theintermountain
MORGANTOWN -- As the WVU men's basketball team tips off the 2026-27 campaign, players and head coach Ross Hodge share a unified vision for the program's direction. That alignment was evident in a conversation with guard Finley Bizjack shortly after the Mountaineers wrapped up their final exhibition game against Wheeling University.
In their second season under Hodge, the Mountaineers will host Niagara at the Hope Coliseum at 7 p.m. today. The roster features 12 new players, including six freshmen, yet the expectation remains that Hodge can guide WVU back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023.
Achieving that goal will require solving a complex puzzle, and with the season just beginning, the Mountaineers acknowledge they are still piecing it together. "I'd like to say that we're not even close to figuring everything out," Bizjack said. "I've been on some teams that played their best basketball in November. We want to be playing our best basketball in February, March and, hopefully, April. Our goal is to go here and end up there." As he spoke, Bizjack's hand traced a steady upward climb.
"You don't want to go from up here and then go down," he continued. "You want to stay trending upwards." Hodge echoed that sentiment, using the same hand motion. "Do I feel like we're good enough right where we are to win the games that we need to win? Of course," Hodge said. "This will be a long journey to playing the best basketball. You want it to be like this," he added, moving his hand from the bottom upward. "You don't want the highs and lows. It's a challenge for the players in the climate that we're in, because there are such emotional swings from one game to the next."
Those swings begin today against the Purple Eagles, who are in their eighth season under head coach Greg Paulus, a former starting point guard at Duke. In his first seven seasons, Paulus has yet to post a winning record, and Niagara has finished no higher than fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. On paper, the matchup appears lopsided. It is a "buy game" -- a term indicating WVU paid a lump sum for Niagara to play in Morgantown without a return game -- designed to give the Mountaineers a strong start. Yet every season, a small school not only collects a nice payday but also leaves the big school's arena with an upset victory.
"Personally, I've dropped some buy games before," said Bizjack, a transfer from Butler, which was upset by Appalachian State in 2024. "I think it's super important, like, how you win these games are important. Coach has been getting on us about not taking any opponent lightly. We have to respect everyone, but we also want to dominate them."
That mindset will be tested as WVU freshmen Miles Sadler, a point guard, and Amadou Seini, a center expected to be a key reserve, play their first real college game. Both were highly recruited, but as freshmen, they have yet to discover what they don't know. The transfer portal additions understand the rigors of a college season, but not under Hodge's tutelage.
Thus, Hodge's words about a long journey resonate. "There's a lot you don't know, and, unfortunately, you will not know until you get out there and play real games and get in real situations," Hodge said. "That's not unique to us. That's not an 'us' problem. That would be about an every-single-person problem in college athletics."
Key Analysis
The Mountaineers face a season of transition with a largely new roster, but the shared philosophy between Hodge and Bizjack emphasizes steady improvement over early-season perfection. While the opener against Niagara appears favorable, the specter of buy-game upsets looms large, underscoring the need for focus and respect for every opponent. As WVU integrates freshmen and transfers, the journey ahead will test their ability to climb consistently rather than ride emotional roller coasters.
Originally reported by theintermountain.