Kansas Holds On to 76-74 Win Against West Virginia to Remain First in Big 12 Standings
Saturday’s game between Kansas and West Virginia was not exactly a work of art. But the outcome of a 76-74 Kansas win could be a piece that leads to a Jayhawks masterpiece.
It happened because Dajuan Harris put on a show with 17 points (on 7-9 shooting), six assists, and six steals, while only committing one turnover on a day Kansas had 19. And when Harris hurt his foot landing on Erik Stevenson after Kevin McCullar took a charge with 1:16 left and did not return with KU leading 75-70, KU fell apart.
Gradey Dick lost the ball after receiving it under the KU basket, which turned into an immediate WVU dunk. Then Kansas had to burn two timeouts getting the ball inbounded and KU only hit 1-2 free throws on two consecutive trips. But with the shot clock off and the Mountaineers with the ball, the Jayhawks clamped down defensively and forced a travel by Joe Toussaint with 0.4 seconds left to seal it.
It was that type of game from the jump. Jalen Wilson and McCullar hit early jumpers, but it was Harris with the hot hand (four of KU’s first 10 points) and the presence defensively that made him feel everywhere. West Virginia is not a great shooting team but hit 55% from two-point range, including some tough mid-range shots.
The Mountaineers took an early 19-14 lead but then Kansas went on a 7-0 run thanks to a Dick three and consecutive Harris layups. The lead would continue to fluctuate throughout the first half as Allen Fieldhouse got louder and louder as questionable calls that became less consistent as the game went on shifted the game. WVU looked to be ready to take a lead into halftime but Joseph Yesufu buried a three with 25 seconds left to give Kansas a 35-33 lead into the break.
Harris scored the first points of the second half but then West Virginia again clawed back. Bill Self was issued a technical with the score tied at 40 and it sparked a run for Kansas. And the man at the center was Dajuan Harris. A layup called for goaltending, a pass to KJ Adams for a dunk, and a no-look pass to McCullar for a corner three – with a steal and Dick three sprinkled in – pushed the Jayhawks’ lead to 53-46.
But offensive rebounds kept West Virginia in the game. The Mountaineers are the best in the Big 12 at grabbing their own misses and collected 14 on Saturday. Those second-chance points piled up and soon it was a 58-56 game. Wilson quickly answered on a quiet night for him, but the play of the game might have come from McCullar.
With the shot clock running down and Kansas up three, McCullar banked in a three from way behind the arc to give Kansas a late six-point lead. WVU only hit six of 21 threes but they all felt like they were perfectly timed to keep the Mountaineers in it. But even with KU being a shaky 10-17 from the line, the Jayhawks had just enough to hold on.
Only six Jayhawks scored on Saturday and five were in double figures. Dick and McCullar each had 16 while Adams – who was dealing with cramps in the second half – chipped in 13 and Wilson finished with 11. Adams also recorded six rebounds and five assists while not turning it over.
Thanks to a Baylor win over Texas, Kansas is now alone in first place with two games to go. It will send off this year’s team from Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday against Texas Tech.
