Clash in the Mountains: West Virginia Takes on Oklahoma State This Saturday!

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Coming off an extraordinary upset against seventh-ranked Kansas on Tuesday afternoon, the 10-2 West Virginia Mountaineers celebrate the New Year with a Saturday afternoon showdown in the Big 12 against Oklahoma State.
 
The Cowboys commenced their conference schedule with a 60-47 defeat at home against Houston on Monday.
 
In that match, Brandon Newman, a Western Kentucky transfer and a senior guard standing 6-foot-5, came off the bench leading Oklahoma State with 12 points. Former Texas Tech player Robert Jennings, a junior forward measuring 6-foot-7, added 10 points to the scoreboard.
 
Marchelus Avery also comes off the bench and is the leading scorer for the Cowboys (12.3 ppg.) as well as in 3-point field goals (21).
 
Avery, a forward standing 6-foot-8, played last season at UCF and briefly contemplated entering the NBA draft before moving to Oklahoma State.
 
Another double-digit scorer for the Cowboys is Abou Ousmane, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound senior who played at Xavier last year. His current average is 11.5 points per game along with a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game.
 
Senior guard Bryce Thompson is among three returning players from last year’s roster, averaging 9.7 points per game.
 
Forward Patrick Suemnick is a well-known name for Mountaineer enthusiasts. He played at WVU last season before entering the transfer portal and subsequently joining Stillwater. Suemnick’s averages stand at 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds across 11 games.
 

Coach Steve Lutz is in his inaugural season as the head of the Oklahoma State program, following brief head coaching tenures at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky, where he guided the Hilltoppers to a 22-12 record last season and a first-round NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Lutz has achieved 20 or more victories in every season he has coached.  
 
At Oklahoma State thus far, Lutz has steered the Cowboys to an 8-4 record, with victories over Green Bay, St. Thomas, Southern Illinois, Miami, Tulsa, Seton Hall, Tarleton State, and Oral Roberts in the early part of the season.
 
OSU also faced losses of 86-78 against Florida Atlantic, and they experienced double-digit defeats to Nevada and Oklahoma.
 
Last year, Oklahoma State secured a win against West Virginia, using 15 points and 12 rebounds from Javon Small to conquer them 70-66 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
 
Currently, Small plays for the Mountaineers and is leading the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game. He scored 13 points, including the last seven for the team, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out six assists during Tuesday’s triumph at Kansas.
 
Small’s free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining provided the winning edge for the Mountaineers.
 
West Virginia is now 3-0 against ranked teams under coach Darian DeVries. The Mountaineers also tallied early-season victories over third-ranked Gonzaga and 24^th-ranked Arizona.
 
West Virginia is pursuing its first 2-0 start in conference play since 2018.
 
Saturday’s matchup is scheduled to commence at noon and will be broadcast nationally on the CBS Sports Network. Coverage on Mountaineer Sports Network radio with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe, and David Kahn begins at 11 a.m. across various stations in West Virginia, online at WVUsports.com, and through the Varsity Network and WVU Game Day apps.
 
Tickets remain up for grabs and can be acquired via the Mountaineer Ticket Office by visiting WVUGAME.com.