Jeff Goodman Believes WVU Basketball is a Threat in the Big 12 This Season

National college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman believes the West Virginia Mountaineers have a real chance to make some noise in the Big 12 conference this season. During a recent episode of the Field of 68 podcast, Goodman revealed his Big 12 conference preseason rankings for 2026, with the Mountaineers being ranked 6th.

The Mountaineers came in behind the Houston Cougars, the Arizona Wildcats, the Kansas Jayhawks, the Iowa State Cyclones, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The teams ranked above the Mountaineers are programs that have had established success in the conference and have all made runs in the NCAA Tournament over the last few years, but the Mountaineers have a real opportunity to be a team that can make noise in 2026.

Entering his second season in Morgantown, head coach Ross Hidge hit the transfer portal as hard as anyone in college basketball this offseason. West Virginia brought in a top-15 high school class to complement a top-15 portal class.

The transfer class included big names like St. John’s guard Joson Sanon, Butler guard Finley Bizjack, Georgia Tech center Mohammed Sylla, and Utah forward Seydou Traore. The Mountaineers also have one of their most highly-anticipated and rated recruits in program history coming into the mix in guard Miles Sadler.

West Virginia Basketball Is Hitting Their Stride At The Right Time

It was an up-and-down first season for the Mountaineers under Hodge, finishing with an 18-14 regular season record. However, things are trending up in a big way for them as the 2026 season inches closer. The Mountaineers ended the season with three consecutive wins en route to capturing a College Basketball Crown Championship in an overtime thriller against the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Mountaineers have a much different feel to them this year, and it all stems from the way that the season ended last year. After a disappointing end to the season and the Big 12 Tournament, Hodge was able to rally his team and earn a tournament championship. Although many of the key pieces from last season’s team are gone, it’s hard to deny that this year’s team doesn’t have more depth and key scoring pieces.

Perhaps a lot of the hype for this team comes from Sadler, who is likely to have a significant role as a true freshman, but a lot of it stems from the way Hodge coached at the end of last season. The arrow is pointing up for the Mountaineers entering 2026 as they aim to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2023 season.