West Virginia @ Oklahoma preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Oklahoma 71, West Virginia 79

Coming off its most impressive victory of the season, West Virginia will look to capture consecutive victories for the first time in 2019 when it visits Oklahoma on Saturday. The Mountaineers needed three extra periods Tuesday to snap a five-game losing streak as they outlasted TCU and earned a 104-96 triumph.

“I told (the team) yesterday that we aren’t giving up, that’s not in my DNA,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins told reporters after Tuesday’s triple overtime victory. “We need to make a run here at the end of the year, and then, we need to go to the (Big 12) tournament and win.” Huggins inserted Jordan McCabe into the starting lineup Tuesday in place of injured point guard Brandon Knapper and the freshman didn’t disappoint as he set career highs with 25 points, 11 assists, and six steals. It was a tale of two halves Monday for the Sooners against Iowa State as they trailed by just one at halftime behind 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range but came out cold after the break, missing all eight of their second-half triples on their way to a 78-61 defeat. “I thought the guys worked at it, stayed within reach,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger told reporters after his team’s two-game win streak ended with Monday's setback. “I thought Iowa State did what they needed to do to make it tough on us to score, and we didn’t make enough plays to win those battles.”

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (11-17, 3-12 Big 12): Freshman Derek Culver had a monster effort against the Horned Frogs as he netted 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting while pulling down a career-high 21 rebounds. Knapper, who has missed the last two games after suffering a neck strain in practice, scored a career-high 25 points in the Mountaineers' 76-71 victory against the Sooners on Feb. 2. The Mountaineers are ahead of only Oklahoma in the conference in assists with 13 per game, but they dished out a season-high 23 on Tuesday.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (17-11, 5-10): Kristian Doolittle totaled team highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds Monday and is averaging a team-best 13.1 points per game during conference play. Doolittle and guard Christian James, who finished with 12 points against the Cyclones, both struggled with their shots in Monday’s loss as the pair combined to shoot 10-for-32 from the floor. Center Jamuni McNeace, who missed two games earlier this month with an ankle injury, is starting to return to form as he tallied 12 points and five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench Monday – the most he’s played since Jan. 26.

TIP-INS

1. Culver is the first Mountaineers player to record 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a game since Maurice Robinson in 1977.

2. Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in defensive rebounding (28.6 per game) while West Virginia leads in offensive rebounding (14.1).

3. The Mountaineers are winless in eight true road games this season.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 74, West Virginia 67