West Virginia Basketball: Analyzing the Mountaineers’ rotation for 18-19

West Virginia Basketball and their rotation will undergo major changes after Carter and Miles’ departure. How will the minutes be distributed at each position?

West Virginia had a very strong 17-18 season as they reached the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Villanova, the eventual National Champions. While a majority of last year’s relevant pieces have returned, the Mountaineers will have to replace their starting backcourt.

Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles have exhausted their eligibility and are now playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings. These two guards were essential to West Virginia’s success and were both four-year starters. Losing Carter is especially huge because he was arguably the best defender in the country. His constant ball pressure set the tone for the tenacious Mountaineer defense.

These two standouts are not the only meaningful departures for West Virginia. Promising freshman wing Teddy Allen has also left the program. The talented scorer has elected to transfer to Wichita State where he will play a prominent role for their overhauled roster once eligible.

West Virginia has a plethora of options to replace these three key players, but will any of these young newcomers be able to adequately fill the void? The Mountaineers have an extremely deep team since as many as 12 players could conceivably earn consistent minutes. Unfortunately, coaches cannot give 12 guys rotation minutes and even playing ten rotation players in meaningful games can be a stretch. Good players will be left out of the rotation on most quality teams and West Virginia is no exception.

This article will attempt to predict the ten players who will be in West Virginia’s rotation. It will provide explanations for these projections and allocate minutes by both player and by position.