Storylines – vs. West Virginia State University
In his 20th season with the team, Head Coach Bryan Poore's Yellow Jackets will visit Wise, Virginia with a 2-3 overall mark and a 1-1 record in Mountain East Conference play. West Virginia State opened their season hosting the Earl Lloyd Classic where the Yellow Jackets went 1-1 in a pair of close games, claiming an 89-82 win over Elizabeth City State before a two-point loss to Livingstone College. The Yellow Jackets won their conference opener against Shepherd University, 88-80, but came up short in their games against Fairmont State on the road and Malone University in a home non-conference contest. Through five games, Poore's program is averaging 82 points per game and shooting 46.2 percent (150-for-325) from the field while four players are averaging double-digit points to start the season. Senior forward Pat Johnson-Agwu leads his team in scoring and rebounding, registering 22.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Johnson-Agwu also leads the team in steals with 2.3 per contest while sophomore forward Jeremiah Moore is West Virginia State's assist leader averaging three per game. The team leads the league in steals per game with 9.2 and is second in the conference in blocked shots, posting 4.4 per contest. The Yellow Jackets were slotted sixth in the league's preseason poll following a 13-16, 10-12 conference mark, 2017-18 campaign.

About UVa-Wise
The Cavalier men conclude their five game homestand to start the season with a matchup against the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets Wednesday night. UVa-Wise has gone 2-2 through their first four home games, gaining wins over Alice Lloyd College and Urbana University before falling to the Falcons of Notre Dame College and Lincoln Memorial. UVa-Wise sits at 1-1 in the Mountain East Conference, leading the league in both offensive (13.5) and defensive (30.3) rebounds per game. Blake Mellinger's program has produced numerous league leaders early this season with six different players ranking in the top-10 in the conference in nine different categories. Freshman Briggs Parris tops the three-point field goal percentage list shooting 52.8 percent (28-for-53) from the floor while junior Eric Okenchi is the offensive rebounding leader averaging 4.2 boards per game. Okenchi has been the Cavs chief rebounder with 8.8 per game and has added 11.3 points per game. Seals leads the team in scoring with 20.7 ppg and is second in the MEC in assists with 7.7 per contest. Parris and freshman Cameron Whiteside are also averaging double-digits with 16.2 and 10.7 ppg, respectively. UVa-Wise has averaged 83.2 ppg so far and is shooting 42 percent (181-for-425) from the floor while posting 43.8 rebounds per game.