Three Keys For A Mountaineer Victory Over Oklahoma
On Saturday afternoon, the Mountaineers will be looking to avenge their 69-59 loss to Oklahoma back on February 8th as the Sooners travel to Morgantown in an attempt to sweep the season series against West Virginia. This will be the second to last home game for the Mountaineers and West Virginia is now in the mindset that every game from here on out is a "must win game" as they are looking for their 20th win of the season. The game will tip-off at 4 p.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN2.
Currently, Oklahoma sits right above West Virginia in the Big 12 rankings due to their win against the Mountaineers earlier this month. Their current record is 17-11 with a Big 12 conference record of 7-8. Both teams are looking to boost their resumes for the NCAA tournament, so expect an emotional game from both sides.
If the Mountaineers want to get their momentum back and fix this losing skid, they will need to follow these three keys.
1. Create Easy Shots
I am sure you are surprised that for the first time in a few weeks my number one key isn't "make shots". Well this is similar. West Virginia must find ways to create easier opportunities for themselves to score more efficiently and get better looks at the basket. This starts with making better decisions and making quality passes. The Mountaineers rank last in the Big 12 in assist to turnover ratio at .84%. West Virginia's leading passers are Jermaine Haley and Gabe Osabuhien who are averaging just two assists per game. It is common knowledge but it should be noted that neither of these guys are point guards. The Mountaineers must improve these assists numbers to improve their scoring and help spread out their offensive attack.
2. Contain Kristian Doolittle
This guy tore up the Mountaineers in Norman a few weeks ago. He had 27 points and 12 rebounds against West Virginia in Oklahoma's win. Doolittle ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring at 15.5 points per game, and third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 8.8 per game. Doolittle is in consideration for Big 12 Player of the Year and he will look to add to his stats against West Virginia. He has officially become the Sooners' primary weapon on offense, so the Mountaineers must find a way to slow him down and force him out of his comfort zone. They can start by forcing him to take outside shots. He scores the majority of his points in the paint, so if West Virginia can keep him out from underneath and force him to take mid-range jumpers, look for him to be uncomfortable.
3. Force Turnovers
When West Virginia can force turnovers, it creates easy buckets in transition. The Sooners are only turning the ball over 11.1 times per game, which ranks first in the Big 12. Oklahoma plays smart, team basketball and takes pride in limiting turnovers. The Mountaineers will need to find ways to force more steals and bad passes. I know "Press Virginia" is a thing of the past, but I think pressing Oklahoma could lead to the Sooners being uncomfortable which would slow down their attack and force turnovers.
One more thing to add is that the Mountaineers should look to keep the Sooners away from the free throw line. Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 77% per game. West Virginia cannot allow the Sooners to get easy points from the free throw line, especially when the Mountaineers struggled mightily from the charity stripe.
If you cannot watch the game on Saturday afternoon but will have access to your phone, there is no reason to worry. Before every game, Mountaineer Maven has posted a "Game Thread" where our Mountaineer Maven team and West Virginia fans can comment and interact with each other. *Note: don't follow/comment on the thread through Facebook/Twitter comments, but through the actual article itself* Let's help each other out by commenting as much as possible for those who can't watch and keep them posted play by play and score by score.
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