12/12 Oklahoma
14/14 West Virginia
Saturday, Feb. 13 / Noon CT / WVU Coliseum / Morgantown, W. Va.
NORMAN – No. 12/12 Oklahoma (12-5, 7-4) is back on the road for another top-15 matchup when it faces No. 14/14 West Virginia (14-5, 7-3) on Saturday in a battle of two of the top-three teams in the Big 12 standings.
As two of the hottest teams in the league, Oklahoma and West Virginia have a combined record of 11-2 over the last month. The Mountaineers are coming off back-to-back wins over then-No. 23 Kansas and No. 7 Texas Tech while the Sooners have won six of their last seven (with three top-10 wins in that stretch).
Since Oklahoma defeated WVU in the first matchup of the season on Jan. 2, the Mountaineers have averaged 80.4 points per game, thanks to the emergence of Miles McBride (16.1 points per game) and Taz Sherman (13.1).
The Sooners will look to counter WVU's strong guard play with their suffocating on-ball defense and array of offensive weapons.
ON THE AIR
• The Big 12 matchup tips at noon CT and will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing.• Mark Neely and Chris Spatola have the call on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
• Big 12 Now on ESPN+ is the digital home for the Big 12. Subscribers can watch the game through ESPN+ on the ESPN App via most major mobile and connected-TV platforms, including iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, Android devices, Roku, Chromecast, FireTV, XBOX One, Playstation 4, Oculus Go and Samsung connected TVs. It is also available via ESPN.com on the web. Click here to subscribe to gain access to the game.
THREE POINTERS
• Oklahoma is set to face a top-15 team for the ninth time in a 12-game stretch on Saturday when it heads to Morgantown for a battle with No. 14 West Virginia. The Sooners have won three of their last four games against top-15 opponents with the lone loss coming on the road to then-No. 10 Texas Tech (OU was playing without two starters, including leading scorer Austin Reaves). A win on Saturday would be Oklahoma's fifth top-15 win of the season.• Senior forward Brady Manek continues to climb on numerous lists in the Sooner record book. Manek has a chance to join elite company on Saturday, entering the matchup one trey away from the top-five in career 3-pointers. Manek has sunk 214 triples in the Crimson and Cream and trails only Buddy Hield (349), Terry Evans (259), Steven Pledger (249), Hollis Price (241) and fifth-place Tim Heskett (215). Manek is coming off his first start in a month after battling COVID-19 in early January. He started at the "five" position in a win over Iowa State (has been at the "four" in his other starts this season), producing career highs in both rebounds (15) and assists (four) while scoring nine points.
• Junior guard Elijah Harkless continues his storybook rise from a transfer intending to redshirt to becoming OU's defensive catalyst over the past month. While known for what he's brought to the Sooner defense, Harkless' offense continues to evolve. The guard averaged 4.1 points over his first nine games this season (Dec. 16-Jan. 23), but has averaged 12.3 points over his last four games, including a season-best 19 points in a win over Iowa State last Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY: WEST VIRGINIA
• Oklahoma holds a narrow 13-9 lead in the all-time series with West Virginia. The Sooners swept the Mountaineers last season and are looking for their second straight sweep on Saturday, having beaten WVU earlier this season in Norman. Oklahoma has won four of the last five matchups, with its only loss in that stretch coming by one point at the Big 12 Championship.• The series is tied 4-4 for games played at WVU Coliseum. The Sooners won in last season's Morgantown matchup, 73-62.
• OU won both meetings with West Virginia by double digits last season, topping WVU 69-59 in Norman and 73-62 in Morgantown. The Sooners held a double-digit halftime lead over the Mountaineers in their first meeting this season, but WVU fought back in the second half. OU held on for four-point win.
LOOKING BACK AT OU'S WIN OVER IOWA STATE
• Oklahoma bounced back with a 79-72 victory over Iowa State on Saturday, shooting a season-best 54.7% from the field. The Sooners have now won six of the last seven games.• The Sooners held Iowa State to 38% shooting, but the Cyclones went 16-of-31 from 3-point range (51.6%). Iowa State's 16 3-pointers are the most by a major-conference team in a loss this season.
• Junior guard Elijah Harkless led the Sooners in scoring with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Harkless reached his season-high point total by scoring nine of OU's final 11 points.
• After missing a full week's-worth of practice due to contact tracing, senior guard Austin Reaves recorded a near-triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He's just the second Sooner to put together such a stat line in the Big 12 era, joining Trae Young.
• Junior guard Umoja Gibson continued his hot streak by sinking four 3-pointers and scoring 18 points.
• Senior forward Brady Manek returned to the starting lineup, putting together his best game since recovering from COVID-19. Manek produced career bests in both rebounds (15) and assists (4) while scoring nine points.
