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West Virginia faces Oklahoma in final non-conference tune-up

Dec 29, 2007 - 3:28 PM Oklahoma (9-3) at No. 23 West Virginia (10-1) 6:00 pm EST

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Ticker) -- After helping coach Bob Huggins record his 600th career win, West Virginia faces its final non-conference tune-up.

The 23rd-ranked Mountaineers play their final non-league game before opening their Big East Conference schedule when they host Oklahoma on Saturday.

Alex Ruoff, the team's leading scorer, poured in 14 points and hit two 3-pointers to start a 17-2 first-half run as West Virginia won its eighth straight game with a 77-54 victory over Canisius last Saturday.

With the victory, Huggins, who is in his first season with the Mountaineers, became the sixth active coach in Division I to reach the 600-win plateau and the 29th all-time.

West Virginia has really been clicking on offense this season, outscoring its opponents by an average of 29.4 points per game - the best scoring differential in the nation.

However, scoring won't be as easy this time for the Mountaineers, as Oklahoma has held opponents to only 59.8 points per game and just 37.8 percent shooting from the field this season.

This marks just the second meeting all-time between the two schools, with West Virginia claiming a 92-68 win over Oklahoma during the 2005-06 season.

Oklahoma posted an impressive win in its last outing, holding on for a 72-68 triumph over then-No. 20 Gonzaga in the All-College Challenge on December 20.

Longar Longar scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and freshman Blake Griffin added 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Sooners, who captured their first win in three games against a ranked opponent this season.