Preseason Bracketology Projection Shows West Virginia Has a Ton to Prove

When you start over, very few expect much of you. But last year, Darian DeVries proved that you can shock the country and get everyone's attention with a hot start to the season. His replacement, Ross Hodge, will be looking to do the same thing, except this time, hopefully, not get snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

As you would expect, West Virginia isn't on anyone's radar to begin the 2025-26 season, including ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, who doesn't have the Mountaineers listed anywhere in his projected field or bubble of 16 teams in his preseason projection.

It won't take long for WVU to pop on Lunardi's radar, though, assuming they take care of business in the non-conference portion of the schedule and pick up a couple of wins against other high majors (Pitt, Clemson, Wake Forest, Ohio State, and maybe Georgia).

They have two elite shotmakers in Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff, and if a consistent third scorer emerges to complement them (i.e., Brenen Lorient or Harlan Obioha), they're going to be a tough out in the Big 12.

Hodge, like most coaches, doesn't pay too much mind to preseason rankings, projections, and so on, which he discussed in his press conference last week when asked about the team's No. 67 rating on KenPom, which would have them just inside the field.

“Not a lot. KenPom is always going to factor in a little bit of historical data with their preseason rankings. Your adjusted defense from the years in the past will weigh into that, and then if you’ve had Division I transfers, what they did at their previous spots, they factor that in. But if it’s like a freshman or a junior college transfer, they have nothing data-wise to look back on it. You can’t really control it, per se. It’s a barometer of where you’re starting, at least.”

The Mountaineers were picked to finish 11th in the Big 12, and if they can finish closer to the middle of the pack, they'll be in a great position to punch their ticket to the dance come Selection Sunday.

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