OU Welcomes West Virginia to LNC Wednesday

^24/RV WEST VIRGINIA

^21/20OKLAHOMA

January 27 | 7 p.m. CT | Norman, Okla.

WEDNESDAY'S GAME BASICS

No. 21/20 Oklahoma (13-5, 4-3 Big 12) returns home to host the No. 24/RV West Virginia Mountaineers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center. The game will mark OU's second straight contest against an AP top-25 opponent. The Sooners, who are coming off a 83-76 loss at No. 6/6 Texas on Saturday, are 7-1 in Norman and boast a +22.0 scoring margin those eight games. West Virginia (16-4, 5-2 Big 12) has won two straight games in Big 12 play after defeating TCU, 97-84, on the road Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Mountaineers are 3-2 on the road this year with all three victories coming against conference opponents.

ON THE AIR

Sunday's game will air on Fox Sports Oklahoma/Fox Sports Southwest +/Fox College Sports Central with Chad McKee, Dan Hughes and Jessica Coody announcing. The contest will also air on the Sooner Radio Network with Brian Brinkley calling the action.

TICKETS

Tickets are available starting at $8 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and online here. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. OU students will be admitted free with a valid school I.D.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• Oklahoma and West Virgina meet for the 10th time in series history Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT in Norman. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series, 5-4. Last season, Oklahoma won two of the three meetings with West Virginia. OU opened Big 12 play with a 71-60 victory over West Virginia and elimated the Mountaineers from the Big 12 Tournament with a 67-55 win.

• Wednesday's matchup with West Virginia marks OU's second straight and fourth overall meeting with a top-25 opponent this year. The Sooners are 0-3 against ranked opponents so far this season. The contest is also the first time Oklahoma has faced a ranked opponent at Lloyd Noble Center this season. Last year, OU defeated two top-5 opponents including then fifth-ranked Texas, 70-59, and No. 4 Baylor, 78-74 in Norman.

• Vionise Pierre-Louis put together a breakout performance Saturday at No. 6 Texas, finishing with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Pierre-Louis' 23 points rank as a single-game high for a Sooner this year. The sophomore center's .818 shooting percentage ranks is the best mark among Big 12 players this season in a conference game.

Field Trip

The Sooners are 7-1 at home this season, posting a +22.0 average scoring margin in those eight games.

• The Sooners have flourished at home, posting a +22.0 scoring margin average in eight games at Lloyd Noble Center and outshooting its opponents .444 to .341 from the field and .361 to .254 from 3-point range. Redshirt senior Kaylon Williams is averaging 15.8 points per game at home this year, while Derica Wyatt leads OU with a .425 3-point field goal percentage.

• OU's has outscored its opponents off turnovers in four out of the last five games and in 13 out of 18 contests this season. Over the last four home games, the Sooners have outscored its opponents 74-48 off of turnovers (19-12 per game).

GAME 18 RECAP: TEXAS

• No. 19/19 Oklahoma fell 83-76 on the road at No. 6/6 Texas in the first meeting between the two teams this season. With the win, Texas improved to 18-1 and 7-1 against conference opponents. Oklahoma dropped to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in Big 12 play.

• Sophomore center Vionise Pierre-Louis recorded a career-high 23 points off the bench and led the Sooners with six rebounds against the Longhorns. Pierre-Louis was 9-of-11 from the field, finishing with a .818 shooting percentage. Peyton Little scored 16 points, while Kaylon Williams added in 13. Derica Wyatt finished with 11 points off the bench and knocked down three triples in 29 minutes of action.

• OU forced Texas to a season-high 25 turnovers and finished with a 27-19 advantage in points off turnovers. The Sooners also recorded 36 bench points (season-high).

• The Sooners fell down by 14 points, but battled back to cut the Texas advantage down to three points on multiple occasions. Oklahoma trailed by three after Wyatt made a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, but Texas responded with a breakaway layup to seal the victory for the Longhorns.

PREVIEWING WEST VIRGINIA

• Picked to finish sixth by the Big 12 coaches, No. 24/RV West Virginia is 16-4 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers are coming off a 97-84 road win over TCU on Sunday. The 97 points by West Virginia rank as the most by a Big 12 team in conference play so far this season. The Mountaineers average 73.7 points a contest (ranks third in the Big 12) on .450 field goal shooting (third), .315 3-point shooting (eighth) and .662 free throwing shooting (sixth). The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 in blocked shots (120) and also rank 11th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.339).

• Preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection Bria Holmes leads the Mountaineers in scoring. The senior guard is averaging 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists while shooting .536 from the floor, .342 from 3-point range and .663 from the free throw line. Teaana Muldrow is second on the team with 11.0 points per game, while averaging 6.2 rebounds per contest. Junior center Lanay Montgomery leads the Big 12 with a .621 shooting percentage and is fifth in the conference with 8.4 boards per game. Montgomery also ranks 14th in the nation with 55 blocks this season.

