On Saturday, No. 24 West Virginia women’s basketball team will play host to No. 23 Oklahoma in a game that holds major implications with both teams currently at the top of the Big 12.
“Home now, so we get a little bit of rest and get ready for a big one on Saturday,” head coach Mark Kellogg said Thursday. “We got five left and we’re sitting there in second place right now (in the Big 12) with the team ahead of us in the standings coming into our building. So we got a lot to be excited for and a great opportunity coming up.”
The Sooners are coming off a huge win against No. 21 Baylor on Wednesday, of whom WVU lost to on Saturday.
“They played last night and we were off yesterday. So, we can practice a little bit today and start that preparation,” Kellogg said of Oklahoma.”Really good team that’s played really well. Started off for them and they got some really quality wins early. You know took a couple lumps there in the middle but have really bounced back obviously in Big 12 play.”
OU has won nine in a row, sitting at 18-6 overall and 12-1 in the Big 12. They average 77 points per game and have outscored opponents by 52 in their last five games.
“They’re clicking right now on all cylinders so we’ll have to be dialed in defensively to try to create something or take them out of what they’re good at,” Kellogg said.
The Sooners present a high-motored offense led by forward, Skylar Vann who averages 15.5 points per game as well as promotes great team chemistry averaging over 20 assists a game as a team.
“They’re hard to guard because they’re so versatile. They can play inside, they can play outside, they cut and it’s just their reads are so good and they just read off of each other. They know each other’s strengths, know their teammates strengths, their weaknesses and they just do an incredible job of playing to those. And they play with such a freedom on offense,” Kellogg said. “They’re high assist, yeah high ball movement yeah they can kind of put you in a blender if you’re not careful and you just start chasing a little bit because they pass so well.”
Saturday begins a three-game stretch against ranked opponents for the Mountaineers. It also includes games against teams at the top of the Big 12.
Kellogg understands the importance of the next seven days for his crew, but said this is the type of basketball he wants his team to be playing in February.
“It’s the gauntlet. It’s been the gauntlet all year, maybe it’s a little heavier now,” Kellogg said. “Kansas State just got their big kid back and she played last night, so we’ll go on the road and get them. Then we get the rematch with Baylor the following Saturday. Three in a row here to go find out a little bit more about ourselves. We wouldn’t want it any other way, and like I keep saying, we’ve worked really hard to put ourselves in position to make these three really meaningful.”
