What the ESPN BPI Says About West Virginia's Chances vs Oklahoma State
It's hard to believe, but the final game of the regular season has arrived for No. 6 West Virginia as they will host No. 17 Oklahoma State this afternoon in a big-time game. If the Mountaineers win, they will automatically lock up the No. 2 seed in next week's Big 12 tournament. Should they lose, a lot is going to come down to the result of the Texas-TCU game.
West Virginia and Oklahoma State are easily the two hottest teams in the league right now. Oklahoma State has won five of its last six games with their only loss coming to No. 3 Baylor, while West Virginia has won four of its last five with their only loss coming to Baylor in overtime.
Earlier this season, West Virginia found themselves trailing by 19 points against the Cowboys on the road but fought all the way back to earn an 87-84 victory. In that game, junior big man Derek Culver went off for 22 points and 19 rebounds. He's been a bit quiet as of late and with his domination the first time around, I wouldn't be surprised to see them exploit that mismatch underneath.
According to the ESPN BPI, West Virginia has a 75.3% chance to win this afternoon's game. Two of Oklahoma State's key starters Isaac Likekele (hand) and Cade Cunningham (ankle) are listed as questionable for the game. With that said, the BPI had West Virginia's win probability in the 70s before their injury status went public. For me, that's way too high. If they are both able to play and are not affected by their injuries, this is going to be a much closer game and one that Oklahoma State could win.
If Cunningham plays, look for this to be one of the best games on today's docket.
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