MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Bob Huggins will open up next season against the school that gave him his first Division I coaching job.
West Virginia released its non-conference portion of the 2019-20 season, starting with the season opener against Akron on Nov. 8 in Morgantown.
After three seasons as head coach at NAIA-level Walsh College and a one-year stint as an assistant at Central Florida, Huggins was hired at Akron in 1984.
He led the Zips to the 1986 NCAA tournament and nearly pulled off a first-round upset against Michigan.
In five seasons at Akron, Huggins went 97-46.
The schedule also features neutral-court games against Youngstown State, at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown on Dec. 21, before traveling to Cleveland to face Ohio State on Dec. 29. That game that will net West Virginia a $50,000 payday, according to the game’s contract.
West Virginia will also travel to rival Pitt on Nov. 15, in the third game of the four-game series. The final game is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2020 in Morgantown.
West Virginia will host its Big 12/SEC Challenge game on Jan. 25, but that opponent hasn’t yet been announced.
It’s first-ever Big 12/Big East alliance game will be either Dec. 7 or 8, at St. John’s. St. John’s has the option of hosting that game at Madison Square Garden or on its on-campus Carnesecca Arena. That announcement has not yet been made.
The Mountaineers will also host former Atlantic 10 foe Rhode Island on Dec. 1.
Other games include the previously announced matchups in the Cancun Challenge. The Mountaineers will host Northern Colorado (Nov. 18) and Boston University (Nov. 22), before traveling to Cancun to face Northern Iowa on Nov. 26 and either Wichita State or South Carolina on Nov. 27.
In all, West Virginia will host seven of the non-conference games, four will be on a neutral court and two will be true road games. WVU did not play its first true road game last season until Big 12 play.
The schedule:
Nov. 8: Akron
Nov. 15: at Pitt
Nov. 18: Northern Colorado
Nov. 22: Boston University
Nov. 26: vs. Northern Iowa, at Cancun Challenge
Nov. 27: vs. South Carolina or Wichita State, at Cancun Challenge
Dec. 1: Rhode Island
Dec. 7 or 8: at St. John’s
Dec. 12: Austin Peay
Dec. 14: Nicholls State
Dec. 21: vs. Youngstown, at Covelli Centre
Dec. 29: vs. Ohio State, at Cleveland
Jan. 25: Big 12/SEC Challenge
