Before No. 8 seed West Virginia faced top seed Kansas on Thursday, there were questions regarding the Mountaineers readiness considering it was a quick turnaround less than 20 hours after wrapping up a win Wednesday over Texas Tech.
Although Kansas announced before the matchup at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City that it would be without head coach Bill Self as he recovers from an illness, the Jayhawks still had their way with West Virginia and led throughout the entire second half in a 78-61 quarterfinal round victory.
“I was concerned about [our energy] when the game started,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “We did not have that bounce in our step.”
“I guess you could say we were tired. We lacked energy,” added WVU guard Joe Toussaint. “They did not do anything too special. We lacked energy.”
Kansas (26-6) has now won six straight against WVU, including victories in consecutive seasons during the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Jayhawks junior forward Jalen Wilson posted his 27th career double-double by leading all scorers with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Gradey Dick added 18 points, including 15 in the second half. Guard Duane Harris and forward KJ Adams both scored 13 points.
While KU was without Self, regarded as one of the brightest minds in the sport, Huggins felt there was little with KU. Norm Roberts served as acting head coach.
“Bill is one of the great coaches of all time,” Huggins noted. “Norm [Roberts] was a head coach. Bill has a great staff. He does a great job. They are good guys to be around. I know I have a great relationship with the whole staff.”
Four West Virginia (19-14) players scored in double figures, including Erik Stevenson’s team-high 13 points. Seniors Tre Mitchell and Toussaint each scored 11 points. Forward Emmitt Matthews added 10 points in 35 minutes.
Kansas’ half court offense helped the Jayhawks score 52 points in the paint, the most by any Mountaineer opponent this season. WVU scored 36 points in the paint.
The Jayhawks excelled on the glass by outrebounding the Mountaineers 37-31, leading to 16 second-chance points.
“It was a lack of effort,” Toussaint noted. “Our energy was not there today.”
Kansas scored seven of the first nine points to open the game, while WVU struggled early as the Mountaineers missed four of their first five shots.
Still, the Mountaineers fought back early and went on a 6-0 run after back-to-back jumpers from Stevenson and a dunk from Matthews, giving WVU its first lead at 10-9 with 13:31 remaining in the first half.
However, after Stevenson’s sixth point of the half gave WVU a 14-11 lead, the Jayhawks scored 14 unanswered points to take control of the game. During that time, WVU was scoreless for more than 5 minutes.
“They came out and played harder than us,” Stevenson said. “They are a good team. They can make shots. They are good in the pick-and-roll because they have KJ Adams, who can put his chin on the rim. Duane Harris can pass the ball well. If you come out with a lack of energy, they will make you pay.”
A Matthews jumper broke WVU’s dry spell and cut its deficit to 25-16 with 4:46 left. However, Wilson cashed in back-to-back buckets, giving KU its largest at 13, 29-16.
Still, the Mountaineers hung around after scoring seven unanswered points, including Joe Toussaint’s triple and two free throws. KU went to halftime leading 31-23.
West Virginia went into the break with 10 field goals and 11 turnovers.
A Matthew jumper and Mitchell triple cut WVU’s deficit to five early in the second half at 35-30, and the Mountaineers trailed 44-40 after Stevenson’s first three-pointer and a Toussaint fast break layup.
WVU, however, could never draw closer than four.
The momentum swung in the Jayhawks’ favor and an Adams dunk with 6:43 remaining capped a 7-0 run that allowed KU to lead 62-48 — the largest advantage of the game to that point.
After a pair of Mitchell free throws cut Kansas’s lead to nine, 64-55, the Jayhawks put the nail in the coffin courtesy of Dick’s layup and McCullar’s triple for a 69-55 advantage with 3:13 remaining.
The Mountaineers now await their fate on Selection Sunday. WVU is considered to be safely in the NCAA Tournament field and the Mountaineers are a No. 9 seed in projections from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.