The West Virginia Mountaineers opened up their 2026 campaign with a resounding 91-46 victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles.

Ross Hodge’s second season as the head man of the Mountaineers basketball program is off to as good a start as you can ask for, as the team aims to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023.

Let’s take a look at what looked good, and what didn’t, with some stock up and stock down.

Stock Up:

Efficiency

The Mountaineers shot 52.5% from the floor in their season-opening win. In their 45-point victory, the Mountaineers did whatever they wanted offensively. Ball movement was not an issue for the Mountaineers, and the shots kept falling on their way to a huge win.

Miles Sadler

The true freshman looked like a seasoned veteran in his collegiate regular-season debut. The guard led the team in scoring with 16 points. Sadler also played the role of distributor as he posted nine assists. The freshman also recorded three steals.…