West Virginia notched their second top-25 win this season after beating Kansas, 62-61. The Mountaineers led 33-20 at the half, and even shorthanded, they were able to take care of business on the road. Kansas, 9-3 (0-1), dropped the ball on this New Years Eve, losing to West Virginia at home for the first time ever.
Cold Start
Kansas has not lost a conference opener since January 8th, 1991. West Virginia snapped the Jayhawks 33 game win streak and improves to 1-11 all time at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas last played on December 22nd, and it’s clear they needed time to find their shot after over a week off. In the first half, Kansas was 7-24 from the field. The holiday break benefited West Virginia much more, as the Mountaineers improve to 10-2 (1-0), having won six straight.
Going back to November 29th, West Virginia has not allowed more than 60 points in a game. The last time they did so was against a ranked Arizona team, a game they won 83-76. That win was the start of their six game winning streak, a streak that saw them giving up an average of just 58 points per game. Two of those six games saw the Mountaineers give up under 50 points. The quality of competition was low (NC Central and Mercyhurst), but the results are still there.
The Jayhawks certainly improved on their slow shooting start, but it was too little too late. A 41-point second half nearly sent this game to overtime, but a late foul proved costly as one free throw was all it took. Javon Small, the 40-minute man, secured the game winning free throw.
Mountaineers Lack of Depth
Javon Small has played on three teams in four seasons, but he’s found his stride with West Virginia. The 6’3 guard is the clear number one healthy player, nearly scoring 20 points per game. He only scored 13 against Kansas, but he also added 11 rebounds and had 6 assists as well. Small played all 40 minutes, a feat he’s now accomplished four times this season. He actually surpassed 40 minutes on three occasions as all of the teams’ games in the Battle 4 Atlantis went to overtime. Small recorded a total of 128 minutes across those three games, a number that not many players can handle.
West Virginia only played 8 deep against Kansas, with one of the bench players only receiving six minutes. Fouls were a problem, with Eduardo Andre and Toby Okani having four each, but they played smart and both were able to avoid fouling out. Kansas was able to score 19 of their 61 points from the charity stripe, thanks to a 16-9 foul discrepancy. Either way, the biggest call of the game went against Kansas, resulting in Small’s dagger.
Is Kansas a Top 10 Team?
At this point in the season, it’s hard to see Kansas as a top 10 team. Their North Carolina win no longer looks as good as it once did, but their victory over Duke still speaks volumes. Creighton and Missouri are far from bad teams, Missouri is quite good actually, but they’ve now dropped three of their last five. Kansas has their work cut out for them in the Big 12, with quality opponents such as Cincinatti and Iowa State coming up in the next two weeks.
Zeke Mayo was a crucial part to Kansas’s comeback in the game. The senior transfer was an astonishing 13-13 from the free throw line as he led the team with 27 points. This marked his highest point total of the season, amassing the 25 and 26 he put up in his last two games. Mayo is one of the only great things going for this squad at the moment.
The inclusion of Flory Bidunga down low was massive. Kansas had West Virginia outmatched, and the 6’9 freshman has now scored eight points in his last two outings. Coach Self has increased his usage as of late as the big man is now averaging 12.2 minutes per game. In a game where Hunter Dickinson had a 10 point and 12 rebound double double with 33 minutes, Bidunga came in and recorded 8 points and 11 rebounds in just 17 minutes. Dickinson was just 4-10 from the field, and with Kansas’s offense revolving around the big man, the former Wolverine is looking to find his way out of this slump.
