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West Virginia Mountaineers Vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys Preview: Season 108 Episode 13 - The One Before New Year’s

West Virginia opens up Big 12 play on the road against surprisingly good Oklahoma State.

NCAA Basketball: West Virginia at Oklahoma State Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

OPENING THOUGHTS

Okay, here we go into conference play. Our football season is over and we can put all of our focus on our 11-1 and 11th-ranked basketball team.

First team out of the gate is a very interesting Oklahoma State team. After going 12-20 last season under Travis Ford, the Pokes have improved with Brad Underwood and have some impressive wins on their non-conference schedule.

Here are some of their results against upper/mid-major talent:

DATE OPPONENT HOME/ROAD RESULT
DATE OPPONENT HOME/ROAD RESULT
November 21 Connecticut Maui W 98-90
November 22 No. 4 North Carolina Maui L 107-75
November 23 Georgetown Maui W 97-70
December 3 Maryland Road L 71-70
December 10 Tulsa Road W 71-67
December 17 Wichita State Road W 93-76

Make no mistake, Oklahoma State can play. Outside of the UConn (if Northeastern can beat them, anyone can) and UNC games everything there is impressive. They went into the XFINITY Center in College Park and lost to a Terrapin team that is currently 13-1 by one point! They also managed to crush Wichita State (which is a tournament team FOR SURE) on the road. The Pokes are much improved from last season and have the potential to make some noise in the Big 12.

WVU could be on upset alert if they don’t show up to Stillwater. The Mountaineers haven’t exactly come off their two best performances of the season and the momentum from the win at Virginia has appeared to fade away. This is where we really figure out how good West Virginia is within the Big 12.

WHEN/WHERE

Date: Friday, December 30th

Tip-Off Time: 4:00 PM ET/3:00 PM CT

Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK

NCAA Basketball: West Virginia at Oklahoma State Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Tickets: General Public SOLD OUT

WATCH/LISTEN

TV: ESPN2

Streaming Video: WatchESPN (or the WatchESPN app for smartphones)

Radio: WZST Variety 101 (100.9 FM in Morgantown) and the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates)

Streaming Audio: Locate the Mountaineers Sports Network from IMG on TuneIn Radio (or the TuneIn app for smartphones)

Satellite Radio: Sirius 81; XM 81

ODDS

Spread: WVU by 1-1.5 (according to OddsShark)

O/U: 170

THE ENEMY

Where are they from? Stillwater, Oklahoma

Series History: WVU leads series 5-4. Series tied 4-4 in Big 12 play (WVU beat the Pokes in the Kentucky Invitational in 1958)

Last Time: No. 14 West Virginia 70, Oklahoma State 56 on February 27 in Stillwater

SB Nation Blog: Cowboys Ride For Free

Record: 10-2

Record in 2015-16: 12-21 (3-15 Big 12)

Head Coach: Brad Underwood (former coach at Stephen F. Austin. Yeah, we’ve met this guy…)

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-First Round-West Virginia vs Stephen F. Austin Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

KEYS TO THE GAME

  • Play consistently. There isn’t a single team in the country that the Mountaineers can’t beat as long as they play consistently. No lackluster halves.
  • FOUL SHOOTING. Please. It’s the easiest points you can score.

HOW AFRAID SHOULD WE BE (ON A SCALE OF 1-10)?

Seven. I’m as afraid of Oklahoma State at I am of an actual cowboy.

PREDICTION THAT WILL BE WRONG

I think this game will be close enough to keep Billy Hahn awake on the bench and make Mountaineers fans sweat all over the country. The Cowboys are certainly capable of putting up points, but I think #PressVirginia does just enough to leave Gallagher-Iba Arena with a win.

West Virginia 79, Oklahoma State 75