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3 Takeaways from WVU’s Loss to Oklahoma State: Back to Square One

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Photo: Kelsie LeRose / WVSN

West Virginia’s loss to Oklahoma State on the road on Monday night was disappointing for many WVU fans as now the team is in a must-win situation this weekend against No. 3 Kansas.

Stevenson Needs to Find Balance

Stevenson’s actions against Oklahoma State cost West Virginia a much-needed game in Stillwater. Stevenson thrives off of talking trash with his opponents, you see it every game. He’s a competitor, it’s how the fifth-year senior enjoys the game of basketball. But at what point does Stevenson have to find that balance?

Stevenson knocked down a three-pointer with 7:20 left in the game to give West Virginia their first lead of the game. As the fifth-year senior was backpedaling to play defense, he made a slight gesture with his hand as he looked at the crowd.

With the technical, Stevenson picked up his fourth personal foul at the time, which resulted in his disqualification 90 seconds later.

Bock: Erik Stevenson Needs to Find Balance in Fiery Game

Offense Looks Significantly Worse in Big 12

A huge reason why West Virginia looked so impressive during non-conference play was the shooting that this team provided. It seemed like every game began with an 8-for-10 start. Against Oklahoma State, the Mountaineers shot 37 percent from the field and 28 percent from free. West Virginia has turned the ball over all year but now mixed with the not-so-great shooting, the team is hurting.

The free-throw shooting has also turned into an issue as of late.

Foul Trouble Hurting Mountaineers

Oklahoma State marked the second-straight game where West Virginia found their most productive players in significant foul trouble. Stevenson’s disqualification with six minutes to go and Emmitt Matthews sitting on the bench was too much for the team to overcome.

In all four losses for WVU this season, the coaching staff has mismanaged players in foul trouble: Mitchell against Purdue, Xavier; Stevenson against Kansas State, OSU; Matthews against OSU. It’s on the players as well. There are a lot of aggressive fouls away from the basket, which are not good fouls.

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