West Virginia’s 3-0 start came with a little more resistance than the Mountaineers probably wanted on Thursday night, and that made the win over Mercer feel more like a useful test than a routine stop on the schedule. With Las Vegas up next, it may have been the kind of reminder this group needed.
One of the clearest bright spots was Amadou Seini, even if the box score only showed four points and four rebounds. His influence went well beyond that line, and that has been the story through the first three games of the regular season. He came into the year with the “late-bloomer” and “project” labels attached to him, but he’s already looking like much more than that.
Seini’s role feels like it’s only going to grow. He should keep improving, and it doesn’t seem like it will be long before he’s pushing Mouhamed Sylla for the starting job.
At the very least, the two look like they’ll end up splitting minutes. They each bring a different element, but when West Virginia needs more strength on the boards and more presence in the paint, Seini is the one who will get the call.
That need was on display against Mercer. West Virginia had given up zero offensive rebounds to Niagara and 11 to Stetson, so allowing 15 to an extremely undersized team stood out. It’s enough to get your attention, though not enough to trigger panic this early in the season.
Still, the effort level wasn’t where it needed to be for stretches. At times, it looked like the Mountaineers were simply going through the motions against a team they expected to beat comfortably. That same issue showed up in the second half of the exhibition against Maryland and popped up again in spots against Stetson.
The bigger concern is that West Virginia’s guards, wings and Brenen Lorient have to bring more physicality. They can’t let opponents get deep into the paint or beat them to offensive rebounds.
With Seini and Sylla in the mix, the Mountaineers should be able to clean up a lot more missed shots, especially on the defensive end. But the perimeter and wing players have to do their part too.
Offensively, the game also exposed a different issue. In the first two games, the three-point shot was falling so freely that West Virginia didn’t have to grind for points.
Against Mercer, when the Mountaineers had to lean on their halfcourt offense for most of the night, the ball didn’t move as quickly as Ross Hodge likely wanted. There also weren’t many effective actions away from the ball.
Miles Sadler did his thing, but West Virginia needs more than that. Somebody else has to be able to create for others, get teammates open and make things happen with the ball in his hands.
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West Virginia Faces A Sneaky Test As Unbeaten Start Continues
West Virginia has opened the season 2-0 and now gets another chance to keep building momentum when Mercer comes to town. The Mountaineers have already shown they can get contributions from multiple players, and that balance has helped them settle in quickly after a recent win over Stetson. With a three-game streak on the line, this one has the feel of a useful early-season checkpoint rather than a routine nonconference date.
Mercer arrives at 2-2, but that record does not make this an easy night for West Virginia. The Bears are coming off an overtime win against Georgia Southern and have several players averaging double figures, which means the Mountaineers will need to stay sharp from the opening tip. For a team trying to keep its unbeaten start intact, this is the kind of matchup that can expose whether the early success is built to last. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Has One Lineup Call That Still Matters Vs Kansas
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The Jayhawks have their own absences to manage, including offensive lineman Connor Stroh and quarterback Cole Ballard, with Amir Herring and Chase Jenkins listed as possible replacements. For West Virginia, the bigger question now is how those availability updates shape the matchup on both sides of the ball, especially with one lineup decision still carrying real weight heading into kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Bachmeiers Holy War Slide Just Raised A Bigger BYU Question
Week 10 kept the Big 12 quarterback picture moving in a hurry, with Noah Fifita rescuing Arizona late and Thomas Castellanos turning in one of the weekends sharper performances for Texas Tech. The leagues weekly pecking order is getting harder to sort as the calendar flips toward Week 11, especially with several notable matchup spots ahead that could reshape how the conferences passers are viewed.
For West Virginia fans, the bigger takeaway is how quickly the quarterback conversation can change from one Saturday to the next. With Michael Hawkins Jr., Isaiah Marshall and Devon Dampier among the names set to factor into the next round of games, the race for the top eight is still fluid, and the Mountaineers will be watching closely to see which arms keep climbing and which ones slip after a rough weekend. [Read more 🡒]