Kansas basketball: WVU defeats Tech, setting up quarterfinal matchup

Kansas basketball

West Virginia took down Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, paving the way for yet another Bob Huggins vs. Bill Self matchup in the quarterfinal. Tipoff is at 2:00 PM CT.

Despite West Virginia’s pedestrian 7-11 conference record, they have a chance to make the tourney. This year, the Big 12 is an abnormally strong league, and WVU has quality wins over Iowa State (twice), Kansas State, Auburn, and TCU. A win for them against Kansas would likely diminish any talks of their name not being called on Selection Sunday.

The Mountaineers have four starters averaging double figures this year. Led by Erik Stevenson, this WVU squad is similar to many others in the past — they are an exceptional defensive team. One of its primary reasons for success is Huggins’ famous 1-3-1 zone press that he utilizes late in games.

In both prior meetings this year, KU came out on top. However, their previous showdown in Allen Fieldhouse took the Jayhawks until the final possession to close the game out. West Virginia has always been a tough team to beat, even if they are inferior record-wise in the rivalry.

Kansas has been out of action for four days, but they should not come out cold. They looked sluggish in their loss to Texas, needing a sense of urgency all game. Bill Self likely gave them an earful for their last contest, so look for the team to come out firing on all cylinders today.

Other notable games in the tourney today are between Baylor/Iowa State, Kansas State/TCU, and Texas/Oklahoma State. Should Kansas win in this quarterfinal matchup, there are two consecutive days of games after this for whoever makes it to the championship round. Dominating the Big 12 tourney would make the Jayhawks a clear-cut No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.