Oklahoma overwhelmed by the pressure at West Virginia
Oklahoma has started a key stretch of its season with a thud.
The 18th-ranked Sooners traveled to No. 16 West Virginia on Tuesday night fully aware they needed to handle the Mountaineers' pressure, limit turnovers and get a little boost somehow from the bench. None of it happened and West Virginia ran away with an 86-65 victory.
It's the second straight loss for the Sooners who have five of their next six games against ranked opponents, including both games in the rivalry with Oklahoma State and a rematch with the Mountaineers.
Oklahoma committed 22 turnovers that led to 27 West Virginia points. All five Sooners starters committed at least two miscues, despite going into the game focused on the pressure and trapping coach Bob Huggins has the Mountaineers executing so well.
West Virginia guard Javon Carter came off the bench to singlehandedly more than double the point production of the six Oklahoma reserves who played in the game. Carter scored 18 points. The Oklahoma bench scored eight.
The Mountaineers rolled the Sooners despite an off night from their best player, point guard Juwan Staten, who made just one of nine shots but dished eight assists.
While Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger has to figure out how to get more out of his core group because the bench seems to be so lacking, Huggins' team continues to surpass expectations considering it had to replace two guards who transferred in the offseason and was thought to be a second-teir team in the Big 12 at best. Nine Mountaineers combined for 16 steals against the Sooners.
West Virginia has two losses this season by a combined three points and boasts victories over UConn, a North Carolina State team that just beat Duke and now the Sooners. Things are shaping up nicely in Morgantown. Concerns loom in Norman.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
