At Big 12 Media Day last October, the usual suspects sat at the top of the pecking order. Kansas was tabbed to once again lead the pack while veteran-laden squads at Oklahoma and Iowa State loomed as the Jayhawks’ primary challengers. West Virginia‘s revamped style and fourth-place finish in 2014-15 was a nice story, but the league’s coaches didn’t exactly bank on Bob Huggins pulling it off again, as the Mountaineers were picked to finish sixth in the conference’s annual preseason poll. After last night’s start-to-finish 73-64 win over Kansas, West Virginia has showed that it too should be viewed as a legitimate contender to win the Big 12.
While last night’s game in Morgantown never reached blowout status, the Mountaineers’ vaunted press generated 22 Kansas turnovers and they were in control for most of the night. Frank Mason and Devonte Graham, whose ball-handling skills have played a key role in the Jayhawks’ offensive success this season, were shellshocked by West Virginia’s defense. Wayne Selden looked good early, but six crippling turnovers reflected his status as a liability for the remainder of the game. Perry Ellis turned in another strong performance with 21 points and seven rebounds, but he could only do so much, especially after West Virginia started doubling on him. West Virginia sophomore Jaysean Paige enjoyed a career night for the Mountaineers with 26 points and some fantastic on-ball defense, while Devin Williams played a great all-around game, chipping in 12 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Late three-pointers by Mason, Carlton Bragg and LaGerald Vick made the score more respectable than it otherwise would have been, but this was no close finish.
West Virginia’s first win over a top-ranked team in 33 years (UNLV) gives it every reason to celebrate (and Huggins has 25,000 of them). This season’s squad is off to a roaring 15-1 start, and at best, the Mountaineers are every bit the threat Oklahoma is to end Kansas’ seemingly endless reign of Big 12 dominance; at worst, they’re a surefire NCAA Tournament team with a ton of upside. As of this writing, KenPom projects wins in six of West Virginia’s next seven games, with the lone projected loss coming this Saturday at #2 Oklahoma. While conference play hasn’t lacked for excitement, it will get even wilder if the Mountaineers find a way to upend Buddy Hield’s team at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Even with the relative ease that West Virginia won last night, its victory wasn’t without blemishes. The Mountaineers scored just 1.00 points per possession against Kansas, their third-worst offensive output of the season. It was the Jayhawks that actually had the better shooting night (41.7% vs. 33.3%) which shows just how important a role the Mountaineers’ press played in the outcome. Given those numbers, there are valid reasons to still be skeptical of West Virginia’s chances to win the Big 12. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Huggins’ team struggled against teams that do a good job limiting turnovers and offensive rebounds, especially on the road. Still, it’s clear that the Mountaineers are going to be a bigger factor at the top of the standings than many believed they could be at the start of the season.