It’s November 3, which means it’s the day before the 2024-25 basketball season and the official start of the Darian DeVries era at West Virginia.

How will it go for the Mountaineers this season? Here’s how we see things playing out.

Oh yes ! It’s time for Mountaineer basketball. While this may be the first year with a new coaching staff and essentially a whole new roster, there is a lot to be excited about with this group. It’s a mix of top-tier veteran talent and a group of talented, but unproven, guys who will now have the chance to become a big piece of the puzzle.

The non-conference slate is a mixed bag with quality opponents like Pitt, Gonzaga, UMass and whoever they attract in Battle 4 Atlantis and then some really low-end teams such as Mercyhurst, North Carolina Central. Bethune-Cookman and a few others. Taking down Gonzaga is a bit difficult, but beating a quality Pitt team on the road is certainly possible. I think you’ll see a non-conference chalkboard where the Mountaineers win the games they should and lose the games they are underdogs in.

Big 12 play is the usual challenge, but perhaps even tougher now with the four new teams coming into the league from the PAC 12. West Virginia’s Big 12 opener is at Kansas, so how about your welcome to the conference. , Darian?

I really liked what I saw in the team’s showcase against Division II Charleston, and as we’ve seen here recently, you can’t take these games for granted anymore. NC State, a Final Four team, nearly lost its exhibition to Lees-McRae.

I was surprised at how connected the Mountaineers were on the offensive end, given how unfamiliar the roster was. They took care of the basketball really well, ran a good offense and made good shot choices. Defensively, they played with a lot of energy and did a good job of communicating. They may lack size, but their length should pose some problems for teams.

Sencire Harris and Toby Okani are going to be headaches on the defensive end of the court and could end up being All-Big 12 defensive selections at the end of the season. As long as they do their part and Amani Hansberry can compete in the paint against some of the best bigs in the Big 12, they will do just fine defensively.

We all know the prowess of Tucker DeVries and the playmaking ability of Javon Small, but West Virginia will need a third offensive threat to emerge to really make some noise. Is that Hansberry underneath? Was it Jayden Stone who came off the bench? Or could it come from an unlikely source? If they don’t find that consistent third option, they’ll struggle a lot in Big 12 play.

This is going to be an entertaining season even if the results aren’t so pretty. They’ll find a way to pull off some upsets and West Virginia fans will feel pretty good about the program being in the hands of Darian DeVries.

The Darian DeVries era begins Monday night and in his first season, his Mountaineers are projected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 Conference standings, in 13th place.

With low expectations in DeVries’ first season at the helm, the Mountaineers could surprise some people and earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

Tucker DeVries is poised to prove he can compete at the highest level in college basketball. Two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP Larry Bird averaged 21.6 points a season ago and is West Virginia’s best NBA prospect since Deuce McBride.

West Virginia has 14 new faces on the roster. This year’s edition of the Mountaineers had the benefit of traveling overseas to play two exhibition games in Italy this summer and the fluidity of the offense during the exhibition is proof that they are in ahead of schedule for their team chemistry.

However, the biggest question heading into the season concerns the Mountaineers’ frontcourt. The length of the guard and wing can counter that, and rebounding will require a team effort to stay competitive in the Big 12.

West Virginia will have an opening test against a Frank Martin-led UMass team in the second game, then travel to Pittsburgh for the Backyard Brawl the following week. These first three games of the season may not be an indication of the rest of the schedule, but they would be a good start.

The Mountaineers could position themselves nationally in an upset win over Gonzaga during Thanksgiving week of Battle 4 Atlantis, but it won’t matter if they finish 0-2 in the Bahamas.

Where West Virginia will make its case for an NCAA Tournament bid will be during the Big 12 slate. The Mountaineers start at No. 1 Kansas, which has been a house of horrors for the program, before a two-game home game.

In total, WVU has eight preseason seeded games within the league, including four at home and two against top-five opponents (No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State). The Mountaineers will surely need to win one of these ranked games to bolster their resume.

It’s a battle every night in the Big 12 and only two Mountaineers, Oklahoma State transfer guard Javon Small and lone returner from a season ago Ofri Naveah, have experience in the toughest league in America.

There is a lot of optimism surrounding Darian DeVries after six straight 20+ win seasons. In year one, he led the program to its first winning season in six years, including the first 20-win season in 10 years. Then he led the program to its first NCAA bid in the third year in 13 years.

The Mountaineers faithful are hoping DeVries can continue West Virginia’s success after a tumultuous season that included the premature departure of Hall of Fame head coach Bob Huggins.

DeVries’ attention to detail is why I believe he can get going quickly, and his son, Tucker, has the makings to become a legend in Morgantown. The father-son duo may be the tandem the program needed to get back on track and headed to the playoffs.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Mountaineers have 19 regular season wins (19-12) with ranked wins over Arizona and Cincinnati.

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