Looking ahead: West Virginia pressed to find frontcourt help

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It’s never too early to look at what’s to come. Over the next few weeks, we will give you a peek at what is ahead for teams in the Power 5 conferences and some other teams expected to be players on the national scene. Next up: West Virginia Mountaineers.

West Virginia managed to fall in next season’s polls without having played a game. The Mountaineers were all set to be a preseason top 15 team returning eight of their top 10 players from a team that — despite its flameout in the NCAA tournament first round — finished second in the Big 12. That was before Devin Williams decided to sign with an agent last month and enter the NBA draft. The 6-foot-9 forward was the Mountaineers’ leading rebounder (9.5) and second leading scorer (13.3) from last season. Williams became the first West Virginia player since Devin Eubanks in 2010 to forgo his remaining eligibility to turn pro. Eubanks was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Lakers, but Williams is not projected to be picked. And it leaves the Mountaineers in a tough spot.

Once West Virginia coach Bob Huggins adapted a new signature “Press Virginia” style of play two seasons ago, his rotation has been about 10 deep. In theory, his teams have been less reliant on just one player. It’s not that Williams had such a superior skill set, but in conjunction with losing Jonathan Holton, the Mountaineers have to fill a big void in one of their biggest strengths. West Virginia led the nation last season in offensive rebounding percentage, according to Ken Pomeroy, and Williams and Holton were a large reason why. They combined for 42 percent of the team’s offensive boards with an average of 6.7 per game. The reason that’s so crucial? The Mountaineers still struggled to score when they weren’t forcing turnovers and getting out …

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