West Virginia is set to hold their Big 12 home opener on Saturday when they host Oklahoma State at the WVU Coliseum.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: Oklahoma State leads 13-12
LAST MEETING: Jan. 27, 2024 in Stillwater — OSU 70, WVU 66
TELEVISION: CBSSports Network (Dave Ryan / Mike O'Donnell)
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
10-2 (1st season at WVU), 160-57 (7th season overall)
Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State
8-4 (1st season at OSU), 77-39 (4th season overall)
LAST TIME OUT
Oklahoma State enters Saturday's contest coming off a 60-47 loss to No. 14 Houston at home. The Cowboys were led offensively by Brandon Newman who had 12 points. OSU shot 26 percent from the field and went 1-for-8 from three in the loss.
West Virginia enters Saturday off a 62-61 upset win over No. 7 Kansas. The Mountaineers were led offensively by Eduardo Andre 15 points, while former Cowboy Javon Small had 13 points. Small made a free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining to put WVU on top.
By The Numbers — Oklahoma State (8-4, 0-1 Big 12)
Oklahoma State is scoring 76.3 points per game this year. They are allowing opponents to average 73.4 points per game this year. They have the worst field goal percentage in the Big 12 at 43 percent from the field. Oklahoma State also has the worst opponent field goal percentage at 46 percent.
The Cowboys are second-worst in the league in both 3-point field goal percentage as well as 3-point defense. On defense, Oklahoma State has forced the third-most turnovers per game at 15.5 but have turned it over at the second-highest rate in the league, averaging 12.8 turnovers per game on offense.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Khalil Brantley, Jamyron Keller, Bryce Thompson, Robert Jennings, and Abou Ousmane.
OSU's leading scorer is not one of their starters this season, as Marchelus Avery leads them, averaging 12.3 points per game, but he has not started a single game this season. Avery, a transfer from UCF, is second on the team in rebounds as well, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game this year.
Oklahoma State comes into the game ranked 118th in the NET and 108th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for Oklahoma State.
By The Numbers — West Virginia
West Virginia is scoring 76.2 points per game this season but giving up 63.6 points per game this season, which is third-best in the Big 12. They are 13th in the league in field goal percentage at 44.2 percent but are second in the league in opponent field goal percentage at 37.4 percent.
WVU is shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, and opponents are shooting just 28.5 percent from beyond the arc against the Mountaineers this season. West Virginia is forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and is turning the ball over 11.3 times per game.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Eduardo Andre.
WVU's leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 19.2 points per game this season. Amani Hansberry leads WVU in rebounds with 6.6 per game, but he is considered day-to-day still as he deals with an injury.
West Virginia is ranked 29th in the NET, and 46th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 3 game for WVU.
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