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

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

Ah, yes! It’s time for some Mountaineer basketball. Although it may be year one with a new coaching staff and essentially a whole brand new roster, there is a lot to be excited about with this group. It’s a mix of veteran top-tier talent with a bunch of talented, yet unproven guys who will now get their chance to be a big piece of the puzzle.

The non-conference slate is a mixed bag with some quality opponents in Pitt, Gonzaga, UMass, and whoever else they draw in the 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 of a reach, but beating a quality Pitt team on the road is certainly possible. I think you’ll see a chalk non-conference slate where the Mountaineers win the games they should and lose the games they are underdogs in.

Big 12 play is the usual gauntlet, but maybe even more challenging now with the four new teams coming into the league from the PAC 12. West Virginia’s Big 12 opener is on the road at Kansas, so how about that for your welcome to the conference, Darian?

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

I was surprised by how connected the Mountaineers were on the offensive end, given the amount of unfamiliarity on the roster. They took really good care of the basketball, ran a good offense, and made good shot selections. Defensively, they played with a lot of energy and did a nice job of communicating. They may lack size, but their length should cause some issues for teams.

Sencire Harris and Toby Okani are going to be headaches on the defensive end of the floor and could end up being All-Big 12 defensive selections at the season’s end. 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’ll be just fine defensively.

We all know about the scoring prowess of Tucker DeVries and the play-making ability of Javon Small, but West Virginia is going to need a third offensive threat to emerge to really make some noise. Is that Hansberry underneath? Is it Jayden Stone off the bench? Or could it come from an unlikely source? If they can’t find that consistent third option, they will struggle mightily in Big 12 play.

It’s going to be an entertaining season despite the record not looking all that pretty. They will find a way to spring some upsets and West Virginia fans will feel pretty good about the program being in Darian DeVries’ hands.

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

With expectations low in DeVries’ first season at the helm, the Mountaineers may 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. The two-time Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player 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 a pair of exhibition games in Italy this summer and the offense’s fluidity in the exhibition is evidence they are ahead of schedule on their team chemistry.

However, the biggest question heading into the season is the Mountaineers’ frontcourt. The length at guard and the wing may counter this, and rebounding will take a team effort to remain competitive in the Big 12.

West Virginia will have an early test against a Frank Martin led UMass team in game two, then travel to Pittsburgh for the Backyard Brawl the following week. This first three games of the season may not be an indication of the remainder of the schedule, but it would be a solid start.

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

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

Overall, WVU has eight preseason ranked matchups within the league, four of which are at home and two are against top five opponents (No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State). The Mountaineers will surely need to win one of those ranked games to bolster its resume.

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

There is plenty of optimism surrounding Darian DeVries after six consecutive 20-plus 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, led the program to its first NCAA bid in year three in 13 years.

Mountaineer faithful is hopeful DeVries can continue West Virginia’s success following a tumultuous season that included the untimely exit of Hall of Fame head coach Bob Huggins.

DeVries’ eye for detail is the reason I believe he can hit the ground running, and his son, Tucker, has the making to become a legend in Morgantown. The father son duo may be the tandem the program needed to get back on track and head to the postseason.

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

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Penn State Fans Sing Country Roads Before College GameDay Show