Mountaineer Morning Links: Oklahoma Game Day (1/13/15) Edition

Oklahoma previews and other hoops notes, football & varsity notes, recruiting, WVUPros updates, Big 12 roundup & more.

By WVUIE97@WVUIE97 Jan 13, 2015, 8:42am EST

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions. We're being brought to you today by Oklahoma Suks Beer, in preparation for tonight's opponent.

What You May Have Missed:

Gold & Blue Now: Tuesday Jan. 13 - WV MetroNews
Bob Huggins and Juwan Staten recap the 74-72 loss to Iowa State and they look ahead to tonights matchup with No. 18 Oklahoma.

Strong West Virginia defenders to return - Daily Athenaeum
Nine defensive starters return in 2015 from a unit that produced the nation’s No. 9 third-down defense and No. 66 total defense.

Chania Ray Joins Women’s Basketball - WVU Athletics
West Virginia University women’s basketball coach Mike Carey announced the addition of Chania Ray on Monday. Ray, a transfer from Florida State, must sit out due to NCAA transfer rules.

Rifle Competes at January Selection - WVU Athletics
Members of the West Virginia University rifle team competed at the 2015 Rifle January Selection last week, Jan. 2-10, at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Goldberg Nationally Ranked on Uneven Bars - WVU Athletics
WVU sophomore Alexa Goldberg is nationally ranked on the uneven bars.

Abam Invited to National Team Camp - WVU Athletics
Freshman forward Michaela Abam of the West Virginia University women’s soccer team has been named to the roster for the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team training camp, to be held in Sanford, Florida, from Jan. 24-31.

Marsh Named Athlete of the Week - WVU Athletics
Varsity Sports Report

Big 12 Football Superlatives - Frogs O' War
We all remember the yearly superlatives from high school, don't we? Let's take a look at some of the best (and worst) of the Big 12 from this past season

News of Note:

Oklahoma Preview - WVU Athletics
WVU faces second Top 20 foe on Tuesday night.

Spangler, Sooners visit WVU in top 25 battle - Charleston Daily Mail
“I never really cared about points,” Oklahoma forward Ryan Spangler said.

Tough stretch continues for West Virginia - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Asked how to avoid letting one loss turn into two or three, Huggins shrugged and then offered two words of advice: “Win Tuesday.”

Another tough Big 12 test for Mountaineers - Charleston Gazette
With seven of the league’s 10 teams currently in the Top 25 and all but one having been there in the past year, it’s probably not a good idea either to look forward or back.

At midpoint, some numbers ugly, some not - Charleston Gazette
If this latest version of the Mountaineers has proven nothing else, it is that ugly can win, too.

Good start, but still a lot of questions to be answered - Daily Athenaeum
Even the most optimistic Mountaineer would have dismissed a projection of a 14-2 start. But looking back at the young season, we still have to ask ourselves: How good is this team?

Fresh off disappointment, WVU preps for another big game - WV MetroNews
No. 16 West Virginia's showdown against No. 18 Oklahoma.

WVU prepares for No. 18 Oklahoma - Exponent Telegram
“We lost a hard game to Oklahoma State here last year,” Huggins said. “Last year we lost to Texas after that. We just can’t squander opportunities.”

Huggins needs more from Holton, Adrian - Exponent Telegram
See, Holton is crucial to WVU’s rebounding, and both can be important cogs in the offense.

Big test tonight for WVU - Register Herald
The last time West Virginia lost a heartbreaker at home, the Mountaineers quickly responded with seven straight wins, putting that 74-73 setback against LSU far in the rearview mirror.

West Virginia welcomes Oklahoma to Morgantown - Daily Athenaeum
Coming off their loss over the weekend to No. 17 Iowa State, the No. 14 West Virginia Mountaineers are taking on the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday night.

Preview: WVU vs Oklahoma - BGN
It may not be a "must-win" but there's no denying the importance of West Virginia's Big 12 men's basketball game with Oklahoma tonight.

Cold-shooting WVU hopes to get hot vs. OU - BGN
West Virginia has been able to thrive all season and put point on the board by using its defense to create more chances on the offensive end of the floor.

Shooting Woes a Year-Long Problem, Mental for Some - EerSports
West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins talks about his team's shooting woes and one player who's issue may be mental.

Huggins Wants Shots to Fall - WVSports.com
This past Saturday, West Virginia fell 74-72 to Iowa State largely because of the inability to make shots.

Big 12 Teleconference: Huggins Reflects on Iowa State Loss - WVillustrated
WVU men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins spoke during Monday's Big 12 Teleconference, giving his thoughts about Saturday's loss to Iowa State while looking ahead to Tuesday's showdown against Oklahoma

WVU Experiencing Rigors of America’s No. 1 Conference - WVillustrated
The Big 12 Conference is reaching new heights this season in men's college basketball, featuring the top RPI ranking of any league across the country.

West Virginia defensive pressure earning respect - Daily Athenaeum
On the season, West Virginia is forcing its opponents to turn the ball over, on average, 22.3 times a game.

Defending home court vital in Big 12 play for No. 16 West Virginia - Daily Athenaeum
Since joining the Big 12, West Virginia has gone 9-10 in its home games during conference play, including Saturday’s nail-biter of a loss to a tough Iowa State team.

TCU Game Sold Out - WVU Athletics
WVU and TCU will tip at 2 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

Recruiting:

WVU Annouces Two Spring Football Additions - BGN
Highlight videos for the two at the bottom of the article

With QB signees officially enrolled, West Virginia expects interesting spring - WV MetroNews
After the additions of David Sills and Chris Chugunov on Monday, the Mountaineers are in store for an intriguing quarterback competition.

Big 12 recruiting scorecard - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
Here's the latest on each Big 12 team's recruiting efforts:

Pro News:

John Flowers is still a fan favorite - WVUPros
Since the day he first laced them up at WVU in 2007, John Flowers has always been a fan favorite.

Kevin Jones headed overseas to test multiple options - WVUPros
Kevin Jones is looking for a fresh start, and that will lead the WVU forward overseas once again in the very near future.

Trestman could be best fit for Austin, Bailey and the Rams - WVUPros
While it seems the St. Louis Rams are taking their sweet time when it comes to filling the void for offensive coordinator, one man's name should rise to the top