NEWS » his 47 3-pointers. Cousins checks in with an

Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - A Big 12 Conference showdown is on tap as in- state rivals, 24th-ranked Oklahoma State and 18th-ranked Oklahoma, get together at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday evening. The Sooners may be the higher-ranked team in this meeting, but they are also the ones who have lost two straight after riding a four-game win streak. After going down to Kansas State in overtime last weekend by just three points, Oklahoma was blown away by 16th-ranked West Virginia in Morgantown four nights ago in an ugly 86-65 final. Of the five defeats registered by the Sooners, three have come against opponents that were ranked in the top-20. As for the Cowboys, they too have hit a rough patch now that conference play is here, especially since the Big 12 is made up of top-quality opponents. The team has dropped two of the last three outings, the most recent loss coming against 12th-ranked Kansas earlier in the week by a score of 67-57 on the road. Of the four defeats logged by OSU, all but one (South Carolina) has come against nationally-ranked foes. According to Oklahoma sources, the Sooners own a 131-95 advantage in the all- time series and won the most recent encounter in Stillwater last season by a narrow 77-74 score in the middle of February. Both OSU and Kansas had trouble finding the basket in the first half of their meeting earlier this week at Allen Fieldhouse, but after converting a mere seven field goals through the opening 20 minutes, the Cowboys improved to just nine after the break and missed all seven chances behind the 3-point line in the frame. LeBryan Nash dropped in a game-high 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds for the visitors, followed by Phil Forte with 18 points as the duo combined to make 20 of the teams 22 free throws. Nash and Forte are one of the best one-two scoring combinations in not just the Big 12, but the nation as they generate 17.9 and 17.8 ppg, respectively, the former focusing his efforts in the paint as he also collects 6.1 rpg and the latter connecting on 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. At the defensive end, the Cowboys are holding opponents to just 59.1 ppg based off 37.2 percent accuracy from the floor and being bedeviled at the free-throw line with 66.6 percent shooting. The Sooners fell behind West Virginia right out of the chute and never recovered, trailing by 13 at the break before losing all composure and watching the Mountaineers run away with the 21-point home win. Shooting 42.0 percent from the field didnt help matters, but the biggest problem for Oklahoma was an inability to maintain possession as it turned the ball over a staggering 22 times, leading to 17 points for WVU. Buddy Hield managed to tally a game-high 21 points and pull down eight rebounds, followed by Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler with 14 and 10 points, respectively, but the OU reserves responded with just eight points, compared to a whopping 55 for the WVU backups. Hield, who averaged 16.5 ppg in two games against OSU last season, is putting up 17.1 ppg overall in 2014-15 thanks to his 47 3-pointers. Cousins checks in with another 12.8 ppg and is the other reliable perimeter shooter (31-of-68), which means the pair have accounted for all but 30 of the teams 108 triples through 16 games. Spangler, who averaged 15.0 rpg in the series last season, is currently clearing eight boards per outing. Jakub Voracek Flyers Jersey . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Jaromir Jagr Flyers Jersey . -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him. http://www.flyersteamstoreonline.com/aut...-flyers-jersey/. The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. Samuel Morin Flyers Jersey . To be fair, the celebrations are already anything but tame. Nerf ball tricks shots are just the tip of the iceberg for a group that has performed in zero gravity, faced pro-skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and an assembled team on the MTV series "Fantasy Factory", and even hit a basketball trick shot from a passing blimp. Brian Propp Jersey . -- During Kansas shootaround on Wednesday before the Jayhawks faced Oklahoma, coach Bill Self told Wayne Selden Jr.NEW YORK -- Chris Young thinks hes a New York kind of guy. So when the Mets approached his representative shortly after the start of free agency, the 30-year-old outfielder was eager to reach a deal rather than test the market. "It did give a peace of mind that I was looking for," Young said Tuesday after completing a $7.25 million, one-year contract with New York. "Im not a fan of waiting until the last minute and stretching out everything. Id rather just know where Im going and get it done." Young hit .200 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs last season for Oakland, which acquired him from Arizona as part of a three-team trade after the 2012 season. His best year was 2010, when he was an All-Star and batted .257 for the Diamondbacks with 27 homers and 91 RBIs. Mets captain David Wright and manager Terry Collins helped recruit him. "Just a fresh start in New York. Ive always been excited about playing in the New York market," he said. "Those kind of things intrigue me as far as, I like playing on big stages. I like big-game moments." Not that the Mets have seen many of those lately. New Yorks outfield combined to hit .238 this year (29th in the majors) with 50 homers (tied for 24th) and 209 RBIs (16th), according to STATS. "Were very excited to have him," general manager Sandy Alderson said. &quuot;Chris has had a distinguished career to this point, and we think with regular playing time will be able to return to his All-Star-caliber performance from his days in Arizona.ddddddddddddquot; Young joins a projected outfield that includes Eric Young Jr. -- the NL stolen base leader -- and defensive whiz Juan Lagares, who may be slightly ahead of Young in the pecking order for centre field. "Playing centre field has always been my natural position," Chris Young said. "Last year with the As, I did play some left and some right as well, but there was a learning curve and I did struggle at times with it early on, but as the season went on I was able to get more comfortable with it." While the Mets hope to be more active in the free-agent market this off-season, they have been taken aback by the prices. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta agreed to a $53 million, four-year contract with St. Louis, and catcher Brian McCann has a tentative $85 million, five-year deal with the Yankees. "I think in some instances the contract amounts have gone way beyond what most would have predicted," Alderson said. "In other cases they may be generally in the line. For example, I dont know that anybody is terribly surprised about the McCann contract. I think people have been surprised about the Peralta contract." ' ' '