Preview: Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — Two surging teams with nearly identical records will meet with a championship on the line when the Oklahoma Sooners face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the men’s NCAA Division I College Basketball Crown title game on Sunday, April 5, 2026.

The No. 9-seed Sooners (21-14) and No. 10-seed Mountaineers (20-14) have navigated challenging brackets to reach this neutral-site final at T-Mobile Arena. Both teams enter riding the momentum of impressive road victories in their national semifinals just one day earlier.

Oklahoma arrives after an 82-69 dismantling of Baylor on Saturday, powered by a balanced attack. Guard Xzayvier Brown led the way with 21 points and six assists, continuing his stellar postseason play. Over his last five games, Brown is averaging 14.4 points and 4.6 assists, including a 21-point performance against Colorado in overtime on April 1. The Sooners have won four of their last five, showcasing an offense that has scored 82 or more points in each of those victories.

West Virginia counters with its own potent offense, fresh off an 87-70 rout of Creighton. The Mountaineers were fueled by an efficient 20-point outing from guard DJ Thomas in just 20 minutes of play. Thomas has provided a scoring spark, averaging 14.0 points over his last three contests. Like Oklahoma, West Virginia has found a late-season rhythm, winning three of its last four, including an overtime victory over Stanford on April 2.

The matchup pits Oklahoma’s high-scoring, guard-oriented attack against a West Virginia squad that has shown resilience, with two of its recent wins coming in overtime. The Sooners will look to Brown, Derrion Reid (17 points vs. Baylor) and Tae Davis (18 points vs. Baylor) to maintain their offensive efficiency. The Mountaineers will rely on Thomas, alongside backcourt mate Honor Huff and forward Brenen Lorient, to match that pace.

With nearly mirror-image records and both teams peaking at the right time, Sunday’s championship final is poised to be a tightly contested battle for the crown. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT.