The #9 West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3, 1-2 Big 12) take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2, 1-2 Big 12) in Big 12 Conference play on Monday night. The two teams meet for the first time this season and will battle again in just over two weeks in Morgantown. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. EST inside Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK. West Virginia is a -1.5 road favorite in the conference tilt, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia suffered their second-straight conference loss against Oklahoma on Saturday, falling to 1-2 in conference play. Monday’s game against Oklahoma State marks the Mountaineers’ third consecutive conference road test. A win against the Cowboys would give head coach Bob Huggins his 300th victory at his alma mater.
Through the first 11 games of the season, West Virginia is averaging 74.3 points per game, shooting 41.9-percent from the field, and 33.7-percent from the 3-point line. Leading the way is guard Miles McBride who averages 14.8 points per game.
Forward Derek Culver is second on the team scoring 13.0 points per game, and leads WV grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game. Guard’s Taz Sherman (11.3 ppg) and Sean McNeil (10.3 ppg) each average in double figures for the Mountaineers.
Defensively, West Virginia holds opponents to 68.2 points per game while teams shoot 41.7-percent from the field and 30.2-percent from beyond the arc.
What to Know – Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys went 1-2 against consecutive conference contests against teams from the state of Texas that included losses to TCU and Texas and a victory in overtime against Texas Tech. Oklahoma State rolled through their non-conference slate with a perfect 6-0 record to start the year. OSU will enjoy three of their next four conference games at home.
Oklahoma State enters the game averaging 77.3 points per game behind a 44.8-percent mark from the floor and 31.7-percent effort from the 3-point line. Guard Cade Cunningham, projected by some as the top selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, leads the team averaging 18.4 points per game.
Fellow guard Isaac Likekele is the only other Cowboy scoring in double figures so far this season, pouring in 10.9 points per contest. Cunningham and Likekele are the only two Cowboys to have started all nine games so far this season.
A trio of guards, Avery Anderson III (8.8 ppg), Rondel Walker (8.2 ppg), and Bryce Williams (8.1 ppg), come off the bench to supply the Cowboys will additional scoring. Anderson has logged two starts while Williams has one.
The Cowboys surrender 71.0 points per game to opponents and hold teams to 39.9-percent shooting from the floor and 33.9-percent from the 3-point line.
The Pick is In
Oklahoma State’s lone loss at home came in their conference opener against TCU, while WV is 1-2 away from home this season. It is hard to imagine the Mountaineers dropping their third conference game in a row, but we like Cunningham and the Cowboys to protect their home floor.
The Pick: Oklahoma State +1.5
