We heard about this Wednesday and tried to chase it down all the way through Thursday night, when finally Bob Huggins ended his radio show just before a press release confirmed some bad news for No. 9 West Virginia: Jonathan Holton has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules.

A source said Holton will not play in Saturday’s Big 12/SEC Challenge on the road against Florida (13-7) and is not expected to play Tuesday at No. 14 Iowa State and at home Feb. 6 against No. 17 Baylor.

This is WVU’s most energetic — which should be a synonym for effective — player this season and arguably the most consistent performer in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers will miss him Saturday, but they’ll really miss him against Iowa State and Baylor, because the Cyclones and the Bears attacked WVU’s press like nobody else last season.

WVU had Wednesday off, and the team practiced Thursday and is to so again today before leaving for Gainesville, Fla., but Hoton’s suspension was known before yesterday’s practice. They Mountaineers are not caught off guard, and the late release of the news quite likely had to do with the radio show, which would have been much different if it was preceded by the announcement.

But they are caught in a pinch. Ordinarily, Nathan Adrian spells Holton, and he has 23 starts on his resume. One was Tuesday, and though it was good with a season-high 10 points and some adroit offensive play, it was also in Esa Ahmad’s stead. Ahmad, we’re told, has a strained right knee, and Huggins was hopeful he’d practice and then play.

If Ahmad can play, Adrian will start. If Ahmad can play, Adrian and somebody else will start. I’d guess Jaysean Paige. Devin Williams, Elijah Macon and Brandon Watkins all play the same position, which is not the position Holton plays, and combinations of Williams/Macon/Watkins haven’t played together much this season and would slow the press. WVU started three guards a bunch last season, either Juwan Staten, Dax Miles and Paige or Staten, Miles and Gary Browne.

Whatever the case, the Mountaineers are sort of used to picking up the slack. Miles and Ahmad have missed games and Miles, Carter and Williams have slumped, either interchangeably or at once, and yet here’s WVU ranked in the top 10 and tied for first place in the toughest conference in the country.

“I keep saying this, but we’ve got a lot of guys on this team who can step up at any given time,” said reserve guard Tarik Phillip, who trails only Paige in scoring in conference play. “Nate ended up playing very, very, very well, but on any night, we all come here ready to play. Whoever decides to play well that night, we run with them.”

Five different players have led the Mountaineers (17-3, 6-2 Big 12) in scoring this season after Holton led the way for the first time with 14 points Tuesday. Paige has done it eight times with five coming in conference play. Carter has done it six times, forward Devin Williams has done it five times and Miles has done it twice, but Carter and Williams have only done it once in conference play and Miles hasn’t done it since November.