|
 Serious jeopardy.
No. 20 West Virginia led by as many as 18, but the Jayhawks forced
overtime before taking control and claiming the Big 12 championship
outright by clipping the Mountaineers 76-69 in Allen Fieldhouse.
"That was the best win I think I've ever had in Allen Fieldhouse,"
said Kansas coach Bill Self, who has directed the Jayhawks (24-6,
13-4 Big 12) to 11 consecutive conference titles.
To get the win over West Virginia -- and cap a perfect run at home
this season -- the Jayhawks needed sophomore point guard Frank Mason
to seal things with eight points at the end of overtime and a
team-high 19 on the night.
Junior forward Jamari Traylor was big at the beginning of overtime,
contributing six of his 14 points, helping Kansas win its home
finale for the 32nd consecutive season.
For West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, the difference was an
overwhelming discrepancy in free-throw shooting. The Mountaineers
were outscored 34-16 from the foul line. The Jayhawks had 43
attempts to 28 for the Mountaineers (22-8, 10-7).
 "When you're standing where I'm standing, you think sometimes things
aren't equitable," Huggins said. "That's a nice way to say it."
The 18-point advantage from the foul line allowed the Jayhawks to
overcome the Mountaineers' 27-0 margin in 3-pointers, as well as
West Virginia's 46-34 domination on the boards.
West Virginia freshman guard Daxter Miles Jr., a 30 percent shooter
from behind the arc, made five of nine treys as part of his
game-high 23 points. Kansas, meanwhile, went 0-for-15 as a team from
3-point range.
Nonetheless, the Jayhawks summoned enough toughness to overcome the
deficit, despite missing Perry Ellis. The junior forward, who leads
Kansas in scoring and rebounding, was injured late in the first half
and watched from the bench in the second half and overtime.
Mason hit two big buckets at the end of regulation, then followed by
scoring the last eight points for Kansas in overtime, including six
of six free throws.
"We kept thinking to just get stops, keep believing, keep fighting,"
said Mason, who logged 42 minutes and had three assists against one
turnover.
Kansas freshman guard Devonte' Graham forged the tie at the end of
regulation by making two free throws with 11.5 seconds left. Graham
went six of eight from the line and finished with 10 points.
Freshman guard Kelly Oubre added 12 points by shooting 5-for-7 from
the floor, but he fouled out after playing just 19 minutes.
"We played tight and didn't seem to have the bounce," Self said.
"They played hard and were really good. ... We had to splice it
together, but somehow guys found a way."
From Traylor's standpoint, he needed to offer a boost inside with
Ellis unavailable.
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"We were not scared," Traylor said. "We always know it's a
possibility we can come back. We know we've got to keep pushing it."
The chance to claim the Big 12 crown outright weighed on the
Jayhawks but also provided incentive.
"It was definitely important. You never want to share it," Traylor
said. "We wanted to cut down the nets here, because we hardly ever
get to do that."
The Mountaineers established control early, then maintained the lead
throughout most of the second half. Sophomore guard Tarik Phillip
contributed 13 points for West Virginia, and junior forward Jonathan
Holton scored 12.
The Mountaineers played without senior guard Juwan Staten. The
preseason player of the year in the Big 12 missed his second
consecutive game with a knee injury. In addition, senior guard Gary
Browne was out with an ankle injury.
Huggins bristled when asked about the absence of his two senior
guards and preferred instead to credit younger players who fought
Kansas to the wire.
"We deserved to win the game," he said. "We didn't do enough at the
end. We played hard; we didn't play smart."
NOTES: Injuries prevented G Juwan Staten (knee) and G Gary Browne
(ankle) from suiting up for West Virginia. It was the second
straight game Staten, the Mountaineers' leading scorer with a
14.5-point average, sat out. Browne was injured in a Feb. 28 loss at
Baylor. ... Staten scored 20 points in the Mountaineers' win over
the Jayhawks on Feb. 16 and is one of three Big 12 players to net 20
in three consecutive games against Kansas. ... West Virginia came
into the game forcing 20.2 turnovers on average, six more than the
Big 12 team ranked second in that category, Oklahoma. ... Kansas F
Cliff Alexander missed his second straight game as the NCAA conducts
an investigation into a matter involving the Chicago freshman. ...
The only college basketball programs with longer runs of successive
titles than Kansas are UCLA (13 from 1967-79 in the Pac-10) and
Gonzaga (11 from 2001-11 in the West Coast Conference).
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