'Press Virginia' presents a unique road obstacle for a Sooners team trying to snap four-game skid

NORMAN — Lloyd Noble Center was rocking on Tuesday, but the Oklahoma men's basketball team wasn't playing a game.

The Sooners were holding practice, and they were preparing for chaos as best as they could.

OU is scheduled to play at West Virginia at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Sooners face an uphill battle against a Mountaineers team that prides itself in forcing turnovers, which is why OU head coach Porter Moser did his best to recreate a difficult environment during Tuesday's practice.

Music blasted from the speakers as the scout team relentlessly pressed during scrimmages. Unlike a real game, Moser didn't bail his players out with timeouts whenever they got trapped.

He let them work through it.

"They had to communicate on offense with guys flying at you and being physical," Moser said. "That's how we prepped for West Virginia. I anticipate them getting up into us and being very, very physical."

OU vs. West Virginia men's basketball: How to watch, three things to know, live updates

'The only game that he could do': Why OU's game against Texas meant much more to C.J. Noland and his family

Moser is right to expect that.

West Virginia — otherwise known as Press Virginia — has gained a reputation over the years for making life difficult with its defense. This year is no different. The Mountaineers rank 26th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.4).

Turnovers have been a hot topic for OU this season, too. The Sooners average 15.1 turnovers per game, which ranks 327th out of the 358 Division I programs in the nation.

OU's turnover tendencies reached a boiling point during its 65-51 loss to then-No. 5 Baylor on Saturday. The Sooners committed a season-high 25 turnovers, which the Bears converted into 35 second-chance points.

"It's been the same storyline a lot for us," Moser said after Saturday's loss. "You are not going to beat Baylor with 25 turnovers. You aren't going to beat a lot of teams with 25 turnovers. We are searching for consistency.

"That's guys who play well. You need a lot of guys playing well together."

'If it's a good shot, take it' How OU struck gold with Duke transfer Jordan Goldwire

More: What will it take for Porter Moser, Sooners to make the NCAA Tournament?

OU needs more consistency in areas other than just taking care of the basketball.

The Sooners need more scoring production from Tanner Groves, who entered conference play with a team-high average of 14.3 points per game on 58.8% shooting from the floor.

Groves is only averaging 9.5 points per game in conference play while shooting 47.9%, but he showed a glimps of his old self in the second half of the Baylor game. After going scoreless in the first half, the 6-foot-10 center had 11 points in the final 20 minutes.

"Tanner knows that we want him to be a big part of the offense," Moser said. "I think that second half, Tanner’s got to build on it. He’s had no hesitation these last two days in practice. It was great. He saw a couple of them go in during that second half against Baylor."

One thing that has been consistent is the high level of basketball the Sooners have faced lately.

OU is on a four-game losing streak. Its losses came against then-No. 21 Texas, TCU, then-No. 7 Kansas and then-No. 5 Baylor.

OU men's basketball schedule: How to watch the Sooners in 2021-22 NCAA season

"We just have to learn how to close the games out and finish," senior guard Umoja Gibson said. "We're very positive. Nobody is throwing a fit. We know what kind of team we can be. We're a very scary team."

Moser said Tuesday that C.J. Noland should be available against West Virginia. The freshman guard provides backcourt depth. He didn't play against Baylor after entering concussion protocol during the previous game against Kansas.

While Noland's return is big, the Sooners must continue to carry on without Ethan Chargois. The redshirt senior forward is a do-it-all big man off the bench, but he's set to miss his fourth straight game due to an undisclosed reason.

"When we get Ethan back, we're going to be pretty solid," Gibson said. "We're going to be more solidified on the offensive end. He can do a lot of things like pass, get offensive rebounds and score. He can do pretty much everything you want a big man to do."

West Virginia is led by Taz Sherman, a 6-foot-4 guard who is averaging a team-high 18.9 points per game this season. Sherman's shooting splits aren't elite, but he excels at drawing contact and averages 5.4 free throw attempts per contest as a result.

Also in the mix is Sean McNeil. The 6-foot-3 senior is averaging 14 points per game this season while shooting a team-high 40.2 percent from behind the arc.

West Virginia isn't short on scoring options, but defense remains the team's trademark.

All Moser can do is hope his team's high-pressure practices this week will pay off on Wednesday.

"They're going to be coming in physical, but that's how we practiced," Moser said. "I anticipate them getting up in us."

Justin Martinez can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or @JTheSportsDude on Twitter. Make sure to subscribe to The Oklahoman to stay up to date with all local sports.

OU at West Virginia

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Wednesday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia (ESPN2)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU basketball: Porter Moser wants to limit turnovers vs. West Virginia