West Virginia Defies All Expectations to Dethrone No. 7 Kansas in Thrilling Basketball Showdown

Well, that’s certainly one approach to usher in the new year.

Let’s start by discussing why the events that unfolded in Lawrence on Tuesday were unexpected. This marked West Virginia’s 12th visit to Allen Fieldhouse, and the Mountaineers had experienced defeat in the previous 11 encounters.

This game was the conference opener for Kansas, who had achieved a remarkable 33-game winning streak dating back to the administration of the elder George Bush.

Kansas boasted a 7-0 record at home this season, while West Virginia’s sole true road game had been against Pittsburgh, resulting in a 24-point loss.

West Virginia’s second-leading scorer, Tucker DeVries? Unable to compete due to injury.

West Virginia’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder, Amani Hansberry? Missing, suffering from a severe ankle injury.

The rankings? Kansas occupied the No. 7 spot, while West Virginia was left in the “also receiving votes” area.

RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | Power 37 rankings | NET rankings

The Mountaineers’ flight to Lawrence? Delayed, which meant they arrived in the early hours of Tuesday morning—by that time, it was nearly 2025 in New Zealand.

The team hotel? Experienced a power outage Tuesday morning.

The capacity to shoot the ball into the basket as originally envisioned by the game’s inventor and former Kansas coach, Dr. James Naismith? Kansas ranked 22nd nationally for field goal percentage, while West Virginia languished at 231st.

Everything pointed to a definitive Kansas victory. Yet, once the game commenced, it was a different story.

By the 15-minute mark, West Virginia managed nine points, while Kansas had yet to score. By halftime, the Mountaineers held a 13-point advantage. With 18 minutes remaining, their lead ballooned to 18.

No, the Jayhawks would surely not be overwhelmed in their revered arena. College basketball hadn’t become that unpredictable. Kansas eventually tied the game at 61-61 with just 15 seconds remaining, courtesy of a conventional 3-point play by Zeke Mayo. When facing difficulties against West Virginia, the Jayhawks could always rely on the free throw line. Back in 2018, Kansas triumphed over the Mountaineers 77-69 in Lawrence, fueled by a 35-2 advantage in free throw attempts. When Mayo converted the free throw to level the score on Tuesday, the free throw discrepancy stood at 19-3.

Being pushed into overtime after leading for 38 minutes and 35 seconds would be exhausting and damaging for West Virginia, correct? That remains unknown. Javon Small deceived Kansas freshman Flory Bidunga into committing a foul with just 1.8 seconds left. Small missed his first free throw—probably for maximum suspense—but succeeded with the second. The game concluded at 62-61, with the Mountaineers defeating the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse thanks to a free throw, which many West Virginia supporters would find ironic.

Now, Kansas stands at 0-1 in conference play. The last time that could be claimed was in January of 1991, following the Jayhawks’ loss to Oklahoma. Back then, the conference was the Big Eight, the Sooners were coached by Billy Tubbs, while Roy Williams was in his third season with Kansas. Bill Self, the current Kansas coach, was an assistant at Oklahoma State, and Darian DeVries, the present West Virginia coach, was still in high school and not yet old enough to drive. That year also saw the Buffalo Bills face their first Super Bowl defeat, Michael Jordan capture his first NBA title, the Atlanta Braves make their inaugural World Series appearance, and Mike Krzyzewski secure his first national championship.

In summary, West Virginia defied considerable odds on Tuesday, overcoming numerous challenges.

“I’m tremendously proud of the players, especially given the circumstances — the injuries and travel,” DeVries expressed. “As we consistently emphasize, we don’t make excuses in our program; we’re committed to competing.”

The Mountaineers had already demonstrated their resilience at the Battle 4 Atlantis, enduring three overtime games within three days, delivering a surprise victory over Gonzaga and Arizona, while falling to Louisville. With this latest achievement, their record improved to 10-2. It’s worthwhile to mention that West Virginia finished last season with a record of 9-23, surpassing that total even before the New Year celebrations.

Self and the Jayhawks are left to reflect on several shortcomings. A typically proficient shooting team finished with an accuracy of only 38.8%. Excluding Mayo, Hunter Dickinson, and Dajuan Harris Jr., the remainder of the Kansas team mustered a mere 11 points. Self is still searching for the optimal combination to surround his top players. Furthermore, the defense failed to rattle West Virginia, managing only six turnovers and no blocked shots. The offensive performance registered only 10 assists, leaving the Jayhawks at 9-3, which is hardly catastrophic. However, this marks the slowest start since the 2013-14 season and reflects three losses in the past five games.

SOON: Questions that require resolution as 2025 and conference play commence

Overall sentiment in Lawrence: A disappointing farewell to 2024.

“Well, I doubt there’ll be many counting down to midnight tonight,” Self remarked. “So yes, we’re down. We’ll recover, but we are down. The conference is formidable, and to compete effectively, you must protect your home court, which we failed to achieve. We simply need to keep grinding, stay united, and improve.

“However, the truth is, we are not the team we expected to be by January 1. We possess a good squad, yet we are clearly beatable, and today, we were outperformed by a superior team. They executed smartly and managed the tempo effectively. They performed exceptionally. We need to acknowledge that every game in our league will resemble this one. It will be a tough battle.”

Occasionally, it seems, the basketball gods take a glance at what is anticipated on paper and turn the game on its head. They enjoy a bit of excitement on New Year’s Eve as well.