WVU Announces Starting Five for Season Opener vs. Niagara

It's time to roll out the carpet and bring on the Mountaineers, as the great Bill Nevin would say. Ross Hodge has submitted his starting lineup for tonight's game against Niagara.

West Virginia's starting five

G Miles Sadler — The super-talented freshman guard looked as good as advertised in the three exhibitions the Mountaineers had. Super fast, a great decision-maker, and can create his own shot. A major sparkplug who can take over a stretch of a game, which is something the Mountaineers have lacked at the point guard spot for years.

G Finley Bizjack — Bizjack has already shown his ability to be a microwave scorer. He came out red-hot in the exhibition against Maryland, and it doesn't always have to be on the perimeter, either. The Butler transfer just consistently finds ways to get the ball to go in the hoop. It won't be surprising if he ends the season as the team's leading scorer.

G/F Seydou Traore — The Utah transfer is without question the best defensive player on the Mountaineers' roster. Not only is he great on the ball, but also away from it. His length and athleticism allow him to recover if he gets beat off the dribble or makes a mistake in coverage. Don't sleep on his offensive ability, though. He can score it when necessary.

F Brenen Lorient — B-Lo is still eligible at the moment despite the NCAA appealing the ruling that came down about a month ago, which granted him and his teammate, Javan Buchanan, a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. Assuming this continues to drag out, both he and Buchanan should be in a good spot to play the entire season. Lorient may not be the first, second, or even third option despite being one of the go-to guys last year and the only one who has experience under Hodge, but he's going to be the glue guy who can put up numbers.

C Mouhamed Sylla — The big fella had a strong couple of outings after a rather quiet game against Maryland. The talent is through the roof, and it's just a matter of him getting more comfortable in the system and gaining experience.

The Mountaineers and Purple Eagles will get the action started at 7 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on ESPN+.

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