West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge and athletic director Wren Baker have been in the lab putting together what the first non-conference basketball schedule is going to look like this coming season.
The Mountaineers already have three games on the docket with the program set to host Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl Nov. 13 in Morgantown up first. That is the middle of a four-game series between the two long-standing rivals.
Then a trip to Charleston, South Carolina for the Shriner's Children's Charleston Classic set for Nov. 21 and Nov. 23 against either Xavier, Georgia or Clemson in those two games giving the program a multi-team event.
It has also been reported that the Mountaineers are set to play Ohio State in a neutral-site contest in Cleveland. And there could be more to come.
"Still working on a couple, you know, high level neutral court games that we'd like to be involved with and challenge ourselves in the non-league. I mean, it's something we always tried to do even at North Texas and want to continue to do that here, even though you do have so many built-in quad one opportunities," Hodge said.
Hodge made it clear that scheduling is set to be a collaborative effort with Baker in order to secure the games that he wants on the slate.
“I do think it’s an art form. I don’t necessarily know if there’s a direct science to it. You have to be willing to have some patience and try to get the games you want to get that make the most sense for your university,” Hodge said.
But given the fact that West Virginia won't hurt for opportunities to record quadrant one wins in the grueling Big 12 Conference there has to be a mix of opponents when it comes to constructing a slate that both challenges his team but provides opportunities for the Mountaineers to stack some wins.
“You know, they don't they don't hurt you in any way and just more opportunities and help you grow as a team," he said.
That means finding the right balance will be critical for Hodge and company when it comes to the construction of the final product and that is the sole focus.
"You can get a little bit of a false sense of security if you’re not challenging yourself and you don’t get to find out about yourself. And even if that means you have an early setback or two, as long as it’s the right game and the right team, it doesn’t hurt you as much as it provides an opportunity to help you,” Hodge said.
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