The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of WVU Basketball So Far This Season

Dissecting what the Mountaineers have done well and what they've struggled with in non-conference play.

Dec 9, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers players celebrate after defeating the Little Rock Trojans at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

With just one game left in non-conference play against a very poor Mississippi Valley State team, we have a pretty good feel for what this West Virginia team does well, what they don't, and everything in between. Let's review.

The Good - The Youngsters

I could have gone with rebounding here, but even that has been spotty at times, especially when they're not playing some of the worst teams in all of college basketball. Instead, I'm rocking with the flash of Amir Jenkins, DJ Thomas, and even Jayden Forsythe.

It would not surprise me one bit if Jenkins ends up becoming the best player on this team a year from now. Yes, I know Miles Sadler is coming in, but Jenkins will have a year under his belt, and if he continues to develop, he'll be a rock-solid two-way player, perhaps having the impact that Miles McBride had in his second year.

Thomas has seen his floor time reduced with the additions of Chance Moore and Jackson Fields, but he is still a part of the rotation and is well on his way to playing himself into a starting role by next season.

Forsythe has seen extremely limited playing time, but has shot the ball really well when given the opportunity.

The Bad - Second Half Defense

West Virginia has played well out of the gates this season, dictating pace, forcing tough shots, and generating turnovers. For whatever reason, that level of intensity experiences a dramatic drop off in the second half of games, as we've seen in the losses to Clemson, Wake Forest, and Ohio State.

Here are the halftime scores of each of those games, along with the final score.

Clemson: WVU led 32-25 at half, lost 70-67.

Wake Forest: Tied 34-34 at half, lost 75-66.

Ohio State: WVU led 37-27 at half, lost 89-88. WVU was outscored in the second half 41-31.

In those three games, the Mountaineers are allowing 42.3 points per game in the second half. That's not winning basketball, especially for what is supposed to be a defensive-minded team.

The Ugly - Offensive Identity

Even the best defensive teams have an offensive identity, if they're successful. Throughout the first twelve games of this season, I can't tell you what that identity for West Virginia is. They don't live off of second chance opportunities, they don't shoot the three ball well as a team, and they don't attack the paint well, or have much of an inside presence.

They have specialists in those areas, such as Honor Huff from three and Chance Moore getting downhill, but you have to be able to do more than what you're elite at. The scary thing is, I'm not sure if there is something this group can do well, unless Treysen Eaglestaff snaps out of it and gives Huff a reliable partner beyond the three-point line.

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