3 Things WVU Must Address in Transfer Portal to Finally Turn the Corner in 2026

West Virginia was a one-and-done at the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, and now, they'll evaluate their postseason options. Because this season is not going to end in a NCAA Tournament berth, we're going to go ahead and start looking ahead to year two.

So, what is it that the Mountaineers need to have more success in year two? Allow me to channel my inner Rich Rodriguez for a second because WVU just needs to get "bigger, faster, stronger." Okay, now here's the more in-depth stuff.

Versatility

WVU dribbled and dribbled and dribbled and dribbled some more. That was pretty much the offense this year because they had a bunch of one-trick ponies.

Honor Huff could really stroke it from three, but even he couldn't really showcase that strength because of all the attention he was getting. Over 80% of Huff's attempts came from the perimeter, making for a rather non-diverse shot diet. Chance Moore is one of the best drivers of the basketball in the country, but couldn't offer much as a shooter. Harlan Obioha was essentially a non-factor offensively, but when he did shoot, it came from within three feet, which obviously doesn't stretch the floor. Amir Jenkins and Jasper Floyd were point guards who couldn't really score it, and Treysen Eaglestaff never evolved into a three-level scorer. Brenen Lorient and DJ Thomas were as close as it gets to being versatile scorers, and even they struggled with consistency.

For WVU to produce a better offense, they need more guys who can score in multiple ways.

Athleticism

I mentioned this in my rapid takeaways article last night following the loss to BYU, and as I noted there too, it's not something we just discovered in that game. Even if you take AJ Dybantsa out of the equation, BYU just moves much differently than West Virginia. Brenen Lorient is the only player on the Mountaineers' roster who can somewhat match that athleticism, so it's no surprise that he played well offensively against them twice, aside from the turnovers, of course.

Landing more athleticism certainly helps the offensive end, and I think that's where everyone's mind goes to when I mention it. I really believe it would be what helps take them to an elite level defensively, because they will be able to close gaps faster, recover better, rebound it at a higher clip, and challenge more shots at the rim.

Aggressiveness

I'll be honest, I never thought this would be something I would be discussing at season's end when they had guys like Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff on the team. Huff was certainly aggressive, as was Chance Moore once he got into a rhythm, but those were the only two on the entire roster who played with conviction. They believed in their shot and rarely hesitated. Others played as if they were hoping Huff would pop free and bail them out, instead of looking for their own shot. When you play with just one guy who has the confidence to let it fly, you get a bad offensive product.