Rapid Takeaways From West Virginia's Wire-to-Wire Beatdown of Little Rock

Initial thoughts following another cruising win in Morgantown.
Dec 9, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers center Harlan Obioha (55) and Little Rock Trojans forward Caleb Pennyfeather (10) jump for the tip off during the first half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Dec 9, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers center Harlan Obioha (55) and Little Rock Trojans forward Caleb Pennyfeather (10) jump for the tip off during the first half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

West Virginia cruised to victory on Tuesday night, downing Little Rock by a 90-58 score.

Here are a few initial thoughts from tonight's game.

Defensive rebounding...yikes

This has actually been one area where West Virginia has been rock solid all year, but tonight, for whatever reason, that wasn't the case. Guys were constantly out of position, tipping the ball up in the air, and unable to outmuscle their man on the block. Fortunately, very few of those offensive rebounds turned into points for Little Rock. This might sound crazy, but this happening may have been a good thing. Ross Hodge is going to lay into them over the next handful of days about it, making it a clear emphasis for Saturday's game against Ohio State.

Huff will get that record at some point

The school record for threes in a game is nine, and it just feels like a matter of time before Honor Huff ties and possibly breaks that record set by Alex Ruoff 17 years ago in a blowout win over Radford. He's such a pure shooter, can make tough shots, and never loses confidence. He may need it to happen sometime this month because teams in the Big 12 will defend him at a much higher level.

The game Eaglestaff needed

Eaglestaff went scoreless in 11 minutes against Wake Forest, which was a bit surprising considering how he played in the three games leading up to that one in Charleston. As I noted earlier in the day, a big night against Little Rock isn't going to blow anyone away, but doing so would be a nice confidence boost for him, especially after what happened on Saturday. Knocking down five triples will do the job. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing the ball going through the net repeatedly, regardless of the opponent.

The Mountaineers will have the next three days off to prepare for a neutral court showdown in Cleveland against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tip-off for that one is slated for 8 p.m. ET.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

The Five Keys to West Virginia Becoming a Big 12 Title Contender in 2026

Projecting the WVU RB Depth Chart Following Jahiem White & Diore Hubbard's Expected Departures

The Seven True Freshmen Who Could Make an Impact From Day One for WVU

Neal Brown Makes Head-Turning Comment About How He Left West Virginia

Why Losing Jahiem White Stings But Will Not Derail West Virginia's 2026 Plans


Published
Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

Share on XFollow Callihan_