West Virginia’s rotation could get a lot thinner if Javan Buchanan and Brenen Lorient aren’t available.
That possibility has put the Mountaineers in a tricky spot, with the NCAA’s ability to take back land in court cases across the country now in the mix. Buchanan and Lorient, both West Virginia forwards, will have to lean on their own case, which is scheduled to be ruled on in September. West Virginia has a strong track record of favoring athletes, but with the NCAA carrying momentum in similar cases, there’s no sure thing either player ends up eligible to play in 2026.
So what does WVU look like if both are out? Probably a very familiar shape under Hodge: an eight-man rotation, and not much reason to go beyond that.
The most likely starting five would be Sadler, Bizjack, Sanon, Traore and Sylla. Traore is the key piece there as an athletic, Chance Moore-sized forward who has some experience handling the 4 at the high major level. With the other pieces around him, that lineup can work.
The issue is what comes next.
Martin Somerville is an obvious part of the mix, and so is Amadou Seini. That leaves the eighth spot as the real question.
Amir Jenkins probably won’t be ready by the start of the season, and the need is more urgent in the frontcourt than the backcourt anyway. That points to Aliou Dioum, a 3/4-star freshman with upside but also the label of a raw prospect.
In that setup, Dioum would likely be the least-used of the group.
There’s also a scenario where Jenkins returns later and pushes Dioum down a spot, which would open the door for WVU to lean heavily into small ball with Sanon at the 4. But that comes with obvious risks.
Sanon is a truly awful rebounder, Bizjack isn’t much better on the glass, and Miles Sadler is 5-foot-11. That group could get hammered on the boards.
The other big factor is what the potential exits of Buchanan and Lorient would do to the roster and the available money. If that space opens up, WVU would have options, though not many. The most likely path would be to shop the JUCO market, or something similar, in search of a more playable bench option at the 4.
In Other News...
Virginia Just Turned A West Virginia Rivalry Nerve Into Something Bigger
Virginias season opener against North Carolina State brought more than a win, because the postgame scene quickly drifted into familiar territory for anyone around the Mountaineers. Fans sang along to John Denvers Country Roads, the song forever tied to West Virginia in college sports culture, and with it came a reminder that this rivalry has long carried a strange mix of music, memory and misplaced claims.
The backdrop matters because the song has been at the center of previous flashpoints involving the University of Virginia, including past pep band references that crossed the line into derogatory shots at West Virginia and eventually prompted complaints and apologies. So even in a game that had nothing to do with the Mountaineers on the field, Virginia managed to reopen a nerve that still feels bigger than a one-night crowd singalong. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Just Got An Early Read On A Few Future Threats
West Virginia got a useful midseason snapshot of whats coming next on the schedule, and some of the early signs are pretty clear. The recent games involving future opponents offered a little of everything, from sharp defensive outings to teams that were forced into grinding, uneven afternoons. For a Mountaineers staff trying to game-plan ahead, these results matter because they show not just who won, but how each team is trying to win right now.
Virginias latest outing stood out for how efficiently it handled business, while TCUs trip overseas offered a very different kind of reminder about how thin the margin can be against quality competition. Between those two games and the rest of the slate, West Virginia is getting a better feel for which upcoming opponents are thriving, which ones are still sorting things out, and where the most dangerous matchups may be hiding. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia's Opener Comes With One Warning Fans Need To Hear
West Virginias season opener against Coastal Carolina brings a little history and a lot of uncertainty into the first weekend of the college football calendar. The programs met once before back in 2010, and the Mountaineers enter this matchup as the clear favorite, a reflection of both the talent gap and the confidence oddsmakers have in a home team still sorting through its identity. Between Mike Hawkins Jr., Cam Cook and a roster that has been reshaped around a new cast of starters, there is enough intrigue here to make the opener feel more revealing than your average nonconference game.
Coastal Carolina adds another layer of unpredictability with a new coaching staff in place, which only makes the first 60 minutes tougher to handicap in any meaningful way. For West Virginia, the bigger takeaway may be less about the final margin and more about how the Mountaineers look doing it, because early results in games like this can be misleading when both sides are leaning on so many fresh faces. The betting market has already pushed expectations in one direction, but the better warning for fans is simple: opening week can tell you a lot, just not always the thing you think it does. [Read more 🡒]