Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma

Someone will cut down the nets today in Las Vegas and be crowned (pun intended) the champion of the second-ever College Basketball Crown.

Will it be West Virginia? Oklahoma? Here is how we see this one playing out.

Schuyler Callihan: Oklahoma 78, West Virginia 69

It's been a good run for the Mountaineers in Vegas, but I've got them coming up short in the championship game. Oklahoma has been red-hot since around the start of February, having won eight of its last nine games. West Virginia hasn't won three straight games since it beat Lehigh, Pitt, and Lafayette all the way back in November.

WVU looked strong offensively against Creighton on Saturday, and while they took advantage of a poor defense, it's very unlikely that they will post another strong outing today on that end of the floor. They've struggled making shots all year, and to think that they will string together two high-percentage days from the field now is kind of unrealistic.

That doesn't mean West Virginia can't win this game, though. They just have to play elite-level defense, which they are certainly capable of. That said, the Sooners can fill it up, averaging nearly 83 points per game and hitting on almost 37% of their attempts from three.

I'll take the Sooners.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Oklahoma 66

The Mountaineers will need another big offensive performance if they want to take down the Sooners, as well as play with an intense defensive effort.

Oklahoma averages 82.9 points per game. West Virginia was 4-6 against Big 12 teams that averaged over 80 points a game; two of the wins came against UCF, then Colorado, and BYU - both were at Hope Coliseum.

There are four Sooners averaging double figures. Nigel Pack, in his seventh collegiate season, leads the team in scoring at 16.6 ppg, and if he gets going, Oklahoma is tough to beat. Pack has a supporting cast around him that can also heat up from the field - junior guard Xzayvier Brown (15.5 ppg), senior forward Tae Davis (12.9 ppg), and sophomore forward Derrion Reid (11.8 ppg).

West Virginia touts one of the best scoring defenses in the country and has been vital down the stretch of the first two games of the Crown. They will need a bigger effort to slow down this Sooner squad for 40 minutes

Honor Huff will need to get going from the perimeter. Of course, the Sooners will try to limit the senior guard. Senior guard Treysen Eaglestaff has combined for 34 points in the Crown and will need to ride the momentum into the championship game, and freshman forward DJ Thomas led the team in scoring in the semifinals against Creighton. Then, there's been the steady hand of senior forward Brenen Lorient, who's totaled 29 points while in Las Vegas.

Once again, this will come down to who can make shots. Not the tough shots, which will likely be needed, and you can look towards Huff's ability to pull off a few, but the open looks. The Mountaineers cannot afford to squander good looks.

This game is a coin flip for me, but West Virginia, offensively, has played above its season averages. Although the second half of the opener against Stanford begs to differ. I'm going to ride the Mountaineers in the Championship to pull off the win 67-66.