Kansas vs. West Virginia: 5 biggest storylines for first 2020-21 showdown
A pair of top-ten programs from the Big 12 in Kansas and West Virginia will battle in Lawrence in one of the biggest games of the regular season.
Just days after two top-five teams duked it out, two top-ten squads in the Kansas Jayhawks and West Virginia Mountaineers will tip-off in an unusual December conference showdown – with both looking to assert themselves as the biggest threat to Baylor’s ongoing reign in the Big 12.
After a season-opening loss to Gonzaga, the Jayhawks (7-1) have strung together an impressive seven-game winning streak that includes some of the best wins in college basketball. Their most recent might have been the best yet, scraping by a gritty Texas Tech team in Lubbock to open up Big 12 play.
On a baseline-out-of-bounds play by Bill Self, the Jayhawks won the game on a layup with 13 seconds left from Ochai Agbaji, who was sensational against the Red Raiders, pouring in 23 points (4-4 2PT, 4-7 3PT, 3-4 FT). Agbaji headlines a triad of double-digit scorers for the Jayhawks, averaging 15.3 points on the season – joining him are Jalen Wilson (14.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg) and Christian Braun (10.6 ppg and 6.1 rpg).
This is a Kansas squad that returned 54.5% of their scoring from last year’s 28-3 team that ended the 2019-20 season ranked no. 1 nationally. With guard Devon Dotson (18.1 ppg) and center Udoka Azubuike (13.7 ppg and 10.5 rpg) gone, there were some questions regarding the Jayhawks entering this season – but thus far, they have surpassed expectations, ranking no. 3 in the most recent AP Poll after beginning the season at no. 6.
The Mountaineers (7-1), meanwhile, have also cemented themselves as a potential national championship contender. They are coming off a sluggish five-point win over Iowa State, but have toppled some of the best mid-majors in the country – their most recent coming on the 13th in an 87-71 romp over Richmond.
West Virginia’s win over the Cyclones produced one of their most balanced scoring efforts yet, with four double-digit scorers contributing to the win. Miles McBride, Derek Culver, and Oscar Tshiebwe comprise one of the best trios in all of college basketball – but the Mountaineers also feature Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil, two double-digit scorers.
The Mountaineers struggled down the stretch last season, dropping six of their final nine games – but they have impressed after starting this year ranked fifteenth. With their lone loss coming to top-ranked Gonzaga by five, the Mountaineers have ascended to seventh in the most recent AP Poll.
Like WVU, the lone smudge on Kansas’s record is also from Gonzaga. The Jayhawks have won the past three meetings between both of these squads – and now, both have been forced to play second-fiddle to the second-ranked Baylor Bears. Whoever wins this game will gain a huge edge in the race for the B12 title – and could determine Baylor’s biggest competitor.