Despite a late rally from the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks, West Virginia was in control throughout the game in a shocking 62-61 win on Tuesday.
After the Jayhawks trailed 57-50 with 3:59 left, they went on an 11-5 run. With the game tied at 61, Javon Small made a free throw with one second left to seal the road upset.
The win was only the eighth time West Virginia has defeated Kansas in 29 tries. It marked the first win for the Mountaineers at Allen Fieldhouse after previously going 0-11.
This lob from KJ Tenner to Eduardo Andre put West Virginia up 17-7 with 8:06 remaining in the first half.
Although Zeke Mayo had a team-high 27 points for Kansas, the Mountaineers defense made it difficult for the rest of team, including leading-scorer Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson had only 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
According to TeamRankings, West Virginia entered Tuesday with the 23rd-ranked defense in the country (63.8 PPG). As a team, Kansas was 19-for-49 (38.8%) and 4-for-16 (25%) from long range. The free-throw shooting (19-for-21) is the only thing that kept Kansas in the game considering West Virginia was 4-for-6.
The 61 points were a season-low for Kansas (9-3, 0-1 Big 12), which speaks to the level of defense the Mountaineers are playing at. As West Virginia (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) continues conference play against Oklahoma State on Saturday, it brings a six-game winning streak and a potent defense that led to a history-making road win over Kansas.
