Showdown Happening In Morgantown Between Mountaineers, Sooners
Oklahoma, WVU?meet in a Top-10 matchup
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MORGANTOWN -- No. 6 West Virginia (13-1 overall, 2-0 Big 12) has had some difficult Big 12 Conference openers, but if faces one of its toughest when No. 7 Oklahoma (12-1, 2-0 Big 12) invades the Coliseum for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff tonight.
The game, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla providing the play-by-play, features the country's leading scorer in the Sooners' Trae Young going up against the Big 12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year -- WVU's Jevon Carter.
"They (Oklahoma) have all of the ingredients," veteran Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins said. "He (Young) gets all of the media attention, but they've got a lot of experience. The really neat thing is that they have kind of settled into being the supporting cast. They know what Lon (Kruger) wants."
Young comes into his first game in Morgantown averaging a nation's best 29.4 points per game. OU is coming off a 109-89 win at Oklahoma State on Wednesday. The Sooners opened league play with a 90-89 win at TCU on Dec. 30.
"I don't know if there is a better team in the league," Huggins said. "It's the hardest league I've ever coached in."
The Mountaineers returned to Morgantown after opening conference play on the road. WVU overcame a game OSU squad by an 85-79 margin to end 2017 and then traveled to Manhattan, Kan. and opened 2018 with a 77-69 victory over Kansas State.
"We still aren't playing with the consistency we need to play with," Huggins said following the win over K-State. "But, when you can win two games on the road in this conference with your leading scorer having bad shooting nights in both, then you're doing something good."
Freshman Teddy Allen continues to become a more valuable asset, scoring a game-high 22 points in 19 minutes against KSU and a team-high 15 points in 16 minutes at OSU.
"Teddy does a good job of finding the openings in the zone and taking the ball strong to the basket," Huggins said. "He still has a long way to go, but we have been very pleased with his play over the last two games."
OU will go with a lineup of Young and juniors Christian James (13.0 ppg) and Rashard Odomes (5.4) at the guards, with senior Khadeem Lattin (7.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and freshman Brady Manek (11.8) at the forwards.
Huggins will counter with his normal starting five of Carter, who leads the team with a 16.6 points per-ame norm, and senior Daxter Miles Jr. (14.3 ppg) at the guards with sophomores Lamont West (12.6), Wesley Harris (6.8) and Sagaba Konate (8.5) at the forwards.
Sophomore James 'Beetle' Bolden (10.9) and Allen (9.0) come off the bench to provide instant offense and fans can also expect to see sophomores Chase Harler (2.8), Logan Routt (1.8) and Maciej Bender (1.8) on the court.
Oklahoma holds a 9-5 series edge against the Mountaineers. The two teams split their two meetings last year - each winning on the other's home court.
The Sooners have won four of the last six meetings in the series, including the last two in Morgantown.
In other news:
∫ The WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics received confirmation from the NCAA that junior forward Esa Ahmad will be eligible for competition starting with WVU's game at Texas Tech on Jan. 13.
∫ Senior safety Kyzir White has accepted an invitation to participate in the Reese's Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
∫ WVU senior running back Justin Crawford has been selected to participate in the College Gridiron Showcase and Symposium from Jan. 6-10, in Addison, Texas.