You are looking sort of live at the Coliseum where hundreds if not thousands presumably will watch WVU v. Bethune-Cookman in the second game of the preliminary stage of the Las Vegas Invitational. I snapped this photo was with less than 14 minutes left before tip-off, so the stands could fill, but it’s the Monday before Thanksgiving and the students are on a week-long break. Whether or how the count ends up above last Monday’s 8,101 in Charleston ought to be interesting.

I think we’ll pay attention to lineups and combinations tonight, because WVU is two very different teams with three forwards and with three guards … not at once, of course, because that would be illegal. Lethal, sure, but also illegal. But the more Bob Huggins is able to used these early soup cans to experiment and cultivate pairings and groupings, the better the Mountaineers are for the more serious part of the schedule.

That said, it’s hard not to like WVU’s frontcourt so far, and not just because Devin Williams and his three double-doubles in this 3-0 start (and let’s see him stalk the single-season mark for free-throw attempts). It seems Huggins has some talent and depth beyond the preseason honorable mention Big 12 player.

Williams is getting plenty of help on the interior, too. Jonathan Holton had a double-double in each of the first two games of the season, and then sophomore big man Elijah Macon scored a career-high 18 points on 8 of 8 shooting against Stetson.

Macon’s confidence is up, his weight is down and he is flashing an array of skills, like his penchant for passing.

“I’m glad you’re catching on to that,” Macon said to me after Friday night’s win.

Macon said he has dropped about 10 pounds and is focused solely on basketball these days.

“I’ve been watching a lot of film and I’ve just tried to keep my mind on basketball this year,” he said. “I had a lot going on last year.”

Macon and Williams have both flashed passing skills out of the post.

“I think we both pass the ball very well,” Williams said. “It’s not seen as much when you have a Juwan Staten and Gary Browne out there, it’s not needed as much. Our role last year was just score the ball close and grab rebounds … it’s a chance for us to go out there and show what else we can do.”

WVU could take another step when the overall game of Esa Ahmad transitions to the college level. The 6-foot-7 freshman scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Stetson, but he also turned the ball over five times and missed four of his five foul shots.

It’s a mixed bag, but the kid from Cleveland can play.

“I think he’s more complete,” Huggins said when comparing Ahmad to other freshmen he has coached. “He hasn’t shot the ball very well because he really bruised his shoulder and they wanted him to not use that shoulder so much. He isn’t shooting the ball very well because he hasn’t shot very much.

“He can pass it, he can rebound it, he can handle. We are going to try and make it so I can say he can guard too. If he’s in the gym all the time, he shoots it OK.”

Huggins later added a few words that should delight WVU fans: “He’s kind of a joy to coach,” he said.

It’s a joy to work in the post for you all. Let’s begin.