Tag: West Virginia basketball

Instant Analysis: Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s double-overtime thriller

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s incredible double overtime win over West Virginia in Morgantown.

The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooenrs returned to action for the first time in a week on Saturday as they took on No. 14 West Virginia in another tightly-contest battle in Morgantown.

It was one of the absolute games of the year in college basketball as the two fantastic Big 12 teams battled into double overtime that was anybody’s to win late. But, the Sooners found a way to make the plays they had to late to hang on and pull off the huge road win.

Austin Reaves was sensational going for 28 points including the game-winning shot in the final moments of the second overtime period. Umoja Gibson was also tremendous, scoring 21.

There is a lot to digest with this game, so here are three immediate takeaways from this huge Oklahoma win to improve them to 13-5 on the season.

Brady Manek cements place in Oklahoma history

Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

What a career it has been for Brady Manek. It seems like forever ago that he was a young freshman playing alongside Trae Young, as he has become a staple of the Oklahoma basketball program over his career.

Manek receives a lot of criticism for his play at times, but his place as fan favorite is forever locked in with his legacy as a 3-pointer shooter really felt cemented on Saturday. He hit his 215th career triple to move into a tie for fifth all-time in program history.

Moving into the top-5 really shows just how consistently good Manek has been from deep over his years in Norman. He is a bit of a polarizing player, but this milestone is nothing to scoff at by any stretch. It’s a big deal to get to point at any program, let alone a successful one like Oklahoma.

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When, where, how to watch Oklahoma basketball take on West Virginia

Everything you need to know before Oklahoma faces West Virginia on Saturday afternoon in Morgantown.

No. 12 Oklahoma (12-5, 7-4) returns to action after a week off on Saturday as they hit the road to do battle with No. 14 West Virginia (14-5, 7-3) in Morgantown.

After seemingly playing against a top-15 opponent every other night, the Sooners have had more time off than they’ve known what to do with. After losing to Texas Tech in Lubbock last Monday night, they had four days off before hosting and defeating Iowa State. Now, they’ve had another six days free after their game with Baylor was postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Bears.

While avoiding rust will be tricky, the time off allowed them a mental reset and time to get Alondes Williams more in the swing of things as he returns from his battle with COVID-19.

This will be the second meeting of the season between the two, after the Sooners knocked off the Mountaineers 75-71 in Norman on Jan. 2nd. Umoja Gibson was huge in that win, putting up 29 points.

West Virginia has been playing good basketball of late, winning games against Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech after dropping the Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Florida. The streak has moved it up to second place in the conference standings.

For this matchup of two of the best teams in the Big 12, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:  Noon CT

WHERE:  Morgantown, West Virginia

HOW TO WATCH:  Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Mark Neely & Chris Spatola)

HOW TO LISTEN:  Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Toby Rowland & Kevin Henry)

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Lon Kruger confirms Alondes Williams will return to action on Saturday against West Virginia

Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger confirmed on Thursday that junior guard Alondes Williams will return to action on Saturday vs West Virginia.

A key player of Oklahoma’s team will be making his return on Saturday. Head coach Lon Kruger confirmed on Thursday that junior guard Alondes Williams will be back in the rotation after missing the last three games after a bout with COVID-19.

A starter in all 14 games he’s played this season, Williams has solid per game averages at 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. His explosiveness and energy often provide a spark that the Sooners will be very glad to have back.

As for how much of a role he will have against West Virginia this weekend, he will probably be somewhat eased back into the fold although Kruger said he has recovered well.

“He’s bounced back well,” Kruger said on Thursday. “Not physically behind. He’s got his bounce, he’s got his pop to his step. He’s not dragging around from the COVID at all. Cardio-wise, it’ll take him a little while to get back to where he was. But, he doesn’t have to play a lot of minutes. He’ll definitely be able to be ready on Saturday to give us some minutes in critical situations.”

Obviously Williams is an important player on the court, but his leadership is something that can also be underrated. He is one of the voices of the team that other guys respond to and will certainly provide some eagerness for his return.

“Super excited to get one of our leaders back in the locker room,” Elijah Harkless said Thursday. “He’s great energy, locker room just changes when he walks in, court changes just when he gets on the court. He’s a big part of the reason why we got on our run. I’m excited to have him back and the guys are excited to have him back and can’t wait to see what he does.”

Oklahoma will head to Morgantown to battle No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CT.

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Oklahoma hangs on late to topple No. 9 West Virginia 75-71

Oklahoma held on after letting an 18-point halftime slip away to defeat No. 9 West Virginia on Saturday afternoon in Norman.

Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger said it best: it was a tale of two halves.

The Sooners returned to action on Saturday afternoon for the first time in 11 days and had their hands full with No. 9 West Virginia. After a fantastic defensive first half set them up with an 18-point halftime advantage, the Mountaineers came storming back in the second half to tie things up on multiple occasions and create a game that went down to the wire.

Oklahoma was led by Umoja Gibson, who had his breakout game with the Sooners going for 29 points on eight made three-pointers. His offensive play is really what kept them hanging in it when West Virginia went on their big run to close the gap in the second half.

