Khadeem Lattin's tip-in should vault Oklahoma to No. 1
When second-ranked Oklahoma lost a triple-overtime classic at Kansas earlier this month, Khadeem Lattin missed a free throw at the end of regulation that could have vaulted the Sooners to No. 1.
Twelve days later, the 6-foot-9 sophomore secured the best possible redemption.
Lattin scored a game-winning tip-in with two seconds left Saturday afternoon to propel Oklahoma to a 70-68 home victory over 11th-ranked West Virginia. The Sooners are now poised to take over the No. 1 ranking for the first time since the week of March 13, 1990.
Oklahoma (15-1) escaped with a victory even though the Sooners never appeared comfortable attacking West Virginia's array of full-court pressure defenses. In addition to committing 18 turnovers, Oklahoma also shot a paltry 33.3 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from behind the arc.
What saved Oklahoma was that it consistently got to the free throw line against the foul-prone Mountaineers and it consistently knocked down those foul shots. Buddy Hield scored a team-high 17 points and Jordan Woodard and Ryan Spangler added 13 and 10 apiece as the Sooners shot 27-for-32 from the charity stripe.
West Virginia fell a basket short of becoming the first team to beat No. 1 and No. 2 in consecutive game since Kansas beat North Carolina and Memphis in the 2008 Final Four. The Mountaineers smothered No. 1 Kansas in Morgantown earlier this week.
While the Mountaineers lost for just the second time this season and fell into a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12, they also proved a lot in defeat on Saturday.
On offense, they have a gifted perimeter scorer in Jaysean Paige and they make up for miserable outside shooting by pounding the offensive glass. On defense, they again force turnovers at a rate no team in the country can match yet they're not nearly as susceptible as they were last season to giving up easy points in transition.
It will gall West Virginia to have lost because of an offensive rebound on Saturday, but the Mountaineers can take some solace that they'll get a second crack at the Sooners. Oklahoma visits Morgantown on Feb. 20.
Will the Sooners still be No. 1 by then? Don't count on it considering the upcoming schedule. They visit both Iowa State and Baylor next week and have games against LSU and Kansas left prior to the rematch with the Mountaineers.
