West Virginia’s path through the preseason numbers is loaded with heavy lifting from the start.
KenPom’s preseason ratings show the Mountaineers staring at a schedule that brings plenty of chances to make noise, but not much room to coast. Before Big 12 play even settles in, West Virginia will already have been tested in Las Vegas at the Player Era Tournament, then in neutral-site games against North Carolina, Pitt and Wake Forest, plus a home matchup with Virginia Tech.
The toughest names on the slate jump off the page. Florida checks in at No.
2, Houston at No. 3, Kansas at No.
5, Iowa State at No. 6 and Arizona at No. 7.
Texas Tech lands at No. 17, Auburn at No.
26, Cincinnati at No. 31, BYU at No.
33, Baylor at No. 35 and North Carolina at No. 37.
Oklahoma State sits at No. 45, UCF at No.
49, TCU at No. 52, Virginia Tech at No.
54, Pitt at No. 68 and Arizona State at No. 73.
Wake Forest comes in at No. 79, while Rutgers is No. 83, Notre Dame No.
84, Utah No. 85, Colorado No. 87 and UNLV No.
- Kansas State is No. 97, and the rest of the field stretches all the way down through Mercer at No.
215, Stetson at No. 272, Mercyhurst at No.
293, Northern Arizona at No. 297, Niagara at No.
313, South Carolina State at No. 358 and Coppin State at No. 361.
The Mountaineers’ nonconference portion includes Niagara, Stetson, Mercer, Auburn, and then either Kansas or UNLV, followed by one of Houston, Rutgers, Florida or Notre Dame in the Players Era Tournament. After that come North Carolina, Mercyhurst, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Coppin State, Northern Arizona, Wake Forest and South Carolina State.
The Big 12 grind is just as demanding. West Virginia’s league slate includes trips to Kansas, Colorado, Utah, BYU, UCF, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Cincinnati, along with home dates against Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Arizona, Iowa State, UCF, Houston and TCU.
The numbers make the challenge clear, but they also point to opportunity. If West Virginia can survive nonconference play with only three or so losses, the Mountaineers should be in solid shape for the NCAA Tournament.
The schedule offers several chances for signature wins, and there really aren’t many games that would do major damage to the resume. Even if a few Big 12 teams aren’t especially strong and manage to beat them, West Virginia could still balance that out by finishing .500 or better in league play.
In Other News...
West Virginia Will Relive Its Roster Chaos In A Painful Way
West Virginias mens basketball program has spent the past four years living through roster churn, and much of it traces back to the instability at head coach. The result is a familiar one for the Mountaineers: former players moving on, new faces arriving, and a lineup that has rarely stayed intact long enough to settle in. Now, some of those departures are coming back around in a way that will feel especially personal for the program.
Amani Hansberry, Miles Powell and Thomas are among the former Mountaineers who transferred elsewhere and are set to face West Virginia in upcoming games. For a team that has already had to absorb so much change, those matchups will serve as a reminder of how quickly the roster has been reshaped and how often the program has had to move on from players who once looked like part of its future. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias New-Look Opener Will Spark Immediate Lineup Debate
West Virginias 2026-27 basketball season opens with a familiar kind of early test, even if the opponent is one the Mountaineers have not seen in Morgantown in generations. Niagaras first trip to town since 1952 brings a fresh face to the schedule, and it arrives with both programs in transition after offseason roster overhauls that will make the opener feel less like a tuneup and more like the first real look at two rebuilt teams.
Greg Paulus brings a Niagara squad with 11 new players, including transfers Logan Woods and Cole Farrell, while West Virginia will also be sorting through a revamped mix of returning and incoming talent. Brenen Lorient and Amir Jenkins give the Mountaineers some continuity, but the additions of Miles Sadler and Finley Bizjack only add to the early lineup questions, making this one of those openers that could tell fans plenty about how the rotation is taking shape even before the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias New-Look Roster Is Drawing Serious Big 12 Buzz
Ross Hodge is about to find out quickly what his new-look roster can do, with West Virginia opening the season against Niagara and carrying a very different feel into the year. The Mountaineers have leaned on transfers and freshmen to reshape the group, and the early buzz around the program has centered on added depth and athleticism after a roster overhaul that left the staff with plenty to sort out in real time.
Jon Rothstein has already put the Mountaineers on the radar as a team with NCAA Tournament potential, which is a notable vote of confidence for a roster still trying to establish its identity. The question for West Virginia is whether that optimism matches the reality of a team with so many new faces and so few returning pieces, and the first few weeks should go a long way toward revealing how high this ceiling really is. [Read more 🡒]