Oklahoma vs. West Virginia: Sooners Seeking to Get Back in Win Column Against Mountaineers
By Chip Rouse
It hasn’t quite reached the desperation stage, but it is getting pretty darn close. Oklahoma vs. West Virginia proved to be the elixir to the last OU consecutive-game losing streak, and here we are all over again.
If only it were that simple. Perhaps it is a good omen that the Sooners are hosting West Virginia on Wednesday. The Mountaineers have yet to win a game at Lloyd Noble Center in four previous tries.
In fact, had Oklahoma not lost to West Virginia by two points in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament last March, when Buddy Hield’s last-second three-point bomb was waved off because time had expired, OU would own five consecutive victories over the Mountaineers.
The last time these two teams met, in Morgantown on Jan. 18, the Sooners prevailed 89-87 in double overtime. Prior to that victory over then-No. 7-ranked West Virginia, Oklahoma had once in its last eight games.
The Sooners have not won since beating West Virginia, losing four consecutive games. That adds up to 12 losses in OU’s last 14 games after beginning the season winning six of its first eight games.
So its round two vs. West Virginia in the Big 12’s double round-robin schedule. Sooner fans are hoping for another win over the Mountaineers to get OU back in the win column and snap the Sooners’ current losing streak.
It won’t be easy, though. West Virginia comes in with an overall mark of 18-5, but four of those five losses have come against Big 12 opponents. Oklahoma pulled out the win in Morgantown, but the Sooners had to come back from a 15-point deficit with under nine minutes to go in the game.
In the win at West Virginia, Jordan Woodard scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. The game after that, Woodard scored 21 in a losing effort at home against Iowa State. Since that game, however, Woodard has scored just 26 points total in his last four games.
The Sooners definitely need Woodard to match or exceed his 15.4 scoring average if OU is going to get the regular-season Sweep over the Mountaineers.
What to Know About the Sooners
- Senior guard Jordan Woodard is facing West Virginia for the ninth time in his career. He has averaged 13.1 points per game in those nine previous outings.
- The Sooners are 2-12 this season when they shoot a worse field-goal percentage than their opponent. Oklahoma is shooting 43 percent from the field for the season; West Virginia averages 48 percent.
- Freshman Kameron McGusty averaged 15.9 points per game in the month of January, tripling his scoring average for the month of December, McGusty has reached double figures in 10 consecutive games.
What to Know About the Mountaineers
- West Virginia averages 87.1 points per game, second in the Big 12 and eighth in the nation.
- The Mountaineers lead the country and the Big 12 in steals and turnover margin (plus 10.6).
- West Virginia has no players in the top 20 in the Big 12 in scoring, but the Mountaineers have five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Jevon Carter and Esa Ahmad, both averaging 11.7 points per game. Carter scored 23 points in the first meeting between these two teams this season.
Game Prediction
West Virginia is coming into this game angry after getting manhandled down the stretch in a loss at home to the other Big 12 team from Oklahoma last Saturday. The Sooners are struggling to finish out games on a high note, and they’ve lost their last three games at home (to Iowa State, , Florida and Oklahoma State). The Mountaineers are also seeking redemption from the stunning come-from-behind OU win at Morgantown in the first encounter between the two teams this season.
West Virginia 79, Oklahoma 73