MAILBAG: Jesse Edwards Timeline, Football Schedule, Tournament Chances + More

Answering this week's questions from the fans.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: With the Big 12 supposedly dropping the football schedule soon, how do you think WVU’s will look? I know we already know the teams on the schedule but it’s not set in a specific order yet. That’s basically what I’m asking lol

A: It's really hard to predict what time of year they'll play certain opponents, but I don't believe you'll see as many week day games this season. I could be wrong, but with a team that is expected to compete for the Big 12 they will want those on Saturday as much as possible. I'm interested to see where the bye week falls and who they begin conference play with. You want that bye as late as possible and if I'm Neal Brown, I'd like to get the trip to Stillwater out of the way considering OSU typically struggles early in the year.

From @mpscxh752g:

Q: We hosted Jinup Doboul for basketball. Heard anything about him?

A: I'll be honest, I've been neck-deep in football recruiting/portal, I haven't spent a whole lot of time on the basketball side. I'll be tapping into that this week, so once I get an update I'll throw together something on the site. Stay tuned.

From @mattcrist:

Q: If WVU were to continue a winning streak after Kansas, at what point could they feasibly be ranked in the top 25? 11-11?

A: The next three games won't be viewed as much by the voters (UCF, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati) and with the number of bad losses on the resume, it would take a really long winning streak to get them in the top 25. If I'm being honest, I don't think it's feasible.

From @BlueLotBandit:

Q: How close are we to getting Jesse Edwards back on the floor?

A: Close. Wouldn't be surprised to see him out there tomorrow against UCF, but a more realistic timeline is Oklahoma State next Saturday. If they feel he's close for the game in Stillwater but not quite 100%, they could probably afford to wait until they return home next Wednesday for Cincinnati. OSU is struggle bus city right now.

From @zootx:

Q: Any chance we see Rodney Gallagher III on the basketball court next season?

A: No. As fun as it would be to watch, Gallagher is fully committed to playing football and football only at WVU. At least that's what I've been told and it lines up with what he told me last year before signing. 

From @jclar35:

Q: What do you think we do at right tackle? Is there a possibility Johnny Williams moves over and takes it?

A: It's going to be one heckuva competition. I like Johnny Williams IV a lot, but Xavier Bausley played at an All-American level as a freshman last season at Jacksonville State. He was brought here to compete for the job, not to be a depth piece. Nick Malone will also be in the mix as well. It's way too early to tell who will man that spot, but we'll have a better feeling as to who that may be when spring ball comes around.

From @2chaw_:

Q: Can this basketball team still make the big dance in march or is it too far gone?

A: They can still make it. They just have to pull off one of the two unthinkables - win out/only have one more loss OR win the Big 12 Conference tournament. The selection committee likely won't care that they only had a six, seven-man rotation for non-conference play. At the end of the day, they believe you are what your record says you are. So at this point in the game, you just have to hope they strike hot in Kansas City.

Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings, Weekly Schedule & Standings

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