KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With 12:19 to play Friday night and Oklahoma down eight, Sooners coach Lon Kruger pulled Jordan Woodard from the floor and inserted a freshman that until recently had been the second guard off the bench and rarely played past halftime.
Though Buddy Hield’s desperation 3-point bank shot from about three feet behind the midcourt line didn’t count, giving West Virginia a 69-67 win in the Big 12 semifinals, it would not have been a consideration without the performance from Christian James.
James turned in his best performance of the season with career highs in points (13) and rebounds (5).