As opportunities dwindle, Mountaineers in need of better results starting Tuesday at Oklahoma State
West Virginia has performed at a methodical tempo all through the 2025-26 marketing campaign, one which’s allowed the Mountaineers to realize sufficient defensive numbers for achievement whereas the workforce usually struggles to attain.
Yet if the Mountaineers are to keep away from dropping management of the season and aspire to play significant basketball in March, they need to start out producing favorable results in a rush, starting with Tuesday’s 7 pm matchup in opposition to Oklahoma State. The contest at Gallasgher-Iba Arena will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
WVU (16-11, 7-7) did itself no favors final week with what might extensively be thought of its most disappointing two-game stretch this season — a 61-56 house loss to Utah and a 60-54 setback Saturday at TCU in which the Horned Frogs received the ultimate 4-plus minutes, 12-2.
“I told our team the beauty of being in the Big 12 is you’re going to get quality opportunities,” first-year WVU head coach Ross Hodge stated. “We had one [Saturday] and didn’t take advantage of it. More opportunities are in our grasp and in our reach, but eventually, you have to take advantage of the opportunities. “I did feel like we had an opportunity to get one and we weren’t able to do that, but more opportunities are on the way and obviously Tuesday night in Stillwater will be another opportunity.”
It marked the sixth time over the past eight video games the Mountaineers have been held to fewer than 60 factors, whereas they managed 63 throughout in one other sport over that stretch.
WVU is averaging a shade underneath 59 factors over its final eight video games after scoring 67 over its first six inside the Big 12.
Against the Horned Frogs, an incapacity to execute down the stretch made all of the distinction because the guests misplaced a 52-48 benefit and convention video games in consecutive trend for the primary time this season. Over the 2 video games final week, the Mountaineers made 42-of-101 pictures and solely 10-of-44 three-pointers, whereas turning it over 24 occasions, 16 of which got here at TCU.
“Ultimately, we had 10 offensive possessions after we went up five or six, and we turned the ball over on four of ten possessions,” Hodge stated. “You can’t do that in a close game against a quality team.”
If the Mountaineers cannot generate extra offense Tuesday, they’re going to nearly actually have a troublesome workforce maintaining. The Cowboys (16-11, 4-10) are the Big 12’s third-highest scoring workforce at 83.4 factors, however give up the very best complete at 82.6. Excluding non-conference play, OSU averages 76.4 factors and surrenders 84.2. WVU is at 62.4 factors scored and 66.6 allowed inside Big 12 video games.
The Cowboys left themselves in prime place to qualify for the NCAA Tournament via the primary half of Big 12 play, however have dropped 5 straight since a seven-point house victory in opposition to nationally-ranked BYU.
During the skid, Oklahoma State has allowed at least 81 factors in all 5 contests, with Saturday’s 83-69 loss at Colorado the most recent instance of the Cowboys struggling to get stops.
The Buffaloes shot 48 %, made 11-of-27 threes and had 20 of the sport’s 28 assists, whereas the Cowboys have been held to 38 % taking pictures, made 5-of-23 triples and turned it over 15 occasions.
OSU gained a one-point second-half lead after overcoming a 17-point deficit, and the competition was tied because the 13-minute mark neared, earlier than the Cowboys shot 3 for 21 the remaining of the best way.
“They did a good job defensively, but we missed some shots that we’ve made throughout the course of the season and we certainly had some costly turnovers where you get a chance to maybe go up two, three or four, and we shot ourselves on the foot unfortunately,” Cowboys’ head coach Steve Lutz stated. “But it’s part of basketball and we have to get our heads up and figure out a way to beat West Virginia.”
The groups play at complete reverse speeds, with WVU rating No. 362 out of 365 Division I groups in adjusted tempo and Oklahoma State tenth in that class, in keeping with KenPom.
Anthony Roy leads Oklahoma State in scoring at 17 factors and the 6-foot-5 senior is among the many greatest shooters in the Big 12 with 77 threes made at a 40.1 % clip.
The Cowboys additionally possess a productive inside menace in Parsa Fallah, a 6-10 senior averaging 14.5 factors and 6 rebounds whereas taking pictures 60 % from the sector.
Sophomore Vyctorius Miller is the workforce’s third participant averaging double-figure scoring at 12 factors, though he is struggled late, scoring 36 factors over the past 5 contests.
There is a latest historical past between Hodge and Lutz. North Texas, then coached by Hodge, defeated Oklahoma State 61-59 in a NIT quarterfinal final season.
“You have opportunities, but you have to start taking advantage of them,” Hodge stated, “because eventually your opportunities can run out.”
