Despite being down at the half, Kansas basketball buried West Virginia with three-pointers to win their eighth straight game.
Kansas basketball got their second-straight ranked win tonight by defeating West Virginia in Allen Fieldhouse 79-65. The Jayhawks kept the Mountaineers at an arm’s distance in the first half for a while, but Sean McNeil had other plans. McNeil shot and made six three-pointers in the first half, giving West Virginia a 35-36 lead at the half.
The second half was all Kansas. The Jayhawks outscored the Mountaineers 44-29 in the second half, with many of those points coming from behind the arc. Kansas shot over 40 percent from three with 37 attempts. Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, and Christian Braun were firing at will from behind the arc, with Braun leading the team with 22 points.
Don’t forget about Marcus Garrett and David McCormack too. Garrett shot and made three three-pointers totaling 15 points on the night. McCormack notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kansas basketball looked nearly unstoppable on the offensive end tonight which is a great sign. This West Virginia team is very good, and it was nice to see the Jayhawks get a comfortable victory over a top ten team.
The Jayhawks will take on West Virginia again in early February, and it’ll be interesting to see how the teams compare then. Bob Huggins is a great coach and the Mountaineers will certainly be a better team. By that same logic, Kansas should also be much improved. Considering how good both teams are, there’s a good chance that the rematch in Morgantown will be a key factor in determining the Big 12 champion.
Now, Kansas will have a long break before taking on Texas on January 2. It’ll be another ranked matchup for the Jayhawks, who will have another chance to add a resume win over a Big 12 contender.