• Sophomore forward Jalen Hill chipped in a career-high 11 points, shooting 5-of-7 to lead the benc in scoring.
QUICK HITS
• Oklahoma has won four games against top-15 teams this season.• The Sooners are coming off one of the toughest months any college basketball team has ever faced. OU faced three-straight top-10 teams on two occasions and became the first team since at least 1996 (as far back as the Stats Inc. database can search) to face six top-10 teams in a calendar month (includes March/postseason).
• Prior to this season, Oklahoma had faced three straight top-10 teams only one time (in 1958). OU faced three straight top-10 opponents on two different occasions in January.
• The schedule doesn't ease up from here. OU's game against No. 12 West Virginia is the fifth matchup in a run where OU plays six top-15 teams in a seven-game stretch. Once the stretch against ranked teams ends on Feb. 16 against Texas, the Sooners then play three straight road games and conclude the regular season with two games in three days against Bedlam rival Oklahoma State.
• Oklahoma is 25-19 in games where both teams are ranked during the Lon Kruger era.
• OU's recent success can be attributed to its commitment to defense and transition to a four-guard lineup that began in a narrow loss to No. 6 Kansas on Jan. 9. In that game, Elijah Harkless made his first start for the Sooners and has provided the "IT Factor" to the lineup since then. After the loss to KU, OU went on a five game winning streak and has beaten three top-10 teams.
• Harkless earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 25, leading the Sooners to a 2-0 week as the team's defensive catalyst with wins over Kansas State and No. 9 Kansas. The 6-3 guard led the conference in steals (six), rebounds (20) and rebounds per game (10.0). He made his presence known throughout the stat sheet, also averaging 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 50% shooting.
• Since halftime of OU's game at Baylor on Jan. 6 the Sooners have outscored their opponents in 14 of their 17 halves of basketball.
• The Sooners boast a deep and versatile roster with multiple players who can go off. Three different Sooners have reached at least 29 points in a game with Brady Manek producing 29 points against UTSA (Dec. 3), Austin Reaves scoring 32 at TCU (Dec. 6) and Umoja Gibson totaling 29 versus West Virginia (Jan. 2). Oklahoma is the only team in the country with three different players boasting 29-point performances this season. The OU trio's scoring milestones account for three of the six highest-scoring games by Big 12 players this season. Reaves' 32 are the most by a Big 12 player this season. Additionally, De'Vion Harmon has scored at least 22 points on three occassions this season.
• OU boasts three players who have totaled at least 1,000 points in their Division I careers: Brady Manek (1,351 - all at OU), Austin Reaves (1,094) and Umoja Gibson (1,056).
• The Sooners are 8-0 when scoring at least 78 points. Oklahoma is averaging 80.7 points per game in victories and 63.2 in losses.
• The Sooners rank third in the Big 12 in both assists (14.) and second in steals (7.7).
• Junior guard Umoja Gibson was named Big 12 Player of the Week, Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and NCAA.com National Player of the Week for games played Dec. 28 - Jan. 3. Gibson poured in 29 points against No. 9 West Virginia on Jan. 2 on 10-of-14 shooting (8-of-11 from 3-point range) while adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals. At the time of the game, his 29 points were the second-most off the bench by any major-conference player this season. His career-high eight 3-pointers were tied for the most by a non-starter in any Division I game this season.
• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. Over the last two seasons, the Sooners are 26-1 when they have a better field goal percentage than their opponents. Their only loss when owning a better field goal percentage was on the road at then-No. 1 Baylor last season.
• Oklahoma is committing only 10.8 turnovers per game - the fewest in the Big 12 and 17th best in Division I.
• The Sooners also lead the league in fewest fouls committed per game, fouling an average of 14.2 times - the ninth-fewest in the country. This continues a trend that Oklahoma showed a lot of discipline in last season, commiting only 14.4 personal fouls per game in 2019-20 – the third fewest in the country. This year, OU opponents are shooting an average of 13.1 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 18.4 free throw attempts.
• OU is making the most of its trips to the line, ranking second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage with a 74.1% rate. Austin Reaves is fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (87.4%).
• Senior forward Kur Kuath is second in the Big 12 in blocked shots with 25 (1.5 per game).
UP NEXT: TEXAS
• Oklahoma is back at home Tuesday to host Red River rival Texas at the Lloyd Noble Center. The top-15 showdown is slated for an 8 p.m. tip on ESPN.• Oklahoma and Texas will square off for the 99th time on Tuesday with Oklahoma holding a 57-41 advantage in the all-time series. OU has won three of the last four meetings. The Sooners are 10-9 against Texas under Lon Kruger.
• The Sooners hold a 29-13 advantage over the Horns when playing in Norman, although Texas won in the LNC last season.
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February 13, 2021 at 12:37PM
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