The Kansas Jayhawks looked like they were going to lose their fifth consecutive game in Morgan Town. Then with just under eight minutes left everything changed.
The Kansas Jayhawks, like everyone else in the Big 12 struggle mightily when they have to go on the road and play West Virginia. They’ve lost four consecutive games in Morgan Town, and every time they go there it feels as though KU fans can just pencil it in as a loss. They should have lost on Monday night, but instead, they decided to show the entire conference that they are still the Big 12 champs, and if you want their crown you’re going to have to pry it from their cold, dead hands.
They were well on their way to losing a fifth consecutive game at West Virginia trailing by 13 at the half and by as much as 16 points overall. They spent the entire first half taking part in Sagaba Konate’s block party. Five blocks in the first half and two of them were absolutely demoralizing ones.
Kansas has 13 consecutive Big 12 championships, and they almost never lose at home. They easily could have packed it in and waved the white flag. Every time you thought Kansas was going to make a run, the Mountaineers would get a bucket or two to stretch their lead again.
Everything changed with 7:56 left in the second half. Kansas was trading buckets with West Virginia, and Sviatoslav Mykhaliuk had just turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions after getting back-to-back stops. Then senior point guard Devonte’ Graham came up with a steal and an and-one. After completing the three-point play the lead was cut to seven, and Kansas never looked back from there.
Before West Virginia could blink Kansas had taken the lead en route to outscoring the Mountaineers 20-6 in the final 5:54 of the game. This game was ugly, and Kansas hadn’t really won any ugly games all season. They’re small and everyone knows that. Udoka Azukuike only played 20 minutes because of foul trouble, and still dominated almost putting up a double-double, and playing excellent defense on Konate.
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That Graham steal and the three-point play was just the spark that the Jayhawks needed. After losing to Texas Tech at home everyone questioned the Jayhawks. Would this be the year someone else wins the conference? Is the Jayhawks reign over the conference over? After this highway robbery in Morgan Town, Kansas replied to all those questions with an emphatic “no”.
This team has their deficiencies. They’re small and still have zero depth in the frontcourt. Silvio De Sousa has been cleared to play, but it’s still going to be a few weeks before he’s ready to make a big impact on the team. They’ve relied heavily on the three ball, and we’ve seen what they look like when their shot isn’t falling; it’s really ugly if you haven’t seen it.
Monday night’s game was about Kansas showing heart, toughness, grit and the will to win. You can send these two teams to the moon to play each other, and it’s going to be a dogfight every single time. Four straight losses in Morgan Town, and staring down a 16-point deficit? No problem, despite their size and other weaknesses the Jayhawks proved that until they actually lose the Big 12 they’re probably going to win the conference, and the only guys that can stop them are themselves.