Big 12 Conference Catch-Up: West Virginia and Oklahoma
Posted by Nate Kotisso on January 1st, 2015As the Big 12 schools near the completion of their non-conference schedules this week, it’s a great time to catch up on where the league’s 10 teams stand entering conference play. Surely, this would be the year West Virginia becomes a factor in Big 12 hierarchy and they look like a serious one to this point. Meanwhile, Oklahoma has had a few hiccups in non-conference play but there is reason for optimism as the new pieces begin to settle into their roles. The Conference Catch-Up rolls on today with our last Catch-Up coming up tomorrow.
West Virginia
- Key Wins: UConn, NC State
- Bad Losses: None
Senior Juwan Staten has led the Mountaineers to a 12-1 start heading into Big 12 play. (Getty Images)
When you’ve had the success and longevity that Bob Huggins has had in coaching, there are very few things left to prove. Perhaps rebuilding his alma mater into a contender in a new league was something worth going after and Huggins appears to have done that. It was hard to expect such a quick start from the Mountaineers in 2014-15 considering two of their top three scorers from last season (Eron Harris and Terry Henderson) transferred out of Morgantown. With them gone, this has undoubtedly become Juwan Staten‘s team. The Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Staten leads his team in scoring (15.9) and assists (4.3) despite playing on average seven minutes fewer than he did last year. The last triumph most remember WVU having on the national landscape was their Final Four season in 2009-10. What made that team such a difficult matchup for most were their versatile wing players. Guys like Da’Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones carried a lot of responsibility on a team that only used a seven-man rotation. Butler, Ebanks and Jones were all 6’7″ or taller, could score, rebound in bunches and committed to defending on a team that finished 23rd in the country in adjusted defense according to KenPom. The difficulty with this year’s team is their ability to wear down opponents due to Huggins’ pressure defense armed with a rotation that rolls ten guys deep. At this point, KenPom has WVU sporting a similar adjusted defense rating as 2009-10 (22nd) despite the Mountaineers averaging 13 steals a game, seven more than the 2009-10 team. In KenPom’s metrics, West Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the country in turnover percentage and steal percentage. More steals and turnovers have led to more easy buckets on the other end of the floor. West Virginia breezed through an average non-conference schedule with one minor speed bump in the form of a 74-73 home loss to a solid LSU team. The big question going into conference play is how long can they keep up their defensive pace against much tougher opponents? It’s one thing to post big numbers against VMI, Northern Kentucky or Marshall and another to do the same to Kansas, Texas or Iowa State.
Oklahoma
- Key Wins: UCLA, Butler
- Bad Losses: None
Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger has his best roster since arriving in Norman. (USA Today Sports)
The Sooners had no problem scoring the basketball last season averaging 82 points per game with a four guard starting lineup. What tends to happen to a team that scores in bunches is that they aren’t able to give a maximum effort on defense. Sooner opponents scored 76 points on average and ranked 100th or worse in fourteen KenPom defensive metrics. Enter 6’8″ Houston transfer TaShawn Thomas who brings another scoring option to the Sooner frontline with Ryan Spangler but also outstanding defensive instincts. Currently, the Sooners are ranked ninth in KenPom’s adjusted defense while ranking in the top 50 in five other defensive efficiency ratings. With guards like Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard manning the point, Oklahoma has a starting five than can beat teams inside and out but have struggled a bit to find a groove against top opponents in non-conference play. The good: They made it to the championship game of the ultra-competitive Battle 4 Atlantis last month by beating UCLA and Butler before losing to Wisconsin (no shame in that). The bad: Losing to a rebuilding Creighton squad and a Washington team, who might not be as good as their record suggests (see: Stony Brook). The addition of Thomas has caused some to peg this team as a dark horse to make a Final Four but a lot has to change until those expectations can be realized. Thankfully, conference play is here and the Sooners’ chances for a run in March are still very much in play.
