Kansas vs West Virginia gave Jayhawks the chance to prove how dominate they can be.
Kansas vs West Virginia reminded the nation how good Kansas is with a 79-65 win and that the Big 12 title still goes through Lawrence. Kansas shot the ball extremely well knocking down 16 three pointers along with a defensive masterpiece. Here are three takeaways from this game.
1. Kansas Shot Lights Out  Â
Kansas electric shooting was on display as they made a total of 16 three pointers, which guided them to an easy win against West Virginia. Kansas was one make shy of tying the single game record for made three pointers against a conference opponent. Christian Braun lead the team with six made threes, Jeff Wilson had four, and Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett each had three. Kansas was able to take advantage of wide-open shots, which allowed them to beat West Virginia by double digits. This was a very impressive win for Kansas to shoot the ball extremely well against a deference that was limiting opponents to 27.7 percent from three-point range. The Kansas Jayhawks performance against West Virginia was flawless and if they continue to shoot extremely well, they will pick up more impressive wins in a loaded Big 12 conference.
2. West Virginia’s Defense Was Atrocious
West Virginia has always prided itself on being a defensive team that will make teams grind out difficult shots. The notable West Virginia defense was non-existent against Kansas, which hurt West Virginia’s opportunity to gain a statement win. Early in the season, West Virginia’s defense lived up to their expectation when they battled against Gonzaga and took down Richmond. West Virginia was the victim of a lights out performance by Kansas, but the defense was struggling. If West Virginia want to be considered a title contending team, the defense is going to have to be consistent when matched up against other title contending teams. The frontcourt needs to step up if West Virginia is going to turn around this bad loss. Derrick Culver, Emmitt Matthews Jr., Oscar Tshiebwe, and Gabe Osabuohien must play better on both sides of the court in order for West Virginia to be considered a title contending team.
3. Christian Braun Shines
Christian Braun lead the team with 22 points and shot it extremely well and helped carry Kansas to a very important win. Braun was very impressive as he started a 14-3 run by Kansas that put the game out of hand early in the second half. Braun not only contributed with his six three pointers, but also had 7 assists and was a major facilitator. Braun steeped up big for Kansas and will continue to be a big piece.
Kansas moved to 8-1 on the season with impressive wins against West Virginia, Creighton, and Texas Tech. Next up, Kansas will take Christmas break and pick up on Saturday, January 2 against Texas.
West Virginia suffered its second loss of the season going to 7-2. Next up, West Virginia will play Buffalo on Tuesday, December 29