Preview: Sooners (20-5) at Mountainers (20-6)
Date: February 20, 2016 4:00 PM EDT
West Virginia's aggressive defense forced Oklahoma into one of its worst shooting performances of the season and nearly helped it pull out a victory in Norman last month.
Shutting down the third-ranked Sooners' three-guard lineup Saturday in Morgantown will be a much tougher task for the No. 10 Mountaineers if Daxter Miles Jr. and Jaysean Paige can't play through their injuries.
West Virginia (20-6, 9-4 Big 12), though, could be catching Oklahoma (20-5, 8-5) at the perfect time.
The Sooners, who are shooting 46.4 percent and lead the nation with a 43.6 mark from 3-point range, have hit 38.6 percent from the field and 30.7 from downtown during a 1-3 stretch.
Buddy Hield (48.8), Jordan Woodard (46.7) and Isaiah Cousins (44.8) are the Big 12's top three shooters from behind the arc, but they've combined to shoot 33.8 percent from 3-point range during that stretch.
Woodard finished with 25 points, Hield had 16 - well below his average of 25.2 that ranks second in the nation - and Cousins was held to 10 in Wednesday's 65-63 loss at Texas Tech. Woodard struggled in the previous contest, scoring 10 in last Saturday's 76-72 loss to then-No. 6 Kansas, when the Sooners shot 33.3 percent.
That mark matched Oklahoma's season-worst percentage set against the Mountaineers on Jan. 16. The Sooners also committed 18 turnovers in that contest, but Khadeem Lattin's tip-in with one second remaining gave them a 70-68 victory.
Miles and Paige played large roles in holding Hield to 17 points and Cousins to nine on 2-of-10 shooting, but coach Bob Huggins still isn't sure if they'll be able to play in the rematch. Miles sat out with a hamstring injury and Paige left Tuesday's 85-78 loss at No. 24 Texas with an ankle injury.
The Mountaineers, whose 18.6 turnovers forced per game ranks second in the country, forced a season-low seven against the Longhorns. They lead the Big 12 in scoring defense (65.6) and turnover margin (plus-4.5) while topping the nation with 10.2 steals per contest, but Huggins knows slowing down the Sooners' top players won't be easy without Miles and Paige.
"It's hard to play the way we play without depth," Huggins said. "Are there three better guards anywhere? If there are, I don't know where they are. We've got our work cut out for us."
The Sooners are on the verge of losing three in a row during the regular season for the first time since a six-game slide in February 2012, the season before Hield arrived on campus. They haven't just been struggling on the offensive end of the floor, either.
Opponents are shooting 45.0 percent over the last four compared to Oklahoma's 40.2 field-goal percentage defense on the season that leads the Big 12. It has forced nine turnovers in two of the last three after foes committed an average of 14.8 over the previous five.
The Sooners have lost their last two trips to Morgantown, last winning there during Hield's freshman season. They're in a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12 with No. 25 Baylor and Texas, one game back of second-place West Virginia.
"Yeah it's an opportunity to make a statement, but regardless of who we're playing it'll be an opportunity," coach Lon Kruger said. "We've not been getting results and playing like we need to. We've got five (games) left and each of those will be an opportunity that we'll treat like a need to make a statement ... to ourselves as much as anything."
Date: February 20, 2016 4:00 PM EDT
West Virginia's aggressive defense forced Oklahoma into one of its worst shooting performances of the season and nearly helped it pull out a victory in Norman last month.
Shutting down the third-ranked Sooners' three-guard lineup Saturday in Morgantown will be a much tougher task for the No. 10 Mountaineers if Daxter Miles Jr. and Jaysean Paige can't play through their injuries.
West Virginia (20-6, 9-4 Big 12), though, could be catching Oklahoma (20-5, 8-5) at the perfect time.
The Sooners, who are shooting 46.4 percent and lead the nation with a 43.6 mark from 3-point range, have hit 38.6 percent from the field and 30.7 from downtown during a 1-3 stretch.
Buddy Hield (48.8), Jordan Woodard (46.7) and Isaiah Cousins (44.8) are the Big 12's top three shooters from behind the arc, but they've combined to shoot 33.8 percent from 3-point range during that stretch.
Woodard finished with 25 points, Hield had 16 - well below his average of 25.2 that ranks second in the nation - and Cousins was held to 10 in Wednesday's 65-63 loss at Texas Tech. Woodard struggled in the previous contest, scoring 10 in last Saturday's 76-72 loss to then-No. 6 Kansas, when the Sooners shot 33.3 percent.
That mark matched Oklahoma's season-worst percentage set against the Mountaineers on Jan. 16. The Sooners also committed 18 turnovers in that contest, but Khadeem Lattin's tip-in with one second remaining gave them a 70-68 victory.
Miles and Paige played large roles in holding Hield to 17 points and Cousins to nine on 2-of-10 shooting, but coach Bob Huggins still isn't sure if they'll be able to play in the rematch. Miles sat out with a hamstring injury and Paige left Tuesday's 85-78 loss at No. 24 Texas with an ankle injury.
The Mountaineers, whose 18.6 turnovers forced per game ranks second in the country, forced a season-low seven against the Longhorns. They lead the Big 12 in scoring defense (65.6) and turnover margin (plus-4.5) while topping the nation with 10.2 steals per contest, but Huggins knows slowing down the Sooners' top players won't be easy without Miles and Paige.
"It's hard to play the way we play without depth," Huggins said. "Are there three better guards anywhere? If there are, I don't know where they are. We've got our work cut out for us."
The Sooners are on the verge of losing three in a row during the regular season for the first time since a six-game slide in February 2012, the season before Hield arrived on campus. They haven't just been struggling on the offensive end of the floor, either.
Opponents are shooting 45.0 percent over the last four compared to Oklahoma's 40.2 field-goal percentage defense on the season that leads the Big 12. It has forced nine turnovers in two of the last three after foes committed an average of 14.8 over the previous five.
The Sooners have lost their last two trips to Morgantown, last winning there during Hield's freshman season. They're in a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12 with No. 25 Baylor and Texas, one game back of second-place West Virginia.
"Yeah it's an opportunity to make a statement, but regardless of who we're playing it'll be an opportunity," coach Lon Kruger said. "We've not been getting results and playing like we need to. We've got five (games) left and each of those will be an opportunity that we'll treat like a need to make a statement ... to ourselves as much as anything."
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