Sunday Morning Thoughts: Turning on Ross Hodge After Arizona Makes No Sense

The Arizona two-step went exactly as most expected for Ross Hodge and the West Virginia Mountaineers. They beat a struggling Arizona State team by double digits and then followed that up with a lopsided loss to No. 1 Arizona. They'll return to Morgantown for a pair of home games against Kansas State and Baylor with a 13-7 (4-3) record.

I would assume that much of the Mountaineer fanbase is still relatively happy with where this team is through the first 20 games of the season; however, I've already come across a cluster of folks, be it on social media or in our postgame show comment section, who are slamming Hodge and even going as far as calling for his job.

It's ridiculous. I don't want to bring too much attention to those who want the coach and everyone else fired after every loss, but come on now. It may come across as a defeatist attitude, but it's just reality. There's a reason why Arizona is the No. 1 team in the country. What they did to West Virginia on Saturday is no different than what they've done to the majority of teams they've played.

That program is humming. They're deep, well-coached, and have legit NBA talent on the roster. For that small cluster of constantly disgruntled fans who want immediate results... face the facts. This is year one. Yes, I'm sure everyone can agree that it would have been nice to see a more competitive game. The truth is, if they hadn't been ice cold offensively, it probably would have been at the very least a more respectable score. It's not like they weren't getting open looks. They were. They just weren't going down.

Hodge doesn't have a single player on the roster who will, without question, reach the NBA. That's the only difference between this year's squad and last year's. Darian DeVries had a three-level scorer who was really good on the defensive end as well, in Javon Small, who, of course, is now in the Association.

This team is in a good spot, believe it or not. These upcoming two home games against Kansas State and Baylor are very winnable, and if they do what they've done all year — protect homecourt — they will be 15-7 overall and 6-3 midway through Big 12 play with their only losses coming to three top-seven teams on the road.

To be honest, the door is open for a 7-3 start as well. After these next two games, they'll make the short trip over to Cincinnati, a team they've already beaten. Handle business in that one as well, and all of a sudden you're 16-7 (7-3). If you had told me at the start of the season, or heck, even at the end of non-conference play, that there was a path to a 7-3 start in league play, I'm not sure I would have bought it.

Yeah, it would have benefited WVU greatly to have come out on the right side of those matchups against Clemson and Ohio State, but it is what it is. You have to live with it and move on, just like you have to do coming off this 35-point loss to Arizona. Learn from the tape and go protect your home floor.

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