The West Virginia Mountaineers capped its preseason schedule with a resounding 98-55 win over the Wheeling Cardinals Wednesday night.
Here some of my initial takeaways from the Mountaineers third and final exhibition of the season.
Rebounding
While West Virginia dominated the boards 43-21, allowing a mere four offensive rebounds on the night. However, there is still a lot of work to do fundamentally. While the size of the WVU bigs were able to reach over the smaller Cardinal squad, the Mountaineers will not be able to rely on their length in Big 12 Conference action. For that matter, the nonconference slate has plenty of marquee matchup, and like Maryland, the front court will be tested, and we'll have a chance to mark the team's progress.
Scoring in bunches
This year's edition of the Mountaineers can score in bunches. Throw the ball to the list of guards, and they can all score from the perimeter. Add in the ability to pull up off the dribble and drive to the basket and this unit appears to be ahead of last year's group.
Miles Sadler, so far, is as good as advertised. He is still a freshman and will be tested on both ends of the floor. And when it comes to the Big 12, the coaches will have plenty of tape in an attempt to slow the freshman down. He's fast and can get to the rim quickly.
Joson Sanon shows he can get hot from the outside. He was three of eight from beyond the arc, 4-11 from the field, to finish with 11 points and is a good counterpart to Finley Bizjack.
Finley Bizjack can hit the tough shot and drive to the basket. He's been tough with the ball and along with Sadler and Sanon, is an option during tough offensive stretches.
The Frontcourt
While I already touched on this group with their rebounding, defensively they should be able to hold their own and protect the rim. Amadou Seini and Mouhamed Sylla are in the early stages of their collegiate basketball career and will have to improve their footwork. It could result in early foul trouble against Power Four opponents, but they three games against lower major programs before taking off for the Players Era 8 in Las Vegas to take on Auburn.
The first exhibition game against Maryland was good experience to enter the season and we'll have to wait to see the improvement in Vegas.
Today's best reads
- What Ross Hodge Said Following the Win Over Wheeling
- Five Mountaineers Reach Double Figures as WVU Rolls Past Wheeling in Final Exhibition
- National College Basketball Insider Calls WVU the 'Sleeper' of the Big 12
- West Virginia Handles Glenville State in Second Exhibition
- Ross Hodge Believes WVU Can Dance in March with Revamped Roster
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/westvirginia as Instant Reactions to West Virginia's Final Exhibition of the Preseason.