PREVIEW: West Virginia Faces Tough Test at Kansas
The West Virginia Mountaineers (13-2, 2-1) are on the road and looking for their first win in Allen Fieldhouse as they take on the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (13-2, 2-1) Saturday at 2:00 pm EST.
Kansas had a bounce-back one-point win on Tuesday against a top 15 Iowa State team after losing at Texas Tech last Saturday, ending an eight-game winning streak.
"They're really good," said West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins.
Kansas is led by a pair of guards in senior Ochai Agbaji and junior Christian Braun, that early on, have been dubbed the best backcourt in the Big 12 Conference, combining for 36.7 points per game. "Probably two of the best perimeter guys in the country, at least two, maybe more than two," continued Huggins before turning his attention back to the Jayhawks as a whole. "They're good. They make shots. They penetrate. Defensively, they're pretty good."
"They can shoot the ball, and if somebody is having a bad day, they can go to the bench and bring in a guy who's not just had a good game or two before but has had a good career," continued Huggins. "They've got a lot of guys that can make shots. A lot of guys who historically have made shots and made big shots."
Ochai is averaging a league-leading 20.6 ppg, and recently, was named on the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25.
"I think he's probably using his athleticism probably a little bit more. He's a heck of an athlete," said Huggins. "I think he's got a little more versatility. I think he was behind the line more the last few years than what he is now. I think now he's a great guy at attacking the rim, and he's a big-time shot-maker."
An x-factor for the Jayhawks will be big man David McCormick. The 6'10" 250-pound senior averaged a double-double last season against the Mountaineers with 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
"He's a force – he's probably the best rim protector in our league," said Huggins. "I think his offense has gotten better and better the longer he has been there. He is a really talented guy. I mean, he's a guy that will play for a long time."
Feb 6, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Taz Sherman (12) shoots a jumper over Kansas Jayhawks guard Christian Braun (2) during the second half at WVU Coliseum.
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Despite the grittiness of the Mountaineers, Kansas head coach Bill Self noted this is not a typical Huggs team, and an argument can be made for West Virginia guards Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil for the best backcourt in the Big 12 with the duo combining for 34.5 ppg.
"We're used to playing his teams where they got two monsters inside and then another one coming off the bench," said Self. "They've got standing height, but you don't have the girth of an Oscar (Tshiebwe) or a (Derek) Culver or whatnot – they're different in that respect. But on than perimeter, pretty similar. I mean, you got Taz, and you got fast point guard play," before mentioning Sherman, and I'm assuming after identifying Sherman as Taz when he meant to say McNeil. "Everybody talks about CB and Och, and rightfully so, about being as good as bookends on the wing as there is in our league, but you can make a case, you know," continued Self. "Sherman is averaging 20 a game, and McNeil is averaging just under 17 - that adds up to the same amount of points as CB and Och, so we got to guard those two guys."
Kansas leads the all-time series 16-5. West Virginia had dropped five straight to the Jayhawks before notching a 91-79 win in Morgantown last season. The Mountaineers are 0-9 in Lawrence but have had their opportunities to grab a win at Kansas but have come up short.
"We've had our chances," said Huggins. "We've played pretty well there at times, and then, things have a way of happening."
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