Big 12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season

While the teams below the Mountaineers also lost their best players, this team gets the benefit of returning each of its top three scorers. That includes the starting frontcourt of Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe, as well as sophomore guard Miles McBride.

And that should bode well for a West Virginia team that lost its identity the season prior, finishing under .500 overall. But the defense went back to being elite, finishing the year with just 62.4 ppg allowed, good for 16th in the nation. And with only two rotation players gone, expect the Mountaineers to have one of the top defensive units once again in 2020-21.

But defense isn’t the question with this roster. The offense or lack thereof will be what determines West Virginia’s ceiling this season. The leading scorer from last season was Tshiebwe at just 11.2 ppg, with not a single perimeter player averaging in double figures. They were one of the worst in both attempting and making three-pointers, while also struggling at the three-point line. While the Mountaineers ranked 9th overall with 24 attempts per game, they also ranked 336th with 64% in makes.

There are ways to shake up the offense, including adding a stretch frontcourt option in four-star forward Isaiah Cottrell. He’s athletic and fits the natural scheme for the Mountaineers but adds another dimension with his scoring ability. He’ll be a fill-in for either big in the rotation, along with 6’10 freshman Seny Ndiaye.

If McBride can have a breakout campaign and Sean McNeil can become a mainstay in the rotation, the Mountaineers offense can improve enough to the team being top-10 caliber. If not, there’s a chance this team will have similar results as last season’s.