NCAA Basketball: West Virginia Mountaineers vs Oklahoma Sooners- Possible Lineups and Predictions

Published 02/13/2021, 7:00 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

NCAA Basketball action will continue when two ranked teams face off in a massive Big 12 clash. The Oklahoma Sooners will be facing the West Virginia Mountaineers in one of the hardest games to call on a packed Saturday slate.

The Oklahoma Sooners made it through a lion’s den of fixtures with a lot more wins than losses. They beat the Kansas Jayhawks, Texas Longhorns, and Alabama Crimson Tide. However, they did drop a game to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. They are 12-5 on the season and coming off a win over Iowa State.

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The West Virginia Mountaineers are on a three-game win streak,https://collegebasketball.ap.org/hometownsource/poll slaying teams like Texas Tech, Kansas, and Iowa State in the process. They have a 14-5 record and are two spots behind the Sooners in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Sooners are #12 while the Mountaineers are #14.

Which one of these teams pulls out a win here?

NCAA Basketball: Can the Sooners slow the Mountaineers down?

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The Mountaineers will be relying on their defense to slow this dangerous Oklahoma team down. After all, the Sooners did triumph when the teams met in early January. However, the situation has changed drastically since. That Sooners win was considered an upset win then, but they are the slight favorites in this game.

USA Today via Reuters

The Sooners have a strong front-court with plenty of players that are confortable taking shots. However, a solid defensive scheme could break their efficient system down. While West Virginia has failed before, they may be succesful this time.

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The Sooners will be lining up with Austin Reaves, Elijah Harkless, De’Vion Harmon, Brady Manek, and Kur Kutah. The Mountaineers will take the floor with Sean McNeil, Mile McBride, Derek Culver, Jalen Bridges, and Emmitt Matthews Jr.

For our prediction, we are going with the Mountaineers. They are riding a wave of momentum from their wins in their last few. While the Sooners are still riding the high of their win streak that was broken recently, they may struggle to match the Mountaineers like they did in January. If the shots fall, West Virginia has this locked up.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.
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