For the third straight year, West Virginia has knocked off Kansas in Morgantown. This time, it gave the Mountaineers their first victory over the top ranked team in the country since 1983.
West Virginia knocks off No. 1 Kansas at home for the third straight year
Cue up John Denver, because West Virginia defeated the No. 1 team in the country.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
No. 11 West Virginia smothered No. 1 Kansas with its signature pressure defense on the way to a 74-63 win Tuesday night. For their effort, the Mountaineers get a date with No. 2 Oklahoma for their next game Saturday.
The story of the game was West Virginia’s ability to force Kansas into mistakes. The Jayhawks turned the ball over 22 times against Bob Huggins’ swarming defense.
WVU finished with a 12-7 advantage over Kansas in steals, and also doubled up the Jayhawks on the offensive glass, 15-7.
West Virginia was led by Jaysean Paige, who came off the bench to score 26 points and grab five steals. Devin Williams was also great in the front court, adding 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Perry Ellis did most of the damage for Kansas, finishing with 21 points and seven rebounds. This is Kansas’ first loss since falling to Michigan State in Chicago on Nov. 17.
West Virginia is now 15-1. At 4-0, the Mountaineers are the only undefeated team in conference play in the Big 12.
Enjoy it, West Virginia:
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