Three Keys For A Mountaineer Victory Over Oklahoma

What will it take for West Virginia to defeat Oklahoma and advance?

Tonight, the Mountaineers will begin their play in the Big 12 Conference tournament against the Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia has revenge on their minds as the Sooners defeated the Mountaineers in both matchups in the regular season. The game is set to tip-off at 9 P.M. EST and will be televised on ESPN2.

West Virginia is coming into the conference tournament with some momentum after defeating Iowa State on the road and upsetting Baylor at home. We once again saw the Mountaineer team that we saw in January that was a top ten team, and hopefully they can ride that momentum moving forward.

It has been ten years since West Virginia won the Big East tournament and went on their Final Four run. Let's see if we will see similar magic again. If the Mountaineers can follow these three keys, look for West Virginia to advance to the next round and play again on Friday.

1. Need More From Matthews

When Emmitt Matthews is hot, so are the Mountaineers. In 33 minutes against Baylor, Matthews finished with 18 points which helped West Virginia jump out and complete the upset over the Bears. During the Mountaineers sluggish February, Matthews was almost non-existent in the offense. In both losses to Oklahoma this year, Matthews had seven points total. Seven points in two games. If Matthews can provide the scoring leadership which we all know that he is capable of doing, look for West Virginia to defeat Oklahoma and advance.

2. Make Open Shots

In the two match-ups against the Sooners this season, the Mountaineers have shot poorly. Just 31% in game in Norman and 34% in Morgantown. Despite limiting turnovers against Oklahoma, West Virginia couldn't make shots and couldn't keep up with the Sooners. The only way to beat Oklahoma, and the other teams standing in the way of winning a Big 12 title, is to make open shots when they come available. The shots have been there for the Mountaineers, now is the time to take advantage of them and start knocking them down. 

3. Score Inside

Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver are the best front court in the Big 12. They are the best rebounders and shot blockers in the conference. But they are also two of the best post scoring skilled guys in the Big 12. When given a one on one opportunity on the block, there is a good chance they will beat their man and get a bucket. When doubled, they have the passing skills to find the open man and kick it out to the open shooter or cutter. If the offense is running through the "Twin Towers", then normally the Mountaineer offense is clicking and putting up big numbers. The Sooners do not have anyone who can match-up against both of them at the same time. West Virginia needs to take advantage of this. Give the ball to the big guys and let them go to work.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

If you cannot watch the game tonight but will have access to your phone, there is no reason to worry. Before every game, Mountaineer Maven has posted a "Game Thread" where our Mountaineer Maven team and West Virginia fans can comment and interact with each other. *Note: don't follow/comment on the thread through Facebook/Twitter comments, but through the actual article itself* Let's help each other out by commenting as much as possible for those who can't watch and keep them posted play by play and score by score.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and John Pentol at @John_Pentol_