West Virginia’s roster looks almost nothing like it did a year ago, and that’s exactly why Ross Hodge thinks the Mountaineers can get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Outside of Brenen Lorient, Amir Jenkins and walk-on MJ Feenane, the 2026-27 team is essentially brand new. That kind of turnover has become familiar in Morgantown, but the bigger reason has been the coaching changes more than the transfer portal itself.
Hodge and his staff brought in a group that showed its potential in an exhibition against Maryland last weekend. The game went to overtime and ended in a loss, but it also gave West Virginia the kind of early test Hodge wanted. For long stretches, the Mountaineers played at a high level, and the performance suggested this team could be a tough out once it settles in and spends more time together.
At Big 12 Media Day, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish asked Hodge directly whether he believes this roster has the pieces to reach the tournament.
“We definitely have the components of an NCAA Tournament team," Hodge responded. "Got to put it all together, like most of us.
Got to be more consistent with our habits. But I love the blend of youthful talent that we have with experienced players.
Now we’ve got to get a collective experience together. We’ve got quality depth, good size, good guard play, which, you know, in college basketball is a separator.
Just got to continue to learn and grow together and stay the course through a challenging non-conference schedule and the gauntlet of the Big 12, but certainly feel like we have the ingredients to do the things that we want to do.”
The foundation, as always, is defense. Hodge’s teams are built to grind, defend, and make life miserable.
But last season’s issue was just as clear: West Virginia didn’t have a true three-level scorer who could create offense in different ways. Honor Huff stretched the floor from deep, and Chance Moore could attack the basket, but the attack was heavily tied to those strengths.
This season, the backcourt looks far more versatile. Miles Sadler, Joson Sanon and Finley Bizjack all bring the ability to score from multiple spots on the floor, and backup guard Martin Somerville can put the ball in the basket too.
The frontcourt also gives West Virginia more options. There’s more depth, more athleticism, and several bigs who are comfortable stepping out and taking threes, something the Mountaineers clearly lacked a season ago.
If the Mountaineers can take care of business in the nonconference schedule and hover around .500 in Big 12 play, they should be in the tournament conversation come March.
In Other News...
BYU Fans Will Want To See Where Bear Bachmeier Ranks Now
Week 8 in the Big 12 brings another chance to sort out the quarterback picture, and the conferences top tier still feels crowded with proven performers and rising names. The latest ranking takes into account recent game work, how each passer has shaped his teams results, and the defensive tests coming up on the schedule, with familiar names like Michael Hawkins Jr. and Conner Weigman still in the conversation alongside BYUs Bear Bachmeier.
For West Virginia, it is the kind of weekly quarterback snapshot that matters because the league rarely gives anyone much breathing room. Baylor, Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12 are all presenting different problems on defense, so where Bachmeier lands now is as much about consistency and matchup difficulty as it is about raw production, and the next round of games could shuffle the order again before long. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fans Finally Get An Early Look At A Meaningful Rotation Battle
The first real chance to see West Virginias new basketball rotation comes Friday night, when the Mountaineers host Glenville State in an exhibition that carries a little extra meaning beyond the usual preseason tune-up. The matchup also arrives with a somber note after the recent passing of West Virginia businessman Ike Morris, a supporter of both programs, adding a layer of local significance to a game that already had the feel of a useful early test.
For WVU, the bigger storyline is on the floor, where Keonte Greybear and Aliou Dioum are expected to log meaningful minutes and give fans an early read on how the rotation might take shape. Exhibition games rarely settle much on their own, but this one should at least offer a glimpse at who is ready to seize a role before the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Faces Secondary Uncertainty Ahead Of A Crucial TCU Matchup
West Virginias prep for a key TCU matchup has been shaped by the availability report, which puts a few names in question on both sides and leaves the Mountaineers with some late-week uncertainty. Corey McIntyre Jr. is among the WVU players listed as potentially unavailable, while TCU could also be dealing with absences involving Kari Ashley and Jeremy Payne, a reminder that this one may require some last-minute adjustments before kickoff.
There is some relief in Morgantown, though, because Nate Gabriel is expected to play after missing time with injury. Even so, the report points to possible lineup shuffling depending on who is cleared, and that is the sort of wrinkle a staff would rather sort out before facing a conference opponent with plenty on the line. [Read more 🡒]