Oklahoma State @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 6, 2020 ) West Virginia 55, Oklahoma State 41

West Virginia has annually been among the best teams in the country in terms of creating chaos under Bob Huggins, but it has been the Mountaineers' frustrating tendency to give the ball right back to the opponent that has repeatedly drawn the ire of their coach. With its hopes of a Big 12 regular-season title all but dashed, No. 18 West Virginia hopes to end a season-high three-game skid Tuesday when they host an Oklahoma State squad starting to pick up some steam.

The Mountaineers gave themselves virtually no chance to push No. 1 Baylor on Saturday, falling behind by as many as 19 points in the first half and 28 in the second half on the strength of 34.4 percent shooting from the field and a season-high tying 22 turnovers in a 70-59 loss. "We can't continue to turn the ball over at the alarming rate that we turn the ball over and beat anybody good. … You can't do that and win against the No. 1-ranked team in the country," Huggins said after West Virginia committed at least 19 turnovers for the third time in four contests. The Cowboys have won three of their last four conference games following an 0-8 start in league play and are coming off their most impressive victory following Saturday's 73-70 upset of Texas Tech. Oklahoma State struggled to get much of anything going on Jan. 6 against West Virginia, however, shooting 29 percent and committing 19 turnovers in a 55-41 setback.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (13-12, 3-9 Big 12): Much of the Cowboys' recent success can be attributed to cutting back on their 3-point attempts and putting more focus on getting the ball inside more often; over the 3-1 stretch, Oklahoma State is attempting 13.3 triples (21.1 previously), while its forwards have accounted for 54 percent of its 279 points. Cameron McGriff (10.5 points, 6.8 rebounds) has at least 10 points and eight boards in each of his last six outings and is averaging 12.3 points and 8.2 rebounds over that stretch. Sophomore guard Isaac Likekele (11.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.9 steals) has maintained his scoring average during the Cowboys' recent surge but is averaging 7.5 boards and 6.8 assists over that same stretch.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (18-7, 6-6): Freshman Oscar Tshiebwe (team-high marks of 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds) was about the only Mountaineer to do much of anything against the vaunted Baylor defense for the first 30 minutes of the game, finishing with 11 points and 12 boards for his ninth double-double before fouling out. Taz Sherman (4.8 points) led West Virginia with a career-high 20 points on Saturday despite not getting on the board until midway through the second half, yet the junior guard still managed to account for five of West Virginia's six 3-pointers in the contest. Sophomore big man Derek Culver (10.3 points, 8.5 boards) has struggled mightily during the Mountaineers' losing streak, totaling 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting and committing 10 turnovers.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. West Virginia has failed to crack 60 points in three straight contests after reaching or exceeding that mark in 20 of its first 22 games.

2. Oklahoma State is 5-2 all-time in WVU Coliseum and the only Big 12 program with a winning record at the venue.

3. Starting Tuesday, the Mountaineers face five consecutive unranked teams before finishing the regular season at home against Baylor on March 7.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 65, Oklahoma State 59