Alright.... most interesting game of the year this Saturday

[thebigabd]

In many ways, this is the game I have been waiting for all year. All through the summer and preseason I hyped West Virginia as the 2nd best team in the conference, and cited the clash of styles vs Oklahoma.

Fast forward to now, and that may be exactly what we have. A free flowing OU team vs a "lock down" defensive team like West Virginia.

• OU can shoot, they can't.
• OU doesn't rebound well, they are the best rebounding team in the country
• OU is a finesse team, they are a power team
• OU plays modern basketball, they play old school basketball

Can OU shoot well enough to overcome their great defense and rebounding? Or will WVU tear OU up on the glass and inside? Very interesting game.

 

[steverocks35]

In many ways, this is the game I have been waiting for all year. All through the summer and preseason I hyped West Virginia as the 2nd best team in the conference, and cited the clash of styles vs Oklahoma.

Fast forward to now, and that may be exactly what we have. A free flowing OU team vs a "lock down" defensive team like West Virginia.

• OU can shoot, they can't.
• OU doesn't rebound well, they are the best rebounding team in the country
• OU is a finesse team, they are a power team
• OU plays modern basketball, they play old school basketball

Can OU shoot well enough to overcome their great defense and rebounding? Or will WVU tear OU up on the glass and inside? Very interesting game.

It all depends on which OU team shows up on Saturday. We have been consistently inconsistent this season.

 

[MrAnderson]

Huggins is exactly the type of coach and system I wish OU had. OU's free flowing style may be more modern and more fun to watch but you cant argue with Huggins' results.

There's a lot to be said for being consistently above average. Similar to Sampson, Huggins' extreme emphasis on rebounding/defense means that they can win even without much talent. Kruger, on the other hand, is more prone to peaks and valleys as he gives more freedom to his players. Which is great when you have great players like Trae and Buddy, and a lot of mediocrity when you have mediocre players.

That said, I like our chances at home this Saturday.

 

[stormspencer]

In many ways, this is the game I have been waiting for all year. All through the summer and preseason I hyped West Virginia as the 2nd best team in the conference, and cited the clash of styles vs Oklahoma.

Fast forward to now, and that may be exactly what we have. A free flowing OU team vs a "lock down" defensive team like West Virginia.

• OU can shoot, they can't.
• OU doesn't rebound well, they are the best rebounding team in the country
• OU is a finesse team, they are a power team
• OU plays modern basketball, they play old school basketball

Can OU shoot well enough to overcome their great defense and rebounding? Or will WVU tear OU up on the glass and inside? Very interesting game.

One slight qualifier to WV's rebounding....they are #1 in the country in offensive rebounding %, however they are #184 in the country in giving up offensive rebounding from a defensive standpoint. Translation, you will have the opportunity to get a few offensive boards on them. Unfortunately, that is OU's biggest team weakness.

The other opportunity OU may have is WV is #304 in steal % on offense and #186 % in non-steal turnover %.....i.e they turn the ball over on a high % of their offensive possessions. Can OU take advantage of their miscues?

 

[skyvue]

Huggins is exactly the type of coach and system I wish OU had. OU's free flowing style may be more modern and more fun to watch but you cant argue with Huggins' results.

In their Big 12 careers, the two coaches' results aren't as drastically different as you might think; here are their totals through the 2019 season.

Huggins: overall--150-95, .627; conference--66-60, .523

Kruger: overall--165–105, .611; conference--72–72, .500

And Coach Kruger began his time in the Big 12 with a dumpster fire on his hands, while Huggins had his program established at WVU when the Mountaineers moved to the Big 12.

 

[thebigabd]

Also... to add to the stakes of this game, if OU wins it it pretty much cements them as a lock for the tournament unless they tank the rest of the year.

 

[mict085]

When wvu plays defense by grabbing and holding and arm bars, will the refs call a foul or not. That’s the question.


This appears to be a bad matchup because they will kill us on the boards. Wvu is a good team but they always play “defense” by grabbing and holding. I was under the impression that the whole freedom of movement talk was going to be enforced, but apparently not.

I guess we will see.

 

[Hollisp]

In their Big 12 careers, the two coaches' results aren't as drastically different as you might think; here are their totals through the 2019 season.

Huggins: overall--150-95, .627; conference--66-60, .523

Kruger: overall--165–105, .611; conference--72–72, .500

And Coach Kruger began his time in the Big 12 with a dumpster fire on his hands, while Huggins had his program established at WVU when the Mountaineers moved to the Big 12.

Bingo.

 

[steverocks35]

Coach Kruger is 77-77 (.500) in conference play overall, but his last winning conference season was 2015-2016. Since then he is 24-39 (0.385)

Source:https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/oklahoma/

 

[sheepdogs1]

In their Big 12 careers, the two coaches' results aren't as drastically different as you might think; here are their totals through the 2019 season.

Huggins: overall--150-95, .627; conference--66-60, .523

Kruger: overall--165–105, .611; conference--72–72, .500

And Coach Kruger began his time in the Big 12 with a dumpster fire on his hands, while Huggins had his program established at WVU when the Mountaineers moved to the Big 12.

One team, though, has performed better in the NCAA when tourney results are included.

 

[Max Power]

One team, though, has performed better in the NCAA when tourney results are included.

Huggy is 6-4 since WVU joined the big 12 in the NCAA tournament
Lon is 7-6

 

[sheepdogs1]

Huggy is 6-4 since WVU joined the big 12 in the NCAA tournament
Lon is 7-6

My bad. I was just looking at Huggin's tourney record since he joined West Virginia (and not since they joined the B12- whatever that year was). And I was focusing on sweet 16 appearances or better (they have a nice ring to them).

 

[Hollisp]

So what have we learned today?! Ha

 

[sheepdogs1]

So what have we learned today?! Ha

Baby it's cold outside.

 

[thebigabd]

So what have we learned today?! Ha

Numbers don't indicate Lon is as bad as his local reputation. That being said, Huggins has a top 10 team and OU is struggling to make the dance.

When you don't meet expectations for a few years in a row you open yourself up to criticism.

 

[Hollisp]

Numbers don't indicate Lon is as been as his local reputation. That being said, Huggins has a top 10 team and OU is struggling to make the dance.

When you don't meet expectations for a few years in a row you open yourself up to criticism.

Well said

 

[thebigabd]

Well said

Other than speech-to-text typos.

 

[skyvue]

numbers don't indicate lon is as bad as his reputation among a small but vocal group of area fans.

fify

 

[TINY]

Numbers don't indicate Lon is as bad as his local reputation. That being said, Huggins has a top 10 team and OU is struggling to make the dance.

When you don't meet expectations for a few years in a row you open yourself up to criticism.

This.

 

[Leroy]

It will be a physical game so how long until our two big players are being passive on defense and on the boards?