Well, it was a rough day for No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown. Facing a team that entered the game with an overall record of 6-11 and 1-3 in league play, the Jayhawks fell to the Mountaineers, 91-85. Really, Kansas simply had no business losing to West Virginia on Saturday. I mean, the Jayhawks had no business losing this game at all.
Kansas got off to a really good start and led by seven points, 13-6, with 16:13 left in the first half. However, Kansas failed to extend its lead over West Virginia and fought like hell to keep in even at the half.
In the second half, Kansas and West Virginia traded baskets for much of the final 20 minutes of play. WVU took a 7-point lead with 6:49 left, but Kansas managed to retake the lead, 81-80, with 2:41 left on the clock.
That lead didn’t last long, as Pat Suemnick put the Mountaineers up by one on the very next trip down the court.
There was a play late in the game where Kansas appeared to have stolen the ball down by two points, but a foul was called.
Listen, you can go back and look at any number of plays, but at the end of the day, West Virginia simply outworked Kansas. The Mountaineers missed a handful of free-throws late in the game with Kansas having the opportunity to tie or take the lead, but Kansas never gave themselves a chance to steal one on the road late.
West Virginia, especially late in the game, made every hustle play, fought for every loose ball, and grabbed every key rebound.
There’s no doubt that West Virginia wanted this game badly, and it showed.
Whenever the ball was, West Virginia was a step or two ahead of Kansas on Saturday.
The same guys led the way for Kansas on Saturday.
24 points for Kevin McCullar, 19 points and 5 rebounds for Hunter Dickinson, 13 points for Johnny Furphy, 12 points for Nicolas Timberlake, and 11 points for KJ Adams.
Furphy was on fire the first half and scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc. However, after halftime, he scored just four points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from behind the arc.
Kansas lost the battle on the glass, 31-22, and dished out 22 assists to just seven turnovers.
There was a point in the second half, and I know many of you saw what I saw, where Kansas was simply firing up shots from behind the arc and not really running any offense.
There are times when Kansas looks really great on the hardwood and then times when they look lost or uninterested or possibly even flat. We all know about the Big 12 and how damn tough the conference is, but losing at UCF and West Virginia when both teams aren’t very good, is a tough pill to swallow.
Yes, Dickinson and McCullar, Jr., have, for the most part, been amazing this season. Aside from the rebound and loose balls, Kansas shot 53.3 percent (32-of-60) from the field, 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from behind the arc, and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the free-throw line.
West Virginia shot 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the field, 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from behind the arc, and 84.0 percent (21-of-25) from the free-throw line.
Like the loss to UCF in Orlando, Fla., KU’s loss to WVU in Morgantown really came down to making some plays, which didn’t happen. Costly turnovers, missed layups in transition, and shots not falling from behind the arc, continue to be a problem. The 3’s not falling weren’t the big issue today.
Yes, WVU was lights out from behind the arc, but the Mountaineers also refused to lose to Kansas on Saturday.
West Virginia wanted this game, and they took it.
Kansas got off to a really good start and led by seven points, 13-6, with 16:13 left in the first half. However, Kansas failed to extend its lead over West Virginia and fought like hell to keep in even at the half.
In the second half, Kansas and West Virginia traded baskets for much of the final 20 minutes of play. WVU took a 7-point lead with 6:49 left, but Kansas managed to retake the lead, 81-80, with 2:41 left on the clock.
That lead didn’t last long, as Pat Suemnick put the Mountaineers up by one on the very next trip down the court.
There was a play late in the game where Kansas appeared to have stolen the ball down by two points, but a foul was called.
Listen, you can go back and look at any number of plays, but at the end of the day, West Virginia simply outworked Kansas. The Mountaineers missed a handful of free-throws late in the game with Kansas having the opportunity to tie or take the lead, but Kansas never gave themselves a chance to steal one on the road late.
West Virginia, especially late in the game, made every hustle play, fought for every loose ball, and grabbed every key rebound.
There’s no doubt that West Virginia wanted this game badly, and it showed.
Whenever the ball was, West Virginia was a step or two ahead of Kansas on Saturday.
The same guys led the way for Kansas on Saturday.
24 points for Kevin McCullar, 19 points and 5 rebounds for Hunter Dickinson, 13 points for Johnny Furphy, 12 points for Nicolas Timberlake, and 11 points for KJ Adams.
Furphy was on fire the first half and scored nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc. However, after halftime, he scored just four points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from behind the arc.
Kansas lost the battle on the glass, 31-22, and dished out 22 assists to just seven turnovers.
There was a point in the second half, and I know many of you saw what I saw, where Kansas was simply firing up shots from behind the arc and not really running any offense.
There are times when Kansas looks really great on the hardwood and then times when they look lost or uninterested or possibly even flat. We all know about the Big 12 and how damn tough the conference is, but losing at UCF and West Virginia when both teams aren’t very good, is a tough pill to swallow.
Yes, Dickinson and McCullar, Jr., have, for the most part, been amazing this season. Aside from the rebound and loose balls, Kansas shot 53.3 percent (32-of-60) from the field, 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from behind the arc, and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the free-throw line.
West Virginia shot 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the field, 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from behind the arc, and 84.0 percent (21-of-25) from the free-throw line.
Like the loss to UCF in Orlando, Fla., KU’s loss to WVU in Morgantown really came down to making some plays, which didn’t happen. Costly turnovers, missed layups in transition, and shots not falling from behind the arc, continue to be a problem. The 3’s not falling weren’t the big issue today.
Yes, WVU was lights out from behind the arc, but the Mountaineers also refused to lose to Kansas on Saturday.
West Virginia wanted this game, and they took it.
