West Virginia Hammers Texas, Baylor Hangs on vs. Oklahoma
The Baylor Bears and the West Virginia Mountaineers claimed victories Monday night in Big 12 men’s basketball action. Our Matthew Postins broke it all down in our Big 12 Postgame Periscope after Monday’s last game. The Postgame Periscope is our instant review of each weeknight’s games, with analysis and context for that night’s action and beyond.
Time for @heartland_cs Postgame Periscope recapping wins for #SicEm & #HailWV #Big12MBB https://t.co/O4EcToI65r
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) January 21, 2020
Baylor (15-1 6-0 in Big 12) learned it was the No. 1 team in the nation at 11 a.m. CST. By 10 p.m. CST the Bears were on the ropes against Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3), but the Bears hung on to win, 61-57, making them 2-1 all-time as the nation’s No. 1 team. This was also Baylor’s first 6-0 start to league play since 1948.
The Bears were up by two, 59-57, with less than 10 seconds to go before turning the ball over on their end of the floor. The Sooners recovered the ball, got it to guard Austin Reaves with a chance to tie or win the game and he failed to connect on a 3-pointer that would have given the Sooners the lead.
How #BOOMERsooner nearly tied it. #Baylor G Bandoo makes both FTs to hell the #Bears win 61-57. Postgame Periscope coming shortly. #SicEm @Heartland_CS pic.twitter.com/Pqq8do7pQE
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) January 21, 2020
The Bears were led by Freddie Gillespie, who had 12 points and 15 rebounds. MaCio Teague had 16 points and Davion Mitchell had 13 points, but the Bears shot poorly from the floor in the second half, which helped Oklahoma stay in the game. Sooners forward Brady Manek had 21 points and 10 rebounds. But Kristian Doolittle only scored 8 points, as he failed to score in the first half. He did have 11 rebounds. Reaves finished with 8 points.
Meanwhile, West Virginia (15-3, 4-2) made it look easy against Texas (12-6, 2-4), 97-59. At one point in the first half the Mountaineers were on a 28-2 run en route to a 40-15 halftime lead. It got no better for the Longhorns.
In the Periscope I talk about why Texas coach Shaka Smart’s job is now on the clock and why every game matters for him the rest of the season. I also talk about the milestone that West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins is poised to claim.
West Virginia had a balanced offensive game, led by Oscar Tshiebwe’s 13 points and 12 rebounds. Derek Culver also had 13 points, while Jermaine Haley had 12 points and Jordan McCabe had 10. Off the bench, Logan Routt, Gabe Osabuohein and Miles McBride had nine points each. All 12 Mountaineers that played scored.
Jase Febres scored 18 points for Texas while Matt Coleman scored 15. It was a forgettable game, as the Longhorns shot 35.8 percent from the floor, 31 percent from the 3-point line and gave up 18 turnovers.
In case you missed the first half #HailWV fans this will catch you up on the #Mountaineers and their 25-point lead. 😬 #TEXvsWVU #Big12MBB @Heartland_CS pic.twitter.com/TG54TEXebw
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) January 21, 2020
The Big 12 has three games on Tuesday night — Kansas State at Kansas at 6 p.m. CST, Texas Tech at TCU at 7 p.m. CST and Oklahoma State at Iowa State at 7 p.m. CST. We’ll be back on the Periscope after the final game on Tuesday.
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