West Virginia is 2-0, and the early signs under Ross Hodge are hard to miss. The Mountaineers have opened a season with two straight wins for the fourth year in a row, and they’ve done it again with a roster that looks bigger, longer, and more versatile than what fans have seen in recent seasons.
The first two results were lopsided in the best way possible: a 91-46 win over Niagara last Monday night in the opener, followed by a 91-53 victory over Stetson this past Friday night. Those games have not yet brought the kind of test that will really show what this team is made of, but they have already revealed a few clear themes.
The biggest one is Miles Sadler. The five-star true freshman point guard needed only a short adjustment period before showing exactly why so much excitement followed him to Morgantown.
Through two games, Sadler is averaging 20 points, seven assists, two rebounds, and two steals while shooting 56% from the field and 33% from three. He has handled the ball as the primary playmaker and has not looked overwhelmed by the jump to Division I.
He also brings a burst that changes the game in a hurry. If he jumps a passing lane, he is gone.
That kind of speed gives West Virginia a weapon that can turn defense into easy offense in a flash. It is still early, and the Mountaineers have not faced a high-major opponent yet, but Sadler has already looked like a major reason this season feels different.
He is far from the only guard making noise. West Virginia’s backcourt has given Hodge a lot to work with, and the scoring has been spread across several players. Saint John’s transfer Jonson Sanon is averaging 13 points per game, Butler transfer Finley Bizjack is at 12, Florida State transfer Martin Somerville is averaging nine, and Utah transfer Seydou Traore is putting up six.
That kind of balance matters. Through two games, the Mountaineers have shown they have multiple guards who can create offense and give the team a reliable option when a possession breaks down. How those roles settle once the competition stiffens will be worth watching, but the early returns suggest Hodge has plenty of perimeter scoring to lean on.
The other thing that stands out is size. This is a much bigger West Virginia team, and that could end up being a major advantage once the schedule gets serious.
The group on the floor includes Brenen Lorient at 6’6, Amadou Seini at 7’1, Mouhammed Sylla at 6’10, and Javan Buchanan at 6’7. That gives the Mountaineers length across the lineup and should help them in a few different ways.
It should open up more freedom for the guards, especially in pick-and-roll action. It should also create mismatches on defense and give West Virginia more options inside, where the ball can be fed into the post. Just as important, that size gives the Mountaineers something they will need when the non-conference schedule ramps up and conference play arrives.
So far, the size has worked. The real test is coming soon, with Auburn and North Carolina on the horizon.
In Other News...
Rich Rodriguez Just Put West Virginia's Defensive Concerns In Focus
Rich Rodriguez used his 10th coaches show of the 2026 season to put a spotlight on where West Virginia stands after the loss to Texas Tech, and the picture was not limited to the scoreboard. He talked through injury updates for Amare Grayson and Jacob Bradford, looked ahead to Kansas, and spent time on the defensive issues that have been nagging the Mountaineers, especially the way deep passes have exposed them. Rodriguez also pointed to the broader challenge of keeping a roster steady in a season shaped by turnover, saying the answer has to include simplification.
The defensive conversation carried beyond scheme and into mindset, which is where the concern gets sharper for West Virginia. Rodriguez said the team has to clean up the mental side as much as the physical execution, even as he noted progress from Taron Francis and Keon Hutchins. With mid-season assistant coach firings becoming a talking point across college football, Rodriguez also addressed the reality of constant change around the sport, but for the Mountaineers the immediate question is whether the defense can settle in quickly enough to give them a chance against Kansas. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Alley Sends A Clear Message As WVU Defense Faces Heat
West Virginias defense has spent enough time under the microscope that every rough series seems to spark a fresh wave of outside noise, and defensive coordinator Zac Alley is making it clear how he wants his players to handle it. Alley said he takes responsibility for the units performance, but he also wants his group to stay locked in on the people inside the building rather than letting social media shape how they see themselves.
There was at least a small sign of progress against Texas Tech, when the Mountaineers settled in after a shaky start and turned in a better second half with multiple stops. For a defense that has been trying to steady itself through a difficult stretch, the message from Alley is as much about mindset as it is about scheme, and the next step is proving those adjustments can hold up when the pressure builds again. [Read more 🡒]
Dana Holgorsen's WVU Turning Point Looks Worse Than Ever
Dana Holgorsens coaching path has taken another sharp turn, and it naturally sends the conversation back to Morgantown, where his West Virginia run once looked like it might settle into something lasting. His time with the Mountaineers had enough highs to keep hope alive, but the 2018 season became a clear reminder of how difficult it was to sustain momentum there, especially when expectations and results started drifting apart.
Now, after being fired as offensive coordinator at Nebraska by Matt Rhule, Holgorsens career arc looks even more complicated in hindsight. The West Virginia chapter already carried plenty of debate about where things started to go wrong and why the success never fully held, and his latest exit only adds another layer to that discussion for Mountaineers fans who remember how promising it all once seemed. [Read more 🡒]