Pregame Injury Update on WVU Forward Brenen Lorient for Big 12 Home Opener

West Virginia is under an hour away from tipping off its Big 12 home opener against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Senior forward Brenen Lorient (concussion protocol) missed Friday's game on the road at Iowa State and was initially listed as questionable for tonight's matchup.

Yesterday, head coach Ross Hodge told reporters, “He’s progressing nicely, and it really is kind of a step-by-step [process]. He hasn’t had any setbacks. He’s been able to kind of meet his checkpoints. So, at this point, ‘questionable’ would be the best way to list him.”

Moments ago, both teams submitted their final availability report, and Lorient's name has been removed, signaling that he has been cleared to play. He is out taking part in pregame shoot-around with the team as we speak, and in game shorts.

Having Lorient back in the mix is a huge deal for the Mountaineers, especially after the abysmal defensive rebounding performance in Ames. Following that loss, Hodge said, “When you’re coming and playing on the road against a top three team in the country, you certainly want to have every bullet in your chamber,” Hodge said following the loss to Iowa State. “B-Lo’s probably our best athlete, one of our best rebounders, another just secondary playmaker. He’s good in those shorts and pockets when they put two on the ball… He’s one of the two guys that have actually been in games with me in this magnitude and probably our best individual defender as well.”

In 13 games this season, Lorient is averaging 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 54% from the floor and 37% from three-point range. His last time out, he posted eight points, five assists, and three rebounds versus Mississippi Valley State.

Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. After the game, head over to our YouTube page (West Virginia On SI) for the Mountaineer Postgame Show, where we'll take a look at the final numbers, talk about the positives, what needs to improve, and much more.

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