A look at the upcoming weekend around the Big 12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
No. 12 Oklahoma heads to No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday in the rematch of an epic game they played on Jan. 2 in Norman, when the Sooners blew an 18-point halftime lead before hanging on for a 75-71 victory. Umoja Gibson hit eight 3-pointers and scored 29 points for Oklahoma. The Sooners had their game against second-ranked Baylor postponed Wednesday night because of COVID-19 issues within the Bears program, while the Mountaineers — who romped past Kansas last weekend — are coming off a tough win over No. 7 Texas Tech.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bears won’t be on the court again until at least Feb. 20, wiping out their game against Texas Tech on Saturday and a matchup with the Mountaineers on Monday night. Other games Saturday have Kansas State visiting No. 23 Oklahoma State, Kansas playing Iowa State for the second time in three days and TCU heading to No. 13 Texas. The big game early next week pits the Longhorns against the Sooners on Tuesday night.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Miles McBride’s nickname might be “Deuce,” but the Mountaineers guard could soon be called “Triple” after his game against the Jayhawks last weekend. The sophomore from Cincinnati went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc and poured in 31 points in the 91-79 victory. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. McBride seems to rise to the occasion in big games, scoring 24 points in an 88-87 win over the Red Raiders and 21 points in a close win over the Cowboys in late January.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Baylor and top-ranked Gonzaga are the only remaining unbeaten teams after Drake’s 18-game win streak to start the season came to an end against Valparaiso. The 17-0 start by the Bears matches their previous best set during the 2011-12 season. … Baylor has trailed less than 47 of the 680 minutes it has played this season. … Iowa State’s Rasir Bolton scored 21 points to surpass 1,000 for his career in its loss to Oklahoma. … The Sooners’ Elijah Harkless scored a season-high 19 points against the Cyclones. … Kansas dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in a record 231 weeks. It responded by beating No. 23 Oklahoma State on Monday night. … Jayhawks forward David McCormack had 21 of his 23 points after halftime along with 10 rebounds in the win over the Cowboys. … Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham had his seventh 20-point outing with 26 against the Jayhawks, but he also committed seven turnovers in the game. … RJ Nembhard led four starters in double figures with 20 points as TCU swept its season series with Oklahoma State. The two games were decided by a total of four points.
ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE
Oklahoma State’s Natasha Mack averaged 22.5 points and 18.5 rebounds in wins over Kansas and Oklahoma to earn Big 12 Player of the Week. She set a career high with 19 boards against the Jayhawks. … The Cowgirls’ Lexy Keys scored a career-high 19 points in the win over the Jayhawks. She had a career-high 12 rebounds against the Sooners. … Oklahoma State reached 10 wins in Big 12 play for the first time since 2017-18. … NaLyssa Smith had 17 points and eight rebounds as Baylor beat Kansas State to remain atop the Big 12. … Iowa State freshman Emily Ryan scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five assists in a win over Texas Tech. … West Virginia has won 10 straight and nine in the Big 12 after beating Texas.
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