Three Big Questions for West Virginia Ahead of Its Exhibition Against Wheeling

This evening, the West Virginia Mountaineers will take the floor for the first time in front of a crowd at Hope Coliseum as they'll square off against the Wheeling Cardinals in an exhibition. With so many new faces (essentially the entire roster), there are a million storylines entering tonight's game and this season. We should get an answer on a few of them tonight, though.

What does the frontcourt rotation look like?

Harlan Obioha and Abraham Oyeaider are the only true centers on the roster, but only Obioha figures to see action. Ross Hodge has mentioned that Brenen Lorient, Jackson Fields, and DJ Thomas can all slide down to the five in certain situations, but what exactly does that rotation look like? Fields is expected to miss the start of the season as he works his way back from wrist surgery, so in the meantime, who fills in that spot? If Lorient is in the game at the four, does that mean Thomas is the guy?

Which freshmen are ready now? How much can they contribute?

Thomas is one of the freshmen who appears to be locked into the rotation, along with point guard Amir Jenkins. Hodge really loves what they bring to the table, and both are advanced in the mental aspect of the game. The other two freshmen who could vie for playing time are wings Jayden Forsythe and Evans Barning Jr. Is it possible one of them squeezes into the rotation by Big 12 play? We may not know this answer in its entirety by tonight, but we'll get a pretty good idea as to where each of the freshmen is at.

What is the offensive and defensive identity?

Hodge is one of the best defensive minds in college basketball, so naturally, his teams will defend pretty well. Strategically speaking, what will that look like? He's been a straight-up man-to-man guy throughout his career, but does he implement pressure with this group in particular, given their length and athleticism? My guess is that he will pick his spots, but probably will shy away from doing so when Obioha is on the floor.

Offensively, Hodge's teams at North Texas operated at a snail's pace, but they were extremely efficient. I would imagine that with two of his starters following him over from Denton, he'll want to play a similar style. That said, now that he has two elite shooters in Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff, does he want them to push the tempo a little more?

What does the frontcourt rotation look like?

Which freshmen are ready now? How much can they contribute?

What is the offensive and defensive identity?

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