Looking at the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic: Who will WVU play?
For the first time in the 2025-26 season, West Virginia will play outside of the Hope Coliseum. While they are away from home, they are either at an advantage or a disadvantage, as they are set to play two neutral-site games in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.
The other three teams that make up the bracket are Clemson, Georgia and Xavier. Here is a breakdown of what to expect from these programs.
Pomeroy rankings
As of Nov. 19, Clemson is the top-ranked team in the tournament, per Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings. They sit at 26th in the nation, as its offense shines, ranking 25th.
Georgia is not far behind at 32nd. They showcase a balanced offense (33rd) and defensive (37th) attack.
West Virginia ranked 58th, as their defensive rating shines as the top in the tournament, coming in at 22nd. The Mountaineer offense is rated 100th in the nation.
Xavier is just barely out of the top 100 at 105. The rankings show them as the 93rd-ranked defensive team, but 119th in offense.
Game one
Clemson
WVU and Clemson are set to square off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov 11, at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
The two programs have met six times, evidently, most recently meeting in the same tournament on Nov. 11, 2021, when the Mountaineers defeated the Tigers 66-59. WVU holds a 5-1 record against Clemson.
This season, Clemson is 4-1 with its only loss against Georgetown on the road. The Tigers’ roster is similar to WVU, as their top six scorers all transferred in this season.
RJ Godfrey looks to be the player to watch for the Tigers as he’s averaged 10.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He has an interesting path as he spent his first two collegiate seasons at Clemson before playing at Georgia last year.
Godfrey stands 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, spending almost all his time in the paint.
The Tigers’ leading scorer is forward Carter Welling, a junior transfer from Utah Valley. He is similar to Godfrey, spending most of his time in the paint, averaging 11.4 points per game on 70% shooting.
At 6-foot-11, Welling has brought down 6.4 rebounds and a block per game. An issue with his game is converting at the charity line, as he holds a 56.5% free-throw percentage this season.
Senior guard Dillon Hunter is one of the few returnees on the roster, playing all three years at Clemson. He and Godfrey share the most average minutes per game at 22.5 per game. He’s started all five games as the point guard, averaging 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
While Hunter has started every game at point guard, true freshman Zac Foster comes off the bench and complements him well. Foster has led the team with 3.6 assists per game. The freshman has struggled shooting at a high rate at 31.4% from the field and 29.2% from three, but still averages 7.8 points a contest.
Guard Ace Buckner has also been a positive off the bench (starting one game). He is the second leading scorer at 11 points on 50% shooting from the field, while grabbing four rebounds per game.
Game two
Game two is decided on the winners and losers of Friday’s matchups. WVU will either play at 1:30 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11. The winners on Friday play at 1:30 p.m.
Georgia
The Mountaineers and Bulldogs last met on the hardwood on Dec. 2, 1998, where Georgia was victorious 75-63. WVU leads the record 2-1, as the first meeting dates back to the 1993 season.
Guard Carter Cain returns to Georgia’s starting lineup after starting all 33 games last season. He has been on the floor the most, averaging 22.8 minutes a game, while producing 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. He is an efficient scorer at 51% from the field and 94.1% from the free-throw line.
Guard Jermiah Wilkins leads the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game. His role has changed throughout the first five games of the season, starting two games. Regardless of whether he is in the starting rotation or off the bench, he plays most of the game, as he is right behind Cain with 22 minutes a game.
The duo of Cain and Wilkins causes havoc on opposing ball handlers, as they combined for 27 steals. Wilkins leads the team with 15, while Cain swiped 12 steals.
Somotochukwu Cyril is the starting center, standing 6-foot-11, 260 pounds. In his second year with the Bulldogs, he has improved his shot blocking, now at 2.6 per game through the short season.
Off the bench, freshman Jake Wilkins has provided a scoring and defensive spark. He averages 12.6 points, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals, scoring in double figures in all but one game. He is not a large threat from downtown, but he efficiently shoots from the field at 48.6%.
Even without starting a game, Forward Dylan James is the biggest threat on the glass, leading the team with 6.4 rebounds. He has spent his first two collegiate seasons at Georgia, mostly coming off the bench.
Xavier
West Virginia and Xavier have met three times in program history. The last meeting was on Dec. 3, 2022 where WVU lost 84-74 on the road. The first time the programs met was in 1979.
Through five games, Xavier is 3-2 and has had a different starting lineup in every game.
Tre Carroll is the guy for Xavier, as he is in his final year of eligibility after spending his first four years at Florida Atlantic. He is their top scoring option with 15 points per game, scoring double digits in every contest and reaching 20 points twice. He shoots efficiently with splits of 43.5/36.4/81.3.
Roddie Anderson III has impressed through five games in his first year with the Musketeers after redshirting last season. He is second on the team at 14.8 points per game, making nine threes at 36%. He adds 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game.
Xavier’s starting point guard is Montana transfer Malik Messina-Moore. He controls the offense, averaging 4.2 assists with a season high of eight. He adds 8.6 points on 29.4 minutes per game.
The Musketeers added a lengthy wing in Jovan Milicevic, who can stretch the floor. Standing at 6-foot-10, Milicevic averages 11.2 points per game, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. He has started three games, averaging 20 minutes.
Senior forward Flip Borovicanin has shown versatility in all aspects of the game. He leads the team with 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals, while averaging 7.2 points per game.
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