The Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-16) will bring the regular season to an end when they take on the No. 14-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (21-7) at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Cowboys are hoping to rebound after their 71-49 loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday. Jeff Newberry was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-87 win against Iowa State on Monday. Jaysean Paige led the game in scoring by accounting for 34 points on 12-for-21 shooting.
West Virginia may control the offensive boards in this matchup, as they place first in the nation in OR% at 41.9%. On the other hand, Oklahoma State ranks 288th in the nation on the defensive glass with a DR% of 67.9%.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Mountaineers winning the first matchup 77-60. Jonathan Holton had a stellar game with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one three-pointer.
The Cowboys have gone 12-16 Straight Up (SU) and 13-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cowboys have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 75.7 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 67.9 points per game. The Cowboys are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .741 from the free throw line. Oklahoma State’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 72.9 during that span, compared to its 67.2 season average.
Over on the other bench, the Mountaineers have records of 16-10 ATS and 21-7 SU. Offensively, the Mountaineers have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 79.9 points per game after averaging only 62.3 during that stretch. The Mountaineers get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 15th in the nation with 524 made (18.0 per game). The Mountaineers have controlled the glass with an average of 40.0 rebounds per game, 33rd in the country. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Mountaineers allow just 66.8 points per game, ranking them 48th in the nation. The West Virginia defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game. The Mountaineers are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an impressive 9.9 steals per game.
With the Mountaineers’ last win against Oklahoma State, West Virginia moved closer to evening up its record against Oklahoma State. It now stands at 3-4 SU over their most recent meetings. With a 5-2 record, the Mountaineers have the advantage ATS. West Virginia held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Oklahoma State never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – WVU, ATS Winner – WVU
Notes
“Oklahoma State is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Oklahoma State is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oklahoma State’s last 9 games “.
“Oklahoma State is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“Oklahoma State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing West Virginia”.
Oklahoma State averages 67.9 points per game, placing the team just 219th in the nation. West Virginia ranks 48th in points allowed, giving up 66.8 points per game.
West Virginia averages 75.5 points per away game (ranked 44th). Oklahoma State allows 63.1 points per home game (ranked 39th).
The West Virginia Mountaineers have a defensive rating of 94.4 (ranked 14th), while the Oklahoma State Cowboys have an offensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 222nd).
With 65.6 possessions and 1.034 points per possession, the Oklahoma State Cowboys perform worse on both metrics than the West Virginia Mountaineers. West Virginia averages 71.3 possessions and 1.122 points per possession.
Oklahoma State has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.8%. West Virginia is a winning 9-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
West Virginia ranks 84th in assists, recording 14.9 per game. Oklahoma State performs worse at 244th with 12.5 assists per game.
West Virginia, the 33rd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.0 rebounds per game. Oklahoma State does worse, ranked 230th with 35.2.
West Virginia averages 9.9 steals per game, ranking third in the country. Oklahoma State is a losing 1-4 when it allows at least 9 steals.
