OU Basketball: No. 15 Oklahoma Working to Get Back on Track Against West Virginia
NORMAN — Life on the road caught up with Oklahoma last week.
The Sooners traveled for a pair of Big 12 contests, falling short against TCU in Forth Worth and Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.
Paired together, the losses saw OU (13-3, 1-2 Big 12) drop six spots to No. 15-overall in the AP Poll, but each night out in conference play offers great opportunity.
While last week’s losses were frustrating, there’s no loss of confidence inside the Oklahoma locker room after enduring a tough pair of outings.
“The outcome was not what we wanted so you’ve got to ask yourself why,” OU coach Porter Moser said on Tuesday. “You have to ask why you won, why you lost and address it and get better.
“… We’ve just got to dig down deeper. Dig down deeper, find ways to get better.”
After forcing just two turnovers against Kansas, the focus in practice the past few days has been attacking the defensive end of the floor with the same intensity that led to so much success during Oklahoma’s non-conference slate.
“We’ve lost track of some of the little things we do defensively and it cost us two points here, two points there, two points there,” Moser said. “… We’ve got to get back to coveting the possession by possession little things that go into being a very good defensive team… Getting deflections. Being aggressive. We gotta get to that. We gotta get some stops and some turnovers so we can run.”
Moser’s Sooners now return home for three of their next four home games, starting Wednesday night against West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (6-10, 1-2) rolled out to a slow start this season, but rebounded with a 76-73 victory over the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.
RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan were granted their eligibility by the NCAA last month after transferring to Morgantown, a much-needed jolt for West Virginia’s offense.
“Very good players,” Moser said. “Farrakhan and Battle are two upper-level Big 12 players that just got eligible the last six-seven games… Absolutely are bucket getters. They can get a basket. They can go off the dribble. They can both shoot the 3. Really impressed. They’re very, very good.”
West Virginia’s ability to get into the lane and attack downhill will serve as an immediate test for Oklahoma’s defense, as the Mountaineers got to the free throw line 47 times Saturday against Texas .
“It’s defense without fouling, discipline without fouling,” Moser said. “They draw a lot of fouls. We’ve gotta be on that. Not being sloppy with reaching and reach for the lights. They do a very good job. They’re physical. So we’ve gotta play great defense without fouling.”
The familiar trappings of the Lloyd Noble Center could serve as a confidence boost for important pieces of Oklahoma’s offense as well.
Guards Javian McCollum and Milos Uzan continued to set the pace for the Sooners on the road, but the last two games brought shooting struggles for Le’Tre Darthard and Rivaldo Soares from deep off the bench.
Moser has encouraged the duo to keep shooting, as OU will need their contributions, and Moser hopes the return of students to the Lloyd Noble Center atmosphere will help his entire team feed off the home crowd.
“I can't wait to see the student body in that student section and all the fans,” Moser said. “I hope they come out. It's a huge game for us. They make a difference.”
Tip-off between the Sooners and the Mountaineers is slated for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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