Mountaineers Set to Scale the Sooners at Lloyd Noble Center
As the West Virginia Mountaineers prepare to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center, fans are eager to see if their team can continue their recent performance trends. The Mountaineers have shown a mixed bag of results in their past few outings, with a close victory over the Texas Longhorns (76-73) and a tough loss against Kansas State Wildcats (67-81), before succumbing to a significant defeat by Houston Cougars (55-89).
The win against Texas showcased West Virginia's ability to maintain composure under pressure, overcoming a halftime deficit and rallying in the second half. Their resilience was evident as they managed to secure more rebounds than Texas and had an assist-turnover ratio of 0.69, which is higher than in games where they struggled.
In contrast, during their loss to Kansas State, despite shooting an impressive 83 percent from the free-throw line and leading at halftime, they couldn't sustain this performance into the second half. The game saw them outrebounded by Kansas State's 35 rebounds compared to their 22 and turning over possession 13 times.
The encounter with Houston was particularly challenging; West Virginia faced one of its toughest opponents this season. They were outplayed across various metrics including field goal percentage (32 percent), points in paint (20), and assists-turnover ratio which stood at an even 1.0.
As they head into enemy territory at Norman, Oklahoma, it will be crucial for West Virginia's defense to step up after allowing Houston an overwhelming 89 points previously. Rebounding has been inconsistent but could be key; when winning or keeping games close, they've matched or exceeded opponents on boards.
Fans can expect that ball security will be another focal point for improvement given turnovers have been detrimental in losses. Additionally, finding offensive rhythm early on could set the tone for success against Oklahoma.
The upcoming game is scheduled for January 18th at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman with tip-off slated for local venue time of 7:00 PM Central Time (8:00 PM Eastern Time). Mountaineer supporters not making the trip can catch all action live on ESPN+ via internet broadcast networks.