KenPom Just Dropped WVU’s Ranking and It Says a Lot About Expectations in Year One

Once again, West Virginia enters a new basketball season with a new head coach at the helm, and for a program that's had to flip its entire roster twice in as many years, the general perception of this team is filled with optimism.

Last year, the Mountaineers ended the season ranked 53rd in the nation by KenPom. Recently, the go-to college basketball analytics site dropped its preseason rankings with West Virginia starting the year at No. 67.

By the NCAA Tournament's standards, that would be right on the edge of the bubble, but in the field. However, as we learned last year, being a clear tournament team on paper and according to the analytics doesn't always mean the selection committee sees it that way as well.

The Mountaineers appear to have better depth than they did a year ago, but they do have a glaring lack of capable bodies who can play the center spot. Harlan Obioha and Abraham Oyeadier are the only two true centers on the roster, which means power forwards Jackson Fields and Brenen Lorient will probably see some time there as well.

If this group can mesh well early on and not stub its toe in non-conference play, it'll have a legitimate shot to make the tournament in year one. For Ross Hodge, though, the bar is much higher, as it should be.

“That is the mindset (to win the Big 12). As we know, it is difficult to win one game in the Big 12. It’s difficult to win a college basketball game, period, let alone 20 games, let alone championships, let alone national championships. It’s not lost on me on how difficult it is, but at the same time, I think there is a way to win each game that you play. Your big picture goal is to win a national championship. We do want to win Big 12 championships. That is the ultimate goal. But in that short term, I’m just trying to get our guys to sprint back on defense, call ball, and stay in a stance.”

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