Only two points separated Oklahoma and West Virginia during their first meeting this season. It was the Sooners who emerged victorious, 70-68, thanks to a pair of clutch plays down the stretch. But now, they won’t have the luxury of a raucous crowd cheering them on when they collide once more with the Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum.
Who will reign supreme this time around? Will it be Oklahoma again? Or will the Mountaineers get their revenge? Let’s now take a closer look below at this must-see Big 12 matchup. And if you’re craving for more college hoops action, check out our preview of the Purdue Boilermakers vs. Indiana Hoosiers.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Preview
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown
When: Saturday, February 20, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma Sooners at West Virginia Mountaineers – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (20-5, 8-5 Big 12)
Uh-oh. There’s a little bit of anxiety brewing right now in Norman as the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The latest one happened against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who edged past them on Wednesday night, 65-63. But the Sooners also dug their own grave in that loss by shooting just 38.2% from the field and 26.1% from down town.
A testament to that struggle was surprisingly Buddy Hield, who put up just 16 points and went 3-for-10 from beyond the arc. Hield is averaging 25.2 points this season and it’s safe to say that this recent performance won’t stop him from unloading on the No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers.
Apart from Hield, expect the Sooners to put their trust on the pair of Jordan Woodard and Isaiah Cousins to lead the offense. Both are scoring double-figures this year with 13.6 and 13.7 points, respectively. Woodard, in particular, will be aiming to build on his output during the loss to Texas Tech, wherein he delivered a game-high of 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that the Mountaineers have been a relatively solid defensive team this season, averaging just 65.6 points allowed per contest. Hield and co. will really have to work for their points and be a little more persistent in this matchup.
Oklahoma is 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 road games.
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Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers (20-6, 9-4 Big 12)
The 10th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers walk into this bout as losers of two of their previous three contests. In those losses—against Kansas and Texas—they’ve given up a total of 160 points and allowed their foes to shoot above 50 percent from the field. And needless to say, that cannot be the case against the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners, who are one of the best offensive teams in the country with 83.6 points per game this season.
Speaking of offense, the Mountaineers definitely have enough weapons to match up with the Sooners. For one, there’s their leading scorer in Devin Williams (13.5), who has managed to score in double-figures in his past six games, including an 18-point effort during Tuesday night’s loss to Texas.
Furthermore, the pair of Jonathan Holton and Tarik Phillip will really need to continue producing for the Mountaineers with Jaysean Paige and Daxter Miles Jr. likely to be sidelined due to injuries.
Holton has been playing well lately, posting 10 and 14 points, respectively, in his previous two games. Phillip, meanwhile, enters this game fresh off his second-highest scoring output this season. He went 6-for-11 for 19 points and knocked down three treys versus the Longhorns.
As for the defense, the Mountaineers, who are yielding just 56.9 points at home, will be faced with a challenging task of locking up one of the best scorers in the country today—Buddy Hield. Given this, the pressure is on everybody to provide a combined effort in forcing him out of his comfort zone at all costs.
West Virginia is 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in its last seven home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma wins, but fails to cover the spread.
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