Before No. 8 West Virginia took on top-seed Kansas on Thursday, there were questions about the Mountaineers’ readiness as it was a quick turnaround less than 20 hours after Wednesday’s win over Texas Tech.
Although Kansas announced prior to the matchup at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City that they would be without head coach Bill Self as he is recovering from an illness, the Jayhawks came out on top with West Virginia and led by one throughout the second half 78: 61st quarterfinal win.
“I had concerns [our energy] when the game started,” said WVU head coach Bob Huggins. “We didn’t have that jump in our step.”
“You could say we were tired. We lacked energy,” added WVU guard Joe Toussaint. “They didn’t do anything special. We lacked the energy.”
Kansas (26-6) has now won six straight games against WVU, including wins in consecutive seasons during the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 tournament.
Jayhawks junior forward Jalen Wilson hit his 27th career double-double by leading all scorers with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Newcomer Gradey Dick added 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Guard Duane Harris and forward KJ Adams both scored 13 points.
While KU was selfless and considered one of the brightest minds in the sport, Huggins felt it had little to do with KU. Norm Roberts served as assistant head coach.
“Bill is one of the greatest coaches of all time,” remarked Huggins. “Standard [Roberts] was head coach. Bill has a great staff. He’s doing a great job. You are good guys to be around. I know I have a great relationship with all of the staff.”
Four West Virginia players (19-14) scored in double digits, including Erik Stevenson’s team-best 13 points. Seniors Tre Mitchell and Toussaint each scored 11 points. Forward Emmitt Matthews added 10 points in 35 minutes.
Kansas half-court offense helped the Jayhawks to 52 points in the paint, the most of any Mountaineer opponent this season. WVU scored 36 points in the suit.
The Jayhawks excelled on the glass by passing the Mountaineers 37-31, resulting in 16 points for the second chance.
“It was a lack of effort,” observed Toussaint. “Our energy wasn’t there today.”
Kansas scored seven of the first nine points to open the game, while WVU struggled early with the Mountaineers missing four of their first five shots.
Still, the Mountaineers hit back early, going on a 6-0 run after back-to-back jumps from Stevenson and a dunk from Matthews, giving WVU a 10-9 lead and remaining 13-31 in the first half.
However, after Stevenson’s sixth point of the half gave WVU a 14-11 lead, the Jayhawks scored 14 unanswered points to take control of the game. During that time, WVU was goalless for more than 5 minutes.
“They came out and played harder than us,” Stevenson said. “They are a good team. You can take pictures. They’re good at pick and roll because they have KJ Adams who can put his chin on the rim. Duane Harris is good at passing the ball. If you come out with a lack of energy, they will make you pay for it.”
A Matthews jumper broke through WVU’s losing streak, reducing his deficit to 25-16 with 4:46 left. However, Wilson conceded back-to-back buckets, giving KU the largest at 13, 29-16.
Still, the Mountaineers stayed around after scoring seven unanswered points, including Joe Toussaint’s treble and two free throws. KU was leading 31-23 at halftime.
West Virginia went into the break with 10 field goals and 11 turnovers.
A Matthew jumper and a triple from Mitchell cut WVU’s lead to five at 35-30 early in the second half, and the Mountaineers were down 44-40 after Stevenson’s first three and a Toussaint fastbreak layup.
However, WVU could never get closer than four.
Momentum swung in the Jayhawks’ favor and a dunk by Adams with 6:43 remaining capped a 7-0 run that allowed KU to lead 62-48 – the game’s biggest advantage up to that point.
After two Mitchell free throws cut Kansas’ 64-55 lead to nine, the Jayhawks put the nail in the coffin thanks to Dick’s layup and McCullar’s triple, forging a 69-55 lead at 3:13.
The mountaineers are now waiting for their fate on selection Sunday. WVU is considered safe in the NCAA tournament field and the Mountaineers are No. 9, according to predictions by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
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