The Missouri State Bears and the West Virginia Mountaineers meet Monday in college basketball action from WVU Coliseum. Missouri State managed to go 17-15 overall last year, landing in sixth place among MVC teams. As for West Virginia, they posted a 19-15 record in 2022-23, ultimately falling in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Missouri State Bears 

Thanks mainly to a lot of injuries and roster fluctuations, Missouri State didn’t finish quite as well last year as they did in 2021-22, going 17-15 overall with a 12-8 run in Missouri Valley Conference matchups. The Bears would finish around the middle of the pack in the conference standings with that effort. After a win over UIC in the first round of the MVC Tournament, Missouri State lost to Southern Illinois 54-51. 

Looking ahead to 2023-24, the Bears retain head coach Dana Ford for his sixth year. He’ll get three starters back on the roster and hopefully won’t be hamstrung by injuries this season. Forwards Jonathan Mogbo and Dalen Ridgnal are gone, but there’s still plenty of talent here. The best news is that star senior Donovan Clay is back after averaging 11.9 PPG last year. 

West Virginia Mountaineers 

Over on on the Mountaineers’ side, they managed a 19-15 overall record last season amid some off-court turmoil. West Virginia would go 7-11 in the Big 12, finishing just two spots out of the basement. The Mountaineers would lose to Kansas in the conference tourney before falling in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament to Maryland 67-65. 

With head coach Bob Huggins’ resignation late last year, the Mountaineers suffered a ton of roster turnover. Most players bolted for the door (all five starters are gone) as new head coach Josh Eilert scrambled to assemble a lineup in the offseason. Senior point guard Kerr Kriisa (Arizona) will be the program’s lynchpin for now after averaging 9.9 PPG last season. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m staying with Missouri State. If the Bears remain healthy this season and can find some consistent scoring, they could very well be in the mix for the MVC title this year. The team is going to need some early success in order to get fans back in the stadium however, and a good showing here would garner some much-needed positive attention. 

As for West Virginia, they went through an awkward situation late last season and the gutted roster will certainly have a huge impact on their fortunes in 2023-24. That said, Eilert has some decent talent with guys like Kriisa and Syracuse transfer Jesse Edwards around. It’s probably still going to be a rough season for West Virginia as they begin the rebuilding process, though.