West Virginia Basketball: 3 takeaways from comeback win at Oklahoma State

1. Of West Virginia’s nine wins, this was their best game yet – all because of the final 11 and a half minutes

One of the biggest questions in college basketball in the past week was how the West Virginia Mountaineers would respond to the sudden departure of Oscar Tshiebwe – and those concerns were made even worse in the wake of the loss to Oklahoma.  The Mountaineers dropped from ninth to 14th in the AP Poll after their loss to the Sooners, and a loss against the Cowboys would have potentially sent the Mountaineers to the cusp of falling out of the rankings.

Again, this game appeared like it was all Oklahoma State.  The Cowboys owned a 45-35 lead at halftime and embarked on a 23-14 run across the opening nine minutes of the second stanza to claim their largest lead (68-49) of the game.  They shot a blistering 53.3% in the opening half and finished at 47.0% for the game – and ultimately led for 36 minutes and 39 seconds.

But the game changed when West Virginia – with a four-guard lineup and Derek Culver as the lone post – decided to return to their vintage “Press Virginia” style of play.  After Oklahoma State took their 19-point lead with 11:15 left to play, the Mountaineers embarked on a 15-1 run in a little over three minutes to close the lead to just five (69-64).

The Mountaineers inched closer to claiming their first lead in the second stanza, making it a one-possession game (75-73) behind two free throws from Miles McBride with 3:50 left – before McBride drained back-to-back three-point bombs to give West Virginia a 79-75 edge – and to cap off a 10-0 run. Oklahoma State would never regain the lead – they would close it to within one (85-84) with 17 seconds left, but McBride iced the game from the free-throw line.

For West Virginia, they have finally found an identity for the post-Tshiebwe era – and it consists of an effective four-guard lineup comprised of scorers – and an offensive threat inside in Culver who can both score and rebound.  This was something that the Mountaineers did not have in their loss to Oklahoma, where – despite having four guards in double-figures – Culver had just two points on four shots.

I will get to Culver a bit more later, but the big man was dominant in what was his best game of the season, scoring 22 (10-19 FG) while hauling down 19 rebounds.  In the backcourt, Miles McBride – after struggling in the first half with just four points – finished the game with 21 (6-14 FG, 3-5 3PT, 6-6 FT) and five assists, while Taz Sherman was huge in keeping the Mountaineers steady while they were down big, pouring in 20 points (6-16 FG, 3-9 3PT, 5-7 FT).

The Mountaineers got outplayed in a handful of categories – including FG% (47% to 41%) and points in the paint (48 to 36) – but still came out with the win because of their ability to press and score inside and out – something they have struggled with mightily all season.  They outscored the Cowboys in second-chance points because they hauled down 22 offensive rebounds, 26-15 – and because of their press, led in fast-break points (21-14).

If the Mountaineers hope to win consistently in a conference as strong as the Big 12, this will need to be their identity moving forward.  Oklahoma State is an extremely talented squad with one of the best freshmen in college basketball – and could find themselves in the top 25 before long.  This win bodes well for West Virginia and should provide the necessary confidence ahead of their upcoming gauntlet.