Thursday, December 22
Morgantown, W.Va.
6:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Stony Brook
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Face Stony Brook Thursday Before Christmas Break
December 21, 2022 05:51 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With the exception of Auburn in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 28, Thursday night's game against Stony Brook game at the WVU Coliseum will be it for regular-season, nonconference competition for the Mountaineers.
After that, it's a steady diet of Big 12 hoops - the best college basketball America has to offer. The Seawolves will be just the second opponent West Virginia has faced during a 21-day span from the UAB game played on Saturday, Dec. 10, until the Big 12 opener at Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 31.
Young and immature teams can lose focus during the time at the end of the semester when they go home for a couple of days during the holidays and then return to begin playing the most important games of the season.
Some years, that would be a big concern for Bob Huggins, but not this year.
"Fortunately, we have guys who like to play. They'll run, and they'll condition themselves," he said.
There is a nine-day gap between tomorrow's contest and the Big 12 opener, meaning the team will have four days to spend at home with their family over Christmas break. Kedrian Johnson, from Dallas, said he will take an early flight on Friday morning to maximize the time spent with his family.
"I will get most of the day, but it is cut short by having to come back," he said. "I'm a momma's boy. When you only see your family once or twice a year, it's pretty tough."
Seth Wilson, from nearby Lorain, Ohio, only has a few hours in a car before getting home. He said his break will include some gym time to stay in shape. He said he learned his lesson about taking too much time off when he was in high school.
That includes steering clear of all those Christmas cookies sitting around the house.
"I'm going to try and get into the gym as much as I can when I go home to stay sharp and stay ready," he explained. "As far as eating goes, I haven't eaten a lot over the holidays since high school. I learned that the hard way because the next practice when you come back is going to be brutal."
Johnson said he welcomes the time off to rest his aching body. Whenever there is a scrum on the floor, you can usually find Keedy at the bottom of the pile fighting for the basketball. Those scrums add up over the course of a long season.
"I want to take a little time to rest because I'm still a little beat up," he said, adding, "I'll be in shape. I'm always in shape."
Huggins, too, will spend a little time with his family before getting ready for the onslaught that awaits his team in Manhattan, Kansas, on New Year's Eve. Then, it's off to Oklahoma State on Jan. 2 before facing fourth-ranked Kansas at the Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 7.
He said one of his four sisters usually hosts the family Christmas, or occasionally his younger brother Harry.
"There are four (sisters), so you get a pretty good variety," he said. "We went to my mom's and dad's house when she was alive, and when she died, my dad sure as hell wasn't going to cook, so we went to my sisters' and they alternate."
Huggins won't be near a gym during his time off, but he expects his players to do what they need to do to remain in shape over the break.
"They're going to be in the gym, so I don't think it's that big of a deal," he said. "With some groups it is. We've got guys who get the shakes if they don't get into the gym enough. Can you see Erik (Stevenson) not being in the gym for five or six days?"
As for 4-8 Stony Brook, coming off a 66-59 victory over Army last Sunday, Wilson said he is expecting a good game from the Seawolves on Thursday night. Stony Brook is coached before former Ohio University standout Geno Ford, from nearby Cambridge, Ohio.
"We expect them to play hard. They're not going to come in here and just lay down and let us beat them," he said. "We've got to come in focused and determined to win and that's what we'll do."
The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Nick Farrell, Warren Baker and Angelica Trinone).
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Jay Jacobs and David Kahn tips off at 5 p.m. on stations throughput West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the apps WVU Gameday and The Varsity Network.
Satellite radio coverage is on SiriusXM channel 382.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
After that, it's a steady diet of Big 12 hoops - the best college basketball America has to offer. The Seawolves will be just the second opponent West Virginia has faced during a 21-day span from the UAB game played on Saturday, Dec. 10, until the Big 12 opener at Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 31.
Young and immature teams can lose focus during the time at the end of the semester when they go home for a couple of days during the holidays and then return to begin playing the most important games of the season.
Some years, that would be a big concern for Bob Huggins, but not this year.
"Fortunately, we have guys who like to play. They'll run, and they'll condition themselves," he said.
There is a nine-day gap between tomorrow's contest and the Big 12 opener, meaning the team will have four days to spend at home with their family over Christmas break. Kedrian Johnson, from Dallas, said he will take an early flight on Friday morning to maximize the time spent with his family.
"I will get most of the day, but it is cut short by having to come back," he said. "I'm a momma's boy. When you only see your family once or twice a year, it's pretty tough."
Seth Wilson, from nearby Lorain, Ohio, only has a few hours in a car before getting home. He said his break will include some gym time to stay in shape. He said he learned his lesson about taking too much time off when he was in high school.
That includes steering clear of all those Christmas cookies sitting around the house.
"I'm going to try and get into the gym as much as I can when I go home to stay sharp and stay ready," he explained. "As far as eating goes, I haven't eaten a lot over the holidays since high school. I learned that the hard way because the next practice when you come back is going to be brutal."
Johnson said he welcomes the time off to rest his aching body. Whenever there is a scrum on the floor, you can usually find Keedy at the bottom of the pile fighting for the basketball. Those scrums add up over the course of a long season.
"I want to take a little time to rest because I'm still a little beat up," he said, adding, "I'll be in shape. I'm always in shape."
Huggins, too, will spend a little time with his family before getting ready for the onslaught that awaits his team in Manhattan, Kansas, on New Year's Eve. Then, it's off to Oklahoma State on Jan. 2 before facing fourth-ranked Kansas at the Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 7.
He said one of his four sisters usually hosts the family Christmas, or occasionally his younger brother Harry.
"There are four (sisters), so you get a pretty good variety," he said. "We went to my mom's and dad's house when she was alive, and when she died, my dad sure as hell wasn't going to cook, so we went to my sisters' and they alternate."
Huggins won't be near a gym during his time off, but he expects his players to do what they need to do to remain in shape over the break.
"They're going to be in the gym, so I don't think it's that big of a deal," he said. "With some groups it is. We've got guys who get the shakes if they don't get into the gym enough. Can you see Erik (Stevenson) not being in the gym for five or six days?"
As for 4-8 Stony Brook, coming off a 66-59 victory over Army last Sunday, Wilson said he is expecting a good game from the Seawolves on Thursday night. Stony Brook is coached before former Ohio University standout Geno Ford, from nearby Cambridge, Ohio.
"We expect them to play hard. They're not going to come in here and just lay down and let us beat them," he said. "We've got to come in focused and determined to win and that's what we'll do."
The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Nick Farrell, Warren Baker and Angelica Trinone).
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Jay Jacobs and David Kahn tips off at 5 p.m. on stations throughput West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the apps WVU Gameday and The Varsity Network.
Satellite radio coverage is on SiriusXM channel 382.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
G
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