Oklahoma, West Virginia Lose in Big 12-BIG EAST Battle

Posted on December 3, 2022

Oklahoma and West Virginia both lost games in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle on Saturday, giving the BIG EAST a one-game lead in the series of games between the two conferences.

While Oklahoma lost to Villanova, 70-66, West Virginia fell to Xavier, 84-74.

There is one game remaining in the Battle, with Iowa State hosting St. John’s on Sunday.

Oklahoma (6-2) fell for the second time this season and snapped a six-game winning streak. Villanova (3-5) is in its first season without Jay Wright as head coach, as Kyle Neptune took over the program when Wright retired.

Wright called the game for national television as Cam Whitmore made his college basketball debut for the Wildcats after he missed several weeks with a broken thumb.

Grant Sherfield led the Sooners with 21 points, along with four rebounds and four assists. Tanner Groves and Jacob Groves each had 14 points. Caleb Daniels led Villanova with 22 points.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers (6-2) were up 43-36 at halftime but were outscored by 17 points by the Musketeers (6-3) in the second half. Erik Stevenson led WVU with 16 points, while Emmitt Matthews Jr. and James Bell Jr. had 12 points each for the Mountaineers. Bell also had six rebounds and three assists.

Souley Boum led Xavier with 23 points.