Esa Ahmad is keeping his back warm and loose to combat back spasms. Daxter Miles is … well, Miles is Miles, in that he does his own thing to have himself ready for a game, where he does his own thing to impact outcomes.

They’re starters now and they’re starters again, and they haven’t been steady for a while. Both missed time and were reserves for a few games upon their returns, but they’ve each had some runway before this event takes off.

And what of this environment? Ahmad probably had his best game in last season’s NCAA tournament loss. Miles has scored 10, 12, zero and two points in four NCAA games.

In a West Virginia season prone to interchangeable roars and whispers, they’ve been the most reputable here-and-there, come-and-go players. The Mountaineers want them here so they can get there, and they need them to come to play so they can go far this March.

In sum, the players are the wild cards for a WVU run, which begins approximately at 2:45 p.m. at the Key Bank Center here Thursday against 26-8 Bucknell.

Miles, a 6-foot-3 junior starter, is averaging 8.8 points, fifth on the team. He’s had outbursts of 23 points twice this season. But he’s also disappeared at times or disrupted the Mountaineers’ momentum.

Ahmad, meanwhile, had a stellar 27-point, 5-rebound game against Kansas — but that was back on Jan. 24. He’s had injury and turnover problems, especially of late. The 6-8 sophomore has 62 turnovers on the season, second only to point guard Jevon Carter — who dwarfs that with 132 assists and 89 steals.

“I feel if we all play well we can go very far,” Ahmad said on Wednesday, “but I agree me and Dax have to pick our play up and be consistent.”

“A lot of people have been saying that,” Miles agreed. “And they’re right. Me and Esa do have to play our butts off. We have to play well as a team. We just have to do our jobs.”