Oklahoma
Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State
West Virginia welcomes the Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-4, 0-1) Saturday afternoon for the Mountaineers (10-2. 1-0) Big 12 Conference home opener. Tip-off is set for noon EST and the action will broadcast on CBSSN.
Fresh off one of the biggest wins in program history, the Mountaineers come back home to what should be an energized crowd waiting for them. You always have to wonder about the focus of a team that is just days removed from an exhilarating win, but Darian DeVries appears to have his group locked in.
The fact that they were able to beat Kansas without Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry says a lot. Whether or not they play today is anyone’s guess, but I’m not sure it makes much of a difference. DeVries is pushing all the right buttons at the moment and knows how to play to the strengths of the guys he does have available.
Oklahoma State is built very similar to West Virginia in that they don’t overwhelm you with size in the frontcourt, but they make up for it with good overall length, specifically with bigger guards. The biggest differences between the two teams are three-point shooting and defense. The Cowboys are 190th in the country in points allowed per game, while WVU is 21st. OSU is 205th in three-point shooting, down over 100 spots from the Mountaineers, who shoot it at a 35% clip from deep.
Give me West Virginia by ten.
Prediction record: 9-3
Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz quickly turned two programs around, winning three consecutive conference tournaments before turning his attention to Stillwater.
Lutz and the Cowboys have struggled in the early portion of the season and lack a marquee win. They are 2-0 in true road games, notching wins against Tulsa and Seton Hall – two programs that are under. 500. The Pokes have played two ranked opponents this season, with losses to rival Oklahoma and in their Big 12 home opener against No. 14 Houston Monday night, trailing by double digits at halftime in both contests.
Oklahoma States sixth-man, forward Marchelus Avery, leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per game.
West Virginia notched another NCAA tournament resume building win in its Big 12 opener at Kansas Tuesday afternoon and did it despite missing forwards Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry.
Head coach Darian DeVries has exceeded expectations in his first year in Morgantown, and keeping the team focused after grabbing the program’s first win at Kansas will be another BIG test for this group.
Senior guard Javon Small, who transferred from Oklahoma State in the offseason, leads the league in scoring at 19.2 ppg.
Lutz and DeVries were together as assistants as part of Doug McDermott’s staff at Creighton. DeVries mentioned Lutz’s group will look to get out in transition, something the Mountaineers have been able to keep at bay this season, including the win over Kansas on Tuesday.
West Virginia has shown they can turn the page after an upset. At the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament, the Mountaineers knocked off a third-ranked Gonzaga team in overtime, then the following day played well in an overtime loss to Louisville and bounced back the next day with an OT win against Arizona.
DeVries has kept this group steady, and I suspect the Mountaineers will remain focused. West Virginia remains ahead of the Big 12 race with another gutty 75-65 win.
Prediction record: 8-4.
MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI
Reinforcements On the Way? DeVries Hints at Possible Return of Three Key Players
ESPN BPI Heavily Favors West Virginia in Big 12 Home Opener vs. Oklahoma State
Spread & Over/Under Predictions for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State
West Virginia Expected to Hire Chuck Lillie as General Manager
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners beat Georgia Bulldogs 10-2 on historic night
It was a historic night for the Oklahoma Sooners in their 10-2 win over the Georgia Bulldogs. Kendall Wells ‘ second-inning home run set a new record for home runs by a team in a season with 162, and Wells set the Oklahoma single-season home run record with her 35th of the season.
Audrey Lowry got the start for the Sooners against the No. 11 Bulldogs and threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits, no walks, and had four strikeouts. Lowry held Georgia to 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Wells got the scoring started for the Sooners, taking the first offering from Georgia starter Addisen Fisher just over the wall in center field for her record-setting home run and a 1-0 lead. In the third, Isabela Emerling drove in Kai Minor on a groundout before Gabbie Garcia launched her 20th home run of the season, a two-run shot, to give OU a 4-0 lead.
The Bulldogs answered in the top of the fourth with a run to cut into the Sooners’ lead. Lowry limited the damage and kept UGA off the board in the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Sooners pulled away from the Bulldogs with a four-run inning. Garcia hit her second two-run home run of the day, and Abby Dayton had a two-run home run of her own to make it 8-1 heading into the sixth. It was Dayton’s eighth home run of the season and gave the Sooners 165 home runs this year.
Georgia added another run in the top of the sixth to make it 8-2, but Garcia added to her incredible day with a two-run double to earn the walk-off, run-rule win. The Sooners moved to 44-6 and 16-3 in SEC play. They moved a half-game in front of Alabama, which beat UAB in nonconference play. Thanks to South Carolina’s win over Texas A&M, the Sooners moved two games up on the Aggies. OU and Texas A&M will play each other in College Station on the final weekend of the regular season in a series that could decide the SEC regular season title.
Oklahoma and Georgia will play game two on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN+.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Oklahoma
Shelters open to help families impacted by Oklahoma tornadoes
ENID, Okla. (KOKH) — As survey teams continue to investigate the damage left behind by vicious tornadoes on Thursday, shelters are now open across the area for those impacted by the storms.
The Chisholm Trail Expo Center, located at 111 W/ Perdue Ave., is one of the main shelters open in Enid.
Officials say it served as a shelter and reunification center where loved ones can try to reconnect after the storm.
The American Red Cross has stepped in, offering food, water, relief supplies and emotional support for those impacted.
All disaster assistance is free, but organizers are asking anyone coming in to bring identification, if possible.
However, the expo center isn’t the only option.
The Oakwood Activity Center, located at 401 N. Oakwood Rd., is also open as a temporary shelter, providing basic necessities for those who need it most.
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If you are in need of assistance, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS or use the free Red Cross Emergency App to find aid near you.
Oklahoma
Tornado barrels through Oklahoma, damaging homes and shutting down roads
ENID, Okla. (AP) — A powerful tornado in Oklahoma on Thursday ripped roofs off buildings, knocked down power poles and sent emergency crews rushing into a rural community near Vance Air Force Base, officials said.
The confirmed tornado moved across parts of Enid, a city of about 50,000 people near the state’s northern border, according to the National Weather Service. Video posted online show a rapidly rotating column of air touching down along with totaled homes.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities and only minor injuries hours after the tornado passed through, according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities were going door-to-door in some neighborhoods to check on residents.
The Vance Air Force Base was impacted by the tornado, but the extent of the damage was not immediately clear. The base said in a social media post that officials “are currently conducting accountability procedures to ensure all personnel are safe and accounted for.”
“Please join me in praying for the Enid community, which has been severely impacted by tonight’s tornado,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt posted on social media.
Enid Police Department spokesperson Cass Rains said there had been early reports of people trapped in homes and extensive damage. Garfield County includes Vance Air Force Base, which is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City.
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