How Ross Hodge’s First 22 Games at WVU Stack Up to Darian DeVries’ Start a Year Ago

We've officially reached the midway point in league play, so I thought it'd be worth taking a glance back at where West Virginia was at a year ago through 22 games under now former head coach Darian DeVries, comparing it to Ross Hodge's start this season.

How do the two stack up? Let's break it down

	Darian DeVries	Ross Hodge
Overall Record	14-8	14-8
Big 12 Record	5-6	5-4
Quality Wins	Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa State	Kansas
Bad Losses	Pitt*, Arizona State, Kansas State, TCU	Xavier, Wake Forest, Baylor
vs. Top 25 Teams	4-2	1-3
Final 9 Games	5-7	? (TBD)

Now, before I get into my thoughts, if you're wondering if the Big 12 record is a typo, it's not. Remember, for whatever reason, the Big 12 thought it would be a good idea to go to a 20-game league schedule a year ago. They quickly realize that it just further cannibalizes the league's chances of getting more teams in, so back to 18 we are this year.

The wow factor: Darian DeVries

Feb 11, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries talks to his team during the second half against the Brigham Young Cougars at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

This one comes as no surprise. It's hard to top beating four ranked teams, three of which were ranked inside the top seven, and two inside the top three. He did two things West Virginia has had a difficult time doing over the years: beat Gonzaga (literally anywhere) and win at Kansas.

Ross Hodge is lacking in this department right now, with his only quality win to this point being over Kansas a couple of weeks ago. Now, to his defense, only one of the four top-25 teams he has played has been at home. DeVries had two on a neutral court, one at home, and, of course, the win at The Phog.

Still, the difference is pretty jarring as WVU hasn't been competitive whatsoever in the losses against ranked teams.

Roster Building/Development: Ross Hodge

DeVries was fortunate enough to have an NBA player on the roster in Javon Small. With all due respect to the current roster, I don't see an NBA talent out there (at least not right now).

Hodge has a pair of true freshmen who have the look of becoming high-caliber Big 12 players down the road in Amir Jenkins and DJ Thomas, and has done marvelous work with Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff on the defensive end.

Then, on the recruiting side, Hodge signed the highest-rated recruit in program history (Miles Sadler), along with two other very interesting prospects in guard Kingston Whitty (who was a McDonald's All-American nominee) and center Aliou Dioum.

The final verdict is still TBD

Personally, I think it's fair to say DeVries is off to a much better start, and I'm not sure anyone would dispute that. The results are there, even if he did have the better roster.

That said, the future of WVU basketball could be brighter in year two of Hodge than what we would have seen this year had DeVries stayed. That's a what-if game, of course, so to truly determine where this program is compared to a year ago, we'll need to let the remainder of the season play out.

This was more of a snapshot midway through conference play to see where this group and Hodge are.

How do the two stack up? Let's break it down

The wow factor: Darian DeVries

Roster Building/Development: Ross Hodge

The final verdict is still TBD

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