West Virginia Looks to end Skid Against an Up and Coming Oklahoma State Team

West Virginia looks to get back in the win column against Oklahoma State

Morgantown, WV – The No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers (18-7, 6-6) are in need of a win as they host the Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-12, 3-9) Tuesday night on ESPN2. The Mountaineers are currently in a three-game losing streak, while the Cowboys have won back-to-back games including a win over Texas Tech on Saturday.

“Mike’s (Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton) done a terrific job,” said West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. “I mean, we’re sitting here and everybody in West Virginia is in a downer mode because we lost three in a row. Look at how they started out and he’s done a great job of keeping them together, keeping them playing hard, they fought through injuries. He’s had a bunch of injuries as well and kept the guys eye on the prize. They’re putting themselves in a position where they could conceivably get an NCAA Tournament bid or at worst an NIT bid. And, a few weeks ago, that didn’t seem possible.”

Guards Lindy Waters (Sr. 6-6, 215) and Isaac Likekele (So. 6-4, 215) lead the team in scoring, both averaging 11.4 points per game and Cameron McGriff (Sr. F 6-7, 230) averages 10.5 points per game, along with leading the team in rebounds with 10.5 points per game.

Oklahoma State playing good basketball is not the only thing bothering Huggins, it’s the fact that the visiting team has the upper hand in the series.

“I think the concerning thing is they’re the only school in the Big 12 with a winning record in Morgantown. They’re 5-2 in Morgantown.”

For West Virginia, it’s about getting back to what got them their national recognition in the first place, which is good defense and outworking their opponent.

“We just got to play again. We’re not the same team,” said Huggins. “You say, ‘we played really good teams,’ we did, and good teams take advantage of you when you make mistakes and all that, but we haven’t played with the tenacity we’ve played with before.”

Huggins is looking to shake things up stating Monday that there will be a change in the rotation and one of those changes will be Taz Sherman receiving more playing time after a 20-point performance against No. 1 Baylor.