Oklahoma State University Athletics
Five Things You Need To Know About The Mountaineers
February 09, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball
The Cowboys travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, for their second game against the Mountaineers this season. The game will tip at 11 a.m. on Saturday. You can catch the action on ESPN.
Press Virginia
The No. 19/17 Mountaineers find themselves near the top of the Big 12 once again because of their daunting defense. West Virginia is known for its press defense and it leads to a flurry of turnovers. It averages 18.17 forced turnovers in a game, making them the sixth-best team nationally at creating turnovers. The Mountaineers are second-best in the nation in turnover margin, causing 6.5 more turnovers than they commit. Jevon Carter guards opposing ballhandlers, and excels at creating chaos. He leads the country in total steals with 79 steals this season.
Creating Second Chances
The Mountaineers are the conference's best team at creating extra looks after a missed shot. They lead the conference in offensive rebounds with 14.6 per game. This mark also puts them toward the top in the national rankings. They are second in the country in offensive rebounds per game, trailing only Houston Baptist. Sagaba Konate, a sophomore forward, is fourth in the conference in rebounds per game and averages 2.52 offensive rebounds per game.
Playing With the Lead
No matter the score, West Virginia doesn't take their foot off the throttle. The Mountaineers rarely have trouble with opposing teams when they are ahead. When they are ahead at halftime, they are 15-3 this season and are 14-4 when they lead by 10 points or more at any point in the game. They lead the conference in scoring margin in conference play, outscoring opponents by 6.7 points per game. This could be attributed to their clutch performance from the free-throw line late in games. When playing a conference game, no one is better at knocking down foul shots than West Virginia, making 81.5 percent of their free throws.
Manning the Point
Senior guard Jevon Carter is back and is once again the leader for the Mountaineers. Carter leads West Virginia in points per game with 16.6, assists per game with 6.8, steals per game with 3.3 and free-throw percentage, making 86.4 percent of his foul shots. Carter is West Virginia's primary on-ball defender and shines, leading the country in total steals with 79. He is three steals away from No. 300 in his career. His current mark of 297 is the West Virginia school record.
Head Coach Bob Huggins
Huggins has been the head man at his alma mater since 2007, leading West Virginia to four Sweet Sixteen appearances, including a Final Four in 2010. In his career, Huggins has won 837 games, a mark that is third-best among active Division 1 coaches and he is No. 7 all-time in wins. In the 2014-15 season, Huggins was named National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year. That season, the Mountaineers finished 25-10 and made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Huggins graduated twice from West Virginia, first with a bachelor's degree in 1977 and again in 1978 with a master's degree.
Press Virginia
The No. 19/17 Mountaineers find themselves near the top of the Big 12 once again because of their daunting defense. West Virginia is known for its press defense and it leads to a flurry of turnovers. It averages 18.17 forced turnovers in a game, making them the sixth-best team nationally at creating turnovers. The Mountaineers are second-best in the nation in turnover margin, causing 6.5 more turnovers than they commit. Jevon Carter guards opposing ballhandlers, and excels at creating chaos. He leads the country in total steals with 79 steals this season.
Creating Second Chances
The Mountaineers are the conference's best team at creating extra looks after a missed shot. They lead the conference in offensive rebounds with 14.6 per game. This mark also puts them toward the top in the national rankings. They are second in the country in offensive rebounds per game, trailing only Houston Baptist. Sagaba Konate, a sophomore forward, is fourth in the conference in rebounds per game and averages 2.52 offensive rebounds per game.
Playing With the Lead
No matter the score, West Virginia doesn't take their foot off the throttle. The Mountaineers rarely have trouble with opposing teams when they are ahead. When they are ahead at halftime, they are 15-3 this season and are 14-4 when they lead by 10 points or more at any point in the game. They lead the conference in scoring margin in conference play, outscoring opponents by 6.7 points per game. This could be attributed to their clutch performance from the free-throw line late in games. When playing a conference game, no one is better at knocking down foul shots than West Virginia, making 81.5 percent of their free throws.
Manning the Point
Senior guard Jevon Carter is back and is once again the leader for the Mountaineers. Carter leads West Virginia in points per game with 16.6, assists per game with 6.8, steals per game with 3.3 and free-throw percentage, making 86.4 percent of his foul shots. Carter is West Virginia's primary on-ball defender and shines, leading the country in total steals with 79. He is three steals away from No. 300 in his career. His current mark of 297 is the West Virginia school record.
Head Coach Bob Huggins
Huggins has been the head man at his alma mater since 2007, leading West Virginia to four Sweet Sixteen appearances, including a Final Four in 2010. In his career, Huggins has won 837 games, a mark that is third-best among active Division 1 coaches and he is No. 7 all-time in wins. In the 2014-15 season, Huggins was named National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year. That season, the Mountaineers finished 25-10 and made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Huggins graduated twice from West Virginia, first with a bachelor's degree in 1977 and again in 1978 with a master's degree.
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