WVU facing a different, but talented Oklahoma team
No, Oklahoma (7-9, 1-4) isn’t quite the outfit it was a season ago team that ranked inside the top ten from start to finish.
But the Sooners are still plenty talented and a team that No. 7/8 West Virginia (15-2, 4-1) can’t afford to overlook.
West Virginia is coming off a narrow 74-72 win on the road against Texas Saturday, while Oklahoma recorded its first win in Big 12 Conference play by knocking off Texas Tech 84-75 in Norman.
The win snapped a seven game losing streak as the Sooners are looking to replace a wealth of talent from last season’s team that advanced to the Final Four.
Gone from that club is the combination of Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler which accounted for the bulk of the scoring for the Sooners last season. One returning piece is senior guard Jordan Woodward who is averaging 17.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as the main option.
“They moved him back to the point so he’s a lot like he was his freshman year. The set a lot of ball screens for him and he does a great job using ball screens to make shots,” head coach Bob Huggins said.
During the seven game losing streak, Woodard missed four of those games which hindered the young Sooners team that is playing a lot of new fresh faces. Now the ball is back in the hands of Woodward, which allows him to make decisions and trigger the Sooners offense.
“A lot of that might be the reason they struggled. But they’ve played a lot better since he’s gotten back,” Huggins said. “You’re playing young guys without experience and on top of that your best guy got hurt.”
Despite the issues, the Sooners still possess a talented roster, albeit young. Overall, Huggins believes that Oklahoma is a talented basketball team that possesses a proven head coach.
“Lon (Kruger) is a great coach. He’s not a good coach, he’s a great coach,” he said.
West Virginia will look to protect home court in the Big 12 Conference and improve its overall record against Oklahoma from the current 4-8 mark.
The Sooners won both regular season matchups last season before the Mountaineers emerged victorious in the Big 12 tournament in a thrilling 69-67 game when Hield’s half court heave at the buzzer was waived off.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the Coliseum.