It wasn't pretty in the beginning, falling behind by as much as 10 points to Niagara, but West Virginia locked things down defensively and started putting pressure on the rim, blowing the Purple Eagles out of the water, 91-46 in the season opener on Monday night.

There is still a lot we have to learn about this team, and the same goes for head coach Ross Hodge. This starting lineup and rotation, for that matter, is not set in stone. Things can change as we move deeper into non-conference play, and while we had a pretty good idea as to what things would look like because of the three exhibitions, we now have a real game in the books to go off of.

So, what did we learn about the starting five and rotation last night?

The Starting Lineup

Nov 2, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Finley Bizjack (11) shoots a three pointer during the second half against the Niagara Purple Eagles at Hope Coliseum.…