West Virginia @ Oklahoma preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2019 ) West Virginia 80, Oklahoma 92

With a 12-point defeat to Oklahoma just over a week ago still fresh in its mind, No. 10 seed West Virginia will face the seventh-seeded Sooners in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo. Though his team dominated the 92-80 victory over the Mountaineers on March 2, Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger knows there will be no easy victories in a conference deep with talent.

“No. 1 through No. 10 is the strongest we’ve had,” Kruger told reporters as his team prepares to face a West Virginia squad who took the season’s first meeting 79-71 on Feb. 2. “It’s always been strong. The balance and strength this year is as good as it’s ever been.” The Sooners have leaned on forward Kristian Doolittle in recent weeks as the forward led the team with 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during conference play and is averaging 17.3 points over his last six contests. The Mountaineers will end the season without a true road win (0-10) - the first time that’s happened for the program since 1908 - but after the mid-season loss of four rotation pieces through injuries and dismissals, players such as freshmen Derek Culver and Jordan McCabe have taken on bigger roles and given West Virginia a new identity heading into the Big 12 tournament. “I don’t think anybody is excited about playing us,” Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins told reporters despite his squad’s 2-7 record to close conference play. “Let’s go shock the world. Let’s go with what we got and let’s go win games.”

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (12-19): Culver averaged 12.5 points and a league-leading 10.9 rebounds during conference play and was one of two unanimous selections to the Big 12 all-freshman team, along with Texas forward Jaxson Hayes. Culver ended the season with a monster performance as the 6-10 center scored 16 points and pulled down a career high-tying 21 rebounds Saturday but it wasn’t enough as the Mountaineers lost their regular season finale 85-77 to Oklahoma State. West Virginia shoots the lowest percentage in the conference from the floor (41.4) and 3-point range (31.8) while committing the most turnovers per game (16.1).

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (19-12): Doolittle was named the inaugural Big 12 Most Improved Player as the forward averaged 11.0 points and 6.9 rebounds this season compared to 2.9 points and 4.3 rebounds as a sophomore. Doolittle scored a career-high 24 points and added 11 rebounds in Oklahoma’s 81-68 statement victory over No. 18 Kansas on March 5. Doolittle and senior guard Christian James were named to the All-Big 12 third team as the latter led the Sooners in scoring (14.5) while also grabbing six double-doubles - fourth-most in the conference.

TIP-INS

1. The winner will face No. 2 seed Texas Tech in Thursday's quarterfinals.

2. The only other time the Mountaineers and Sooners have met in the Big 12 tournament was in the 2016 quarterfinals, when No. 9 seed West Virginia upset sixth-seeded Oklahoma 69-67.

3. Culver was also selected for the coaches’ All-Big 12 second team but lost out to Hayes for the conference's Freshman of the Year honors.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 75, West Virginia 67