In a game with as much nip and tuck as a plastic surgeon’s office – though lacking the preciseness – West Virginia pushed past Oklahoma in the Big 12 opening round. The Mountaineers, backed by second half surges from the backcourt and a pair of late putbacks by Derek Culver, survived a last-gasp final bucket by the Sooners in a 72-71 win that sets up a contest against top-seeded Texas Tech tonight. Let’s take a look at what was in The Full 40.

HOT

Defense and rotations. This was a sore spot over a handful of games, especially at Oklahoma State where a combination of poor close outs and a late rotation created a wide open late three-point shot that sealed the game for the Cowboys. West Virginia was far better in this one over the final 20 minutes, forcing Oklahoma to shoot outside shots instead of pounding away in the paint (OU points in the paint dropped from 26-12 in 2H), and putting the Sooners at the line instead of giving away a deuce in close.

To its credit, Oklahoma hit 11 of 13 free throws, but in a game as tight as this one, any saved points were enormous. West Virginia’s defense was solid in the latter half, and it held the opponent to just 11 made field goals over the final half as opposed to 17 in the opening one. The rotations and solid man were keys, especially with Culver on the bench for the majority of the game.

Second half backcourt offense. Jordan McCabe and Jermaine Haley combined for just two points in the first half, then hit for 24 in the second. McCabe’s ice cold start finally thawed, and though the freshman made just 4-of-15 shots overall, his four three-pointers were a marked improvement after an 0-for-6 first half from the floor. McCabe has shown some upgraded defense as well, and his conviction in his abilities at both ends has gotten a major boost over the last month.

One might expect more than his two assists, but credit Haley for taking a share of those as well.