West Virginia’s exhibition win over Wheeling came with a teaching moment that Ross Hodge made impossible to miss.
Freshman big man Aliou Dioum powered home a dunk with a little more than five minutes left, then got tagged for a technical foul after hanging on the rim. Hodge immediately went onto the floor, got in Dioum’s face and delivered a blunt reminder that the move isn’t acceptable.
It was a message aimed at the kind of mistake that can cost a team later, even if it shows up in a game that doesn’t count and the Mountaineers are ahead by 40. Hodge made sure the lesson landed.
Afterward, Hodge said Dioum simply needed to be educated on the moment, and he emphasized the freshman’s makeup.
“Aliou has, like, if you’ve been around our team at all, his personality and his energy is crazy infectious, man. And he’s such a good teammate, and he cares so much about his team and everything that’s going on. And yeah, he just didn’t know any better, and now he does.”
Hodge kept Dioum in the game, and the freshman responded the right way. He finished with seven points on 3/3 shooting, plus two rebounds and two blocks in seven minutes.
Dioum had not played in West Virginia’s first exhibition against Maryland, but he did get 12 minutes last week against Glenville State, when he posted two points and six rebounds.
With Mouhamed Sylla and Amadou Seini occupying the first two spots on the depth chart, Dioum is likely to spend this season developing. The upside is obvious: once everything clicks, he has the length, athleticism and motor to become one of the Big 12’s best defenders.
West Virginia opens the regular season Monday, November 2nd, at 7 p.m. ET against Niagara.
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West Virginias Rotation Is Taking Shape But A Key Battle Isnt Over
West Virginias preseason exhibitions have given Ross Hodge a clearer look at how his first Mountaineers rotation might settle in, and the early signs suggest a compact core is already separating itself from the pack. Hodge has leaned on a group he trusts, using the exhibitions to sort through a roster that looks deeper and more versatile than the average preseason group, while also getting a better read on which players can help in meaningful minutes once the games start counting.
Still, the picture is not fully set, because there are players on the edge of the rotation who have at least made the decision more complicated. The Mountaineers have enough pieces to mix and match, and that kind of flexibility can be a strength, but it also means the final pecking order is still being fought over behind the scenes. For a team trying to build identity early, the most interesting question may be less about who starts and more about who earns a lasting role once the roster trims down to its true eight or nine. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Defensive Ceiling Looks Shakier Than Fans Wanted To Admit
West Virginias defensive profile has become harder to gloss over as the Big 12 schedule has worn on. A look at the Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts shows a unit with only a few players grading above 70, which is a pretty thin margin for error when the games get tighter and the competition gets more explosive. The struggles in that four-game stretch in conference play exposed how quickly things can slip when the back end is under pressure.
Geimere Latimer has been one of the steadier pieces, piling up a heavy snap load and holding up well overall. But the broader picture still points to a defense that has had trouble finding enough reliable play at safety, and that has left the passing game vulnerable in ways West Virginia could not afford. The question now is not whether the Mountaineers have some individual pieces to build around, but whether the ceiling of the unit is lower than many hoped heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Frazier Is Giving West Virginia Fans A New NFL Bragging Right
Zach Frazier is quickly turning his rookie season into a point of pride for West Virginia fans, and not just because he landed in Pittsburgh. The former Mountaineers center, who started 46 games in Morgantown before the Steelers took him 51st overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, stepped right into the starting job and has looked every bit like a long-term answer in the middle of the line.
His early rise has only sharpened the spotlight on what comes next. Pro Football Focus has graded Frazier as the top center in the NFL through seven weeks, and with head coach Mike McCarthy offering high praise, he is already in position to become one of the leagues more interesting young offensive linemen. The timing matters, too, because Frazier is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. [Read more 🡒]