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MORGANTOWN -- When you have pro scouts representing the Philadelphia 76ers, the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trail Blazers, you know you have a big game in your house.
That was the case Saturday when No. 6 West Virginia (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) played host to No. 7 Oklahoma (12-2, 2-1) and the nation's leading scorer freshman Trae Young.
Young, who came into the game averaging 29.4 points and 10.5 assists per game in his first season with the Sooners, lived up to all the hype.
But, then again, so did the Mountaineers' Jevon Carter.
The national and Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year wasn't about to let Young still all the headlines as the senior displayed the talents which earned him those honors during the Mountaineers' drive to the Sweet 16 a year ago.
"I like him a lot," 76ers scout Rob Baker said. "I liken him to our T.J. McConnell. But, he's also got to be a little lucky. He's got to find that right situation. One which will allow him to use those skills he displays most."
And, both lived up to their pregame hype.
Young finished with a game-high 29 points, but made 8 of 22 shots from the floor -- 3 of 12 from behind the arc -- while Carter fought off second-half foul difficulties to tally a double-double (17 points, 10 assists) and a trio of steals as WVU came out on top by an 89-76 score.
"Obviously, a tough battle," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. "They're tough. They're good. We've got to learn from it."
Freshman Teddy Allen continued his torrid January, scoring a team-high 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting.
"I have confidence in my teammates," Carter said about having to watch nearly seven minutes of the second half from the bench with four fouls. "Every game in this league is going to be difficult. But, when you have a pair of seniors out there, we've seen it all."
Joining Allen and Carter in double figures for the Mountaineers were sophomores Lamont West and Sagaba Konate with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Konate added 13 rebounds to join Carter in the double-double club and swatted away five shots.
"(Carter) is a physical player," Young said. "He's a senior. He's been through this. I love challenges and he was a great challenge. Let's face it, there's a reason why he's a Top 10 player."
The Sooners came into Morgantown averaging more than 95 points per game, but were limited to 76 by the Mountaineers on 43.1 percent shooting (25 of 58). WVU's defense also forced 17 turnovers.
"We take a lot of pride in our defense," Carter said. "If you are going to win games in this conference, you are going to have to play good half-court defense."
A feeling echoed by WVU coach Bob Huggins.
"Offense is nice, but you aren't going to win the big games unless you make yourself play defense," Huggins said. "We talk defense all of the time. We tell our players that you shot might be off some nights, but your defense can never be off."
West Virginia returns to the Coliseum on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Baylor while Oklahoma returns home to take on Texas Tech at 6 p.m. in yet another showdown between two Top 20 teams.