Kansas upset by West Virginia, 62-61, after frantic finish

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Dec 31, 2024

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LAWRENCE, Kan. — For much of the second half against West Virginia, Kansas coach Bill Self crossed his arms and looked at the court in disgust.

After a few bad possessions, Self stared at the ground in disbelief.

The Jayhawks, who opened as double-digit favorites over the Mountaineers, were outplayed in most aspects, falling behind by as many as 18 points. By the time KU recovered, it was too late; the Jayhawks’ wild comeback bid fell short.

West Virginia upset No. 7 Kansas, 62-61, on Tuesday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse. Zeke Mayo led all KU scorers with 27 points, while Hunter Dickinson added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

It was a wild finish.

After coming back to tie the score at 61-all — thanks to a Mayo and-one — the Jayhawks needed to defend a final possession from the Mountaineers to force overtime. Instead, WVU guard Javon Small forced a switch and drew a foul on KU freshman Flory Bidunga with 1.8 seconds left. Small made the second free throw to put WVU up one.

Dickinson then threw a full-court pass to KJ Adams, who missed a desperation shot as time expired.

The Jayhawks (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) never led on Tuesday. The loss ended their 33-game win streak in conference openers.

Up next: The Jayhawks travel to Orlando, Fla., to play UCF on Sunday.

Until then, here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game ...

KU transfers Storr, Griffen remain quiet

Before KU’s matchup vs. WVU, Self issued a proclamation.

“AJ (Storr) and Rylan (Griffen), they’re both going to be much better players the last two-thirds of the season than they have been the first third, just because I do think they’re more comfortable,” Self said.

If that is to be the case, it’ll be after the calendar flips to 2025.

Storr started on Tuesday and certainly didn’t play any better in the first half. He had zero points on two shots in 14 minutes. He appeared only briefly in the second half. The Jayhawks were outscored by 14 points in his 15 minutes.

Griffen scored just three points with two rebounds in 12 minutes. He added a foul and a turnover.

Neither player scored in the second half.

Bidunga nearly the hero

One of the few players who excelled — in the box score and otherwise — was Bidunga.

He played a pivotal role in helping the Jayhawks make their comeback bid in the second half.

At one point, Self substituted the freshman for Adams, and the Jayhawks’ paint defense improved dramatically. Bidunga’s length and quickness allowed him to cover for Dickinson while still getting back to his man on defense.

The freshman showcased why Self has talked highly about him throughout the season. He finished with eight points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes.

He did, however, commit the foul that led to West Virginia’s game-winning free throw.

What about the KU defense?

Heading into Tuesday afternoon, the Jayhawks ranked No. 7 in adjusted defensive efficiency. For the game, they did their job — but things looked shaky at times.

West Virginia — a mediocre offense team by most metrics — shot 15 of 32 (46.9%) from the field in the first half. The Mountaineers targeted Dickinson in the pick-and-roll and seemed to play with an extra burst of energy in the period, in addition to knocking down their shots.

It was one of the worst defensive halves by the Jayhawks against power-conference competition so far this season.

That said, the defense was better in the second half, particularly during the run with Bidunga in the game. WVU finished the night shooting just 43.3% from the floor and ended with 28 paint points.