Rapid Takeaways From West Virginia's First Loss of the 2025-26 Season

Initial thoughts following West Virginia's first game in the Charleston Classic.

WVU Athletics Communication

Friday night, the West Virginia Mountaineers lost to the Clemson Tigers 70-67 in the opening game of the 2025 Shriners Children's Charleston Classic.

Chance Moore's debut

It didn't take long for the St. Bonaventure transfer to make his presence known, slamming home a posterizing dunk that has a chance to land on tomorrow's SportsCenter Top 10. We talked about his ability to put the ball on the deck and get downhill all week long, and he delivered. Also, he made an impact on the boards, grabbing five on the night. Oh yeah, and how about that steal and banked three at the buzzer to end the first half? No question, he will have a major role in this team's success.

Amir Jenkins will be dynamic if he develops a three-point shot

Jenkins is already one of the better on-ball defenders the Mountaineers have, in my opinion. He moves his feet, stays in good position without fouling, and speeds the ballhandler up. Over the last few games, he's started to become more comfortable on the offensive end, and tonight, he made a couple of really tough shots. The one thing he's missing, though, is a three-point shot. He'll occasionally heave one up, but the confidence just isn't there yet, which is why you see him passing up some wide-open looks. If that comes along, look out.

Slow rotations in the second half

This was the first time this season that West Virginia faced a team that could match their depth, and Clemson's hockey-style rotations certainly played a factor in tiring out the Mountaineers on some of those long possessions. Way too often in the final ten minutes or so of the game, WVU left a wide-open shooter beyond the arc, and Clemson made them pay when it mattered most.

Huge missed opportunity

A loss is a loss, but when you lose a game that you led nearly 80% of the way, it stings a little more. The mistake by Brenen Lorient to slam in a dunk at the end of the game was a huge blunder, but so many things leading up to that were just as critical, such as the aforementioned defensive breakdowns. Just a brutal loss for the Mountaineers.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: West Virginia Officially Lands Elite Guard Miles Sadler

Ross Hodge, WVU Officially Signs 'One of the Most Underrated Guards in the Country'

Defensive Anchor of the Future? Aliou Dioum Signs with West Virginia

Are Playoffs Actually a Reasonable Goal for West Virginia in 2026?

Big Ten and Big 12 Schools Making Late Effort to Flip WVU QB Commit Wyatt Brown