Oklahoma State will look to maintain its momentum from last weekend’s victory over then-No. 14 Texas when it visits surging West Virginia Tuesday night in Morgantown, W.Va.
The Cowboys (8-5, 1-1 Big 12) never trailed in their 64-51 win over the visiting Longhorns on Saturday. Oklahoma State got 17 points from Keylan Boone, who shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, and Bryce Williams added 11 points. The Cowboys had lost two straight and four of their last five games.
“As we talked about, we need somebody to step up and make shots from the outside consistently,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “It changes the dynamic of the game.”
Avery Anderson III and Williams, who average 11.6 and 11.5 points, respectively, are the only Cowboys who average more than 8.6 points per game. Isaac Likekele leads the team in rebounding (6.0) and assists (3.8) to go along with 7.2 points per game.
The Mountaineers (12-2, 1-1) are coming off a 71-68 victory over visiting Kansas State for their ninth win in the past 10 games.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance, which included the Mountaineers falling behind 40-27 at halftime against the Wildcats, who are winless in the Big 12.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t really come to play,” he said “We had a long time off and it does get monotonous for them. We just didn’t have the enthusiasm we normally have. Then, we got behind and it’s ‘oh my God, what do we do.'”
“Anyone can come in and beat you. More importantly than that, (they learned) how hard we play here. We do play hard. We don’t have McDonald’s All-Americans. We have guys that come in here, that really want to play, that really want to win, that really lay it out there.”
Taz Sherman leads the Mountaineers in points (20.4) and assists (2.6) per game, with Sean McNeil adding 14.8 points and Jalen Bridges chipping in 7.6. Gabe Osabuohien grabs a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