“He really was great,” Kruger said. “He made big shots, needed everyone of them obviously in the second half, down the stretch there. Couple big threes when the game was tied. He stepped up there. he was great.”

Gibson came through on a night when Oklahoma desperately needed him, with the two leaders of the team Austin Reaves and Brady Manek both turning in less than stellar performances. Reaves and Manek went a combined 8/23 from the field for just 20 total points. Managing to win this game without those two guys offering their best is a true testament to the Sooners’ depth.

“We’ve had guys step up,” Kruger said. “Off the bench tonight obviously, you know, Moj (Umoja Gibson), and Jalen (Hill), and Kur (Kuath) were fantastic.”

While Gibson was inarguably the player of the game, the shot of the game came out of the hands of Manek who hit a mammoth three-pointer off an assist by Gibson with under two minutes to go to extend Oklahoma’s lead out to 68-62. They were really in the drivers seat from there on.

“I always keep shooting it whether I’m down or not,” Manek said. “That was a big play by Mo (Gibson). Kind of got stuck in the offense, and came off and had a good pick and pop action and he was hot so they stuck with him and left me wide open and he got me the ball. It was a really good play on his part.”

The win comes at an extremely key time for Oklahoma after the loss to Texas Tech in their last game and before road trips to face two straight top five opponents in Baylor and Kansas in the next week. The Sooners needed this one from both a confidence standpoint as well as simply avoiding a potentially large hole in the ever competitive Big 12 standings.

“Yeah, that was a big one,” Manek said. “We showed tonight against West Virginia that we’re physical, we can make shots, we can play defense. We had a really good first half defensively. I think it shows a lot.”

Oklahoma now sits 6-2 on the season and 2-1 in Big 12 play before a very difficult week of basketball ahead. The Sooners will head to Waco to face No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday before battling No. 3 Kansas in Lawrence next Saturday.

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Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 75-71 win against West Virginia in Norman

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 75-71 win over West Virginia on Saturday afternoon in Norman.

Oklahoma held on for dear life in their biggest win of the season over No. 9/8 West Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

The Sooners had a fantastic first half, taking an 18-point to the locker room led by their defense and the three-point shooting of Umoja Gibson. In the second half, the defense took a mighty step back, allowing the Mountaineers to climb back in it.

But, even after having their large lead completely erased, Oklahoma just made a few more key plays down the stretch to survive and get a win they desperately had to have.

The victory improves the Sooners to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play before two brutally tough road games in the coming week against Baylor and Kansas. Here are three takeaways from the game:

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When, where, how to watch Oklahoma basketball take on West Virginia

Everything you need to know for when Oklahoma takes on West Virginia at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday afternoon.

Oklahoma (5-2, 1-1) is set to return to action Saturday after the long holiday break against No. 9/8 West Virginia (8-2, 1-1) at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners haven’t played since Dec. 22nd when they took a tough loss to Texas Tech after an Austin Reaves tip in at the buzzer rolled off to keep Oklahoma down by two as the clock struck triple zeroes. They get welcomed back in tough fashion, as the Mountaineers are certainly a top tier team in the Big 12 and the entire country.

Although, they will be without preseason All-Big 12 selection Oscar Tshiebwe after it was announced he has stepped away from the team and won’t return this season.

This continues an absolute gauntlet that the Sooners are going through, as after this matchup they will have to deal with two top five teams the next two games with Baylor on Wednesday and Kansas one week later next Saturday.

For this big time Big 12 matchup, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:  3:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:  Norman, Oklahoma

HOW TO WATCH:  ESPN2 (Ted Emrich & Bryndon Manzer)

HOW TO LISTEN:  Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Chad McKee & Kevin Henry)

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West Virginia guard proposes to girlfriend on the court before upsetting Baylor

The Mountaineers upsetting Baylor wasn’t the only surprise on Senior Day.

Before West Virginia upset No. 4 Baylor, 76-64, on Saturday in Morgantown, there was another surprise on the court during the Senior Day introductions.

Senior guard Chase Harler got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Lindsey Baker, in front of the home crowd. The two have been together since eighth grade, a detail the game’s announcer also shared with everyone during his proposal.

That same announcer, however, got a little ahead of himself and spoiled the surprise by saying that Harler was, in addition to his parents, also accompanied by his future fiancé. That prediction, of course, came true when she said yes, and the two shared a hug and a kiss before tipoff.

Harler finished the game with one rebound and one assist.

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How Twitter reacted to Oklahoma’s 73-62 upset at No. 19 West Virginia

Oklahoma did it. The Sooners pulled off the huge 73-62 upset over West Virginia. Here is how Twitter reacted to the win.

Oklahoma did it.

After beating No. 21 Texas Tech on Tuesday night, the Sooners got a pass of sorts before heading on the road to play No. 19 West Virginia on Saturday. Pass be damned, the Sooners pulled off the major upset on the road by beating the Mountaineers in Morgantown, West Virginia, 73-62.

Led by a strong second half that saw Oklahoma shoot 61.5 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from three, the Sooners more than likely secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season and seventh in the last nine seasons.

The starting lineup for Oklahoma scored 67 of the Sooners 73 points on the day in the win.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Oklahoma’s big win.