• The Mountaineers are under the direction of 13th-year head coach Mike Carey, who owns a 313-165 record at West Virginia.

• Since West Virginia joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012-13 season, the series is tied 4-4 between the Sooners and Mountaineers. The series is tied 2-2 in Norman.

• Oklahoma won two of the three meetings between the two teams a year ago. The Sooners opened Big 12 play in Norman last season with a 71-60 victory over the Mountaineers behind 24 points from Gioya Carter. After falling in overtime, 78-69, in Morgantown, OU eliminated WVU from the Big 12 Tournament by defeating the Mountaineers, 67-55, in Dallas, Texas.

WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE

• OU has flourished at home, posting a +22.0 average scoring margin in its eight games at Lloyd Noble Center and outshooting its foes .444 to .341 from the field, .361 to .254 from 3-point range and .640 to .580 at the free throw line.

• The duo of Peyton Little (31-of-75, .413) and Kaylon Williams (49-of-84, .583) is shooting a combined .503 (80-of-159) from the floor at Lloyd Noble Center. Williams is averaging nearly a double-double this season at home with 15.4 points and 9.0 reobunds per contest. Derica Wyatt leads OU with a .425 3-point shooting percentage at home.

• The Sooners boast a +10.7 rebounding margin against foes this season at home, pulling down 42.9 rebounds per game.

IN BIG 12 PLAY

• Heading into Wednesday's game, Oklahoma ranks third in the Big 12 averaging 70.1 points per contest against league foes. OU scored a season-high 92 points against Texas Tech last Wednesday. The Sooners' 39-point margin of victory and .571 shooting percentage are the best marks in a conference game so far this season by a Big 12 team.

• The Sooners lead the Big 12 with 9.4 steals per game, which is the top mark in the conference. Maddie Manning ranks eighth in conference play with 1.9 steals per contest.

• Since the start of Big 12 play, Oklahoma has been one of the league's most consistent teams at the free throw line. The Sooners rank second in the league with a .709 free throw percentage against conference foes.

QUICK HITTERS

Gioya Carter finished with a season-high 13 points in OU's win over Texas Tech on Jan. 20.

• OU's bench scored a season-high 36 points Saturday at Texas. Vionise Pierre-Louis contributed 23 of those 36 points, while Derica Wyatt scored 11 off the bench and hit three 3-pointers in 29 minutes against the Longhorns.

• Nine OU players are averaging double-figure minutes for the Sooners through 18 games. Derica Wyatt (25.8) Gabbi Ortiz (26.9), Maddie Manning (26.9) and Peyton Little (31.2) are averaging 25-plus minutes per contest.

• A season-high six players made at least one 3-pointer in OU's victory over Texas Tech on Jan 20. 13 of OU's 14 active players scored in the victory over the Lady Raiders.

• OU's 28 made free throws on Jan. 10 versus Kansas State rank as the most by a team in Big 12 play this season. The Sooners are tied with Baylor for the free throws made in a game this season. Baylor finished with 28 makes at the free throw against Michigan State.

• The Sooners registered 15 steals in their road win at TCU on Jan. 6, which is tied for the most steals in a league game this season.

• The Sooners average 31.3 points per game in the paint. This season 564 of 1,283 total points (44 percent) have come through the paint, while holding foes to 24.7 points per game in the post. OU also has outscored its opponents by 5.1 points per game off turnovers on the year (19.3-14.2).

• Oklahoma has made 10 or more treys in a single game five times this season through 18 games. It took the Sooners 26 games last season to accomplish that feat. The Sooners ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 7.4 made 3-pointers per game.

• OU is 12-0 this season when outrebounding its opponent. The Sooners have dominated the boards in home this season with a +10.7 rebounding margin. OU has also held 14 of its 18 opponents to sub-45 percent field goal shooting (11 times in the last 15 games). Texas (.508) is the only opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the field against Oklahoma. The Sooners have also limited 12 of its 18 foes to sub 33-percent 3-point shooting.

• The Sooners are 205-114 (.645) against Big 12 competition under Sherri Coale.

• Coale will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on June 11, 2016, in Knoxville, Tenn. Coale is OU's all-time leader in wins (433), leading the Sooners to three Final Fours and 16 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

• The Sooners return the majority of their production in every statistical category for 2015-16. That includes 81 percent of the team's points and rebounds, along with 85 percent of its assists, 81 percent of its blocks and 78 percent of its steals. OU also brings back 80 percent of its made 3-point field goals and its free throw production. 11 letterwinners return from last season's squad that combined to play 5,377 minutes a year ago.

UP NEXT

The Sooners hit the road to take on Iowa State Saturday at 1 p.m. CT in Ames, Iowa, at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be televised on FSN.

For more information on Oklahoma women's basketball, follow the Sooners on Twitter (@OU_WBBall) or like Oklahoma Sooners Women's Basketball on Facebook.