COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the fifth time in six years, West Virginia brushed off Kansas with a court-storming.
For the very first time, Derek Culver was a part of it.
“You would never think my friend from math class would be out there,” he said. “It was like, ‘Wow, bro, we’re both on the court at the same time!’ So it was kinda like he played. We were just out there screaming.”
Mountaineers fans not only can delight in the fact Culver actually attends math class, but now there’s hope this season won’t dissolve into a stinky, demoralizing mess.
Saturday’s 65-64 upset included a finish I’m still grappling to comprehend. Maybe Kansas, sans Udoka Azubuike and Silvio De Sousa, isn’t that good. Maybe West Virginia, even sans Sagaba Konate, isn’t that bad.
“Wins like that build chemistry,” said Jermaine Haley, the unconventional point guard who attacked the basket for the game-winner. “Even in the locker room today I felt a different type of vibe.”
The victory reversed a week so depressing that many of the basketball questions I fielded were in regard to next year’s roster. That was the ultimate sign of a fan base checking out, at least until this KU thriller gave us enough evidence to remain engaged.
On how many occasions did we write off West Virginia?
Too many times to count, but let’s try anyway …
After that 0-5 start in Big 12 play was punctuated by a 31-point beatdown at TCU, we considered the dreaded prospects of 0-18 in league play.
With No. 7 Kansas in the building Saturday, 0-6 sure seemed like a heckuva bet (though Vegas tried to warn us something unexpected was afoot).
Then came some pregame piling on: Beetle Bolden was missing from chunks of the warmups, and looking half-dead when he actually was present. Word came from Bob Huggins that his top-scoring guard was sick, maybe the flu, and you wondered whether West Virginia could cobble together even a middling resistance to the Jayhawks.
Before player introductions, Huggins gently grabbed Bolden by the arm — it was a be-straight-with-me kind of grab, a what-can-you-really-give-us kind of grab. Expressionless and with hazy eyes, Bolden nonetheless nodded his head affirmatively.
“He was throwing up before the game and getting IVs,” Huggins said. “But that’s Beetle. You know he’s going to play. I just didn’t know how well he could play.”
Well enough to score 12 points, make four steals, dish out two assists and force two jumpball tie-ups in 29 turnover-free minutes.
And yet, when Kansas pulled ahead 21-16 with 3:22 left in the half, it seemed like the Jayhawks were on the verge of a cozy intermission lead. But they missed five straight shots, turned it over on two possessions and settled for a 23-all tie.
Kansas enjoyed more five-point spreads in the second half, and each felt like a runaway opportunity.
The league favorites went up 39-34 only to see Esa Ahmad erase that with back-to-back 3s.
The league favorites went up 56-51 but Ahmad answered with a fade-away from the wing.
Ultimately, the Jayhawks built a 64-58 cushion — their largest of the day — with only 2:35 remaining in the game. Marcus Garrett streaked through the lane for a layup, and it became the cue to beat traffic. Fans grabbed their jackets and filled the aisles, left to rationalize over a moral victory.
But then an actual, true-to-life victory transpired instead.
West Virginia, whose defense began the day in the bottom third of Division I in points allowed per possession, pitched a shutout on KU’s final four possessions. “That’s hard to do against anybody, much less Kansas,” said Huggins. “And we’ve had trouble stopping people.”
Meanwhile the Mountaineers’ basket abruptly opened up. The product of three consecutive patient possessions were a Wes Harris 3, a Culver low-post bucket, and that game-winning runner by Haley with 8.5 seconds left.
For an afternoon at least, WVU swam in optimism and left the arena happy.
“People don’t smile as much when we’re losing,” noted Culver.
Monday’s math class certainly will be more fun.