After two consecutive losses to Kansas and TCU on the road, the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners (13-3) return home on Wednesday night to face the West Virginia Mountaineers (6-10). This game is crucial for Oklahoma, and in fact, KenPom gives them a 91% chance to secure a win.

West Virginia has experienced a rollercoaster season. Initially seen as a contender to win the Big 12 before the resignation of Hall of Fame head coach Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers made significant additions through star transfers Kerr Kriisa (Arizona), RaeQuan Battle (Montana State), and Jesse Edwards (Syracuse). However, after Huggins' resignation, they lost several pieces but retained their three-star transfers. West Virginia's challenge has been dealing with an incomplete team due to various players missing time at the beginning of the season. Currently, Kriisa, Battle, and Noah Farrakhan are back, but their only true center on the roster, Edwards, is unavailable.

On Saturday, West Virginia secured their first power-five win by defeating Texas at home. Despite the absence of their only true center, Forward Patrick Suemnick contributed significantly with 16 points, accompanied by 14 points each from Kriisa and Battle. As they prepare to face Oklahoma in Norman, the Mountaineers, already without their sole true center, face additional uncertainty as Suemnick is now questionable for the game due to an "illness."

West Virginia is not a bad team, but they are unquestionably one of the lower-ranked teams in the Big 12. This is one of the two remaining games on Oklahoma's schedule that could be categorized as a "bad loss." The Sooners must secure a win tomorrow night, and here are the keys to the game and matchups to watch:

The Sooners have grappled with ball security in their recent games, accumulating 14 turnovers against TCU and 11 against Kansas. Javian McCollum, with six turnovers in each of those games, has been a significant contributor to this issue, which is not a recipe for success. Beyond the West Virginia matchup, the Sooners must demonstrate their ability to take care of the basketball. Notably, the Mountaineers average a substantial 11.8 turnovers per game. If the Sooners can reduce their own turnovers, they should be well-positioned to handle the game. The key to avoiding an upset, especially after two consecutive subpar performances, is limiting turnovers and ensuring efficient shot-making. It is crucial for Oklahoma to showcase improved ball security in this matchup.

By no means is West Virginia a team that should walk into Norman and win; however, it is plausible if Oklahoma comes out flat. Ideally, the Sooners should take control of the game from the start. They cannot afford to come out flat and allow West Virginia to gain confidence. Knocking down three-pointers and capitalizing on turnovers will be crucial for the Sooners. Considering West Virginia's current short-handed situation, Oklahoma should have the ability to dominate this game for the entire 40 minutes.

Luke Northweather was impressive on Saturday, totaling 6 points in just 8 minutes. On the other hand, Le'Tre Darthard, Rivaldo Soares, and John Hugley did not have a noteworthy performance. This leaves Porter Moser with a dilemma regarding the rotation. Given Northweather's positive impact on Saturday, he can't be kept on the bench for the entire game; he has earned some minutes. The question arises whether Kaden Cooper should be given a shot. Additionally, decisions need to be made regarding the playing time of Darthard, Soares, and Hugley. These are critical questions that the Sooners must address in this game, as there may not be a better opportunity remaining to refine the rotation.

With no Edwards, the Mountaineers will already be without a true center, and the possibility of no Suemnick would leave them even more shorthanded. All signs point to Sam Godwin, Hugley, and Northweather having favorable matchups. The three of them should be able to dominate the rebounds and the paint in general. All of Oklahoma’s bigs should have impressive performances.

Battle is the type of player who can go get 30 points at will. He is one of the better guards in the conference, and Otega Oweh will likely be assigned the matchup. Oweh needs to play good defense on Battle and hold him to a relatively quiet night. Battle averages 20.2 points on 42.75% shooting from the field and just 25.8% shooting from behind the arc. While he can heat up from three-point range, he can also go cold. The Sooners would like to utilize Oweh’s length and defensive ability to shut down Battle.

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, basketball and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!