded and became a middling tournament team, that win in Lawrence wasn’t enough. West Virginia needed to beef up its road non-conference schedule, and it needed to do it quickly.
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Adding Wake Forest goes a long way toward that goal. The Demon Deacons were also on the bubble last year. They represent a winnable but not overwhelming opponent for the Mountaineers. That makes it a good test as well as a resume builder.
A win over Wake Forest will build the resume. A loss won’t hurt the Mountaineers, because the Deacons will have a high rating from playing in the ACC. Even better, they’re playing at a neutral site for both games. Because of the NET formula, a neutral-site game looks better than a home game to the ratings. Let’s not kid ourselves: Charleston is not a real neutral site; it will be a home game for West Virginia. But to the computer, it’s a neutral site. That’s how you game the system.
Hodge Is Giving His Team More Opportunities
If you looked at the dates, West Virginia is “hosting” Wake this year and going to North Carolina next year. The Mountaineers have Pitt home this year and away next year.
That scheduling can be better, but it’s still a good thing. For years, the Mountaineers have been at the mercy of their tournament luck. If they drew good opponents, it would help them; if not, they’d be in trouble. The rest of their non-conference was Pitt and a bunch of weaklings. If the Panthers were good, or if the game was in Pittsburgh, that was OK. If the Panthers weren’t good and the game was in Morgantown, it did nothing for WVU.
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The Mountaineers now have a second game to help the resume, and they set it up so that playing two in-state games wouldn’t backfire. Remember, scheduling is a dance that requires two partners. Wake Forest was a willing participant, but the Demon Deacons have their own needs to think about.
Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes has won 20 games three times in five years, but he hasn’t taken the Demon Deacons to the tournament. And with Oklahoma and Vanderbilt already coming to Winston-Salem, adding a third game in the Triad wouldn’t have made a lot of sense for Wake. The Deacons wanted to balance their schedule with two home games and two games in hostile arenas against power conference schools. They’re playing Michigan in Detroit, and now WVU in Charleston. That made the schedule work for both parties.
For WVU, this makes sense because Hodge is a first-year coach. Next year, he’ll have a better sense of his team and can handle the challenge of playing at Pitt and Wake in Greensboro. Moving forward, Hodge can do even better by balancing the Pitt series. Ideally, the Mountaineers would play at Pitt and host an ACC foe one year, and host Pitt and visit an ACC foe the other. But for his first two years in Morgantown, doing it this way makes sense.
Hodge Is Willing to Use Charleston
When we wrote that piece about WVU’s scheduling, we made the suggestion for the Mountaineers to use Pittsburgh to their advantage. They should still do that; playing a game in PPG Paints Arena makes a lot of sense against a school like Penn State or Ohio State. Given that the Nittany Lions would also benefit from playing in Pittsburgh, that would be a brilliant series for WVU men’s basketball to add.
But by going south to Charleston, Hodge has opened up another front that WVU can use to its advantage. And it’s an excellent move on his part. As the only power conference team in the state, West Virginia has a built-in fan base all over the state. Marshall fans might protest, but outside of Huntington, WVU athletics is the one thing the entire Mountain State can agree on.
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Charleston is a central location for the state, and it’s an easier trip for many ACC and SEC schools. You’re probably not going to bring Kentucky to Charleston (not in basketball, anyway), but Hodge could entice someone like South Carolina or Georgia to make that trip instead of coming all the way to Morgantown. A series with the Gamecocks lends itself to a built-in promotion: play in Charleston, W. Va. and Charleston, S.C. and call it the Charleston Challenge. Playing marquee games in Charleston markets the Mountaineers around the state and opens up opportunities.
WVU Men’s Basketball Fans Can Expect Solid Scheduling
As stated above, Hodge still has to prove that he can coach at this level. If he can’t go out and win games, it won’t matter who or where the Mountaineers play.
But his scheduling philosophy so far looks really good. He’s using what this job offers as built-in advantages, and he’s crafting a slate that fans can appreciate. If he can coach as well as he’s managed so far, the Mountaineers will be on solid footing.
