WVU Basketball: Can West Virginia knock off the Kansas Jayhawks?

The West Virginia Mountaineers will look to keep their unblemished home record alive when the #22 Kansas Jayhawks come to Morgantown on Saturday. West Virginia is coming off a thrilling win over Cincinnati in which they collected their first win in Big 12 play, improving to 1-1.Hope Coliseum in Morgantown figures to provide an electric atmosphere as it typically does when the blue-blood Jayhawks come to town. Since joining the Big 12, WVU has a 7-5 record over Kansas at home.How They Got HereKansas is entering Saturday’s matchup with WVU, bolstering an 11-4 (1-1) record thus far. They have picked up notable wins in non-conference play over Notre Dame, Syracuse, Tennessee, Missouri, and NC State. They fell to North Carolina on the road, lost to Duke on a neutral site, and were beaten by UConn at home. To open up Big 12 play last weekend, Kansas was upset by the UCF Knights in Orlando. At home Tuesday, it took a furious late 2nd-half comeback by the Jayhawks just to force overtime, where they would prevail against TCU, 104-100. Numbers to Know21.8Only two teams in the Big 12 (Colorado, Arizona) attempt fewer threes per game than the Kansas Jayhawks, who attempt 21.8. The Mountaineers' previous matchups with Iowa State and Cincinnati looked a bit different in this regard. Iowa State is the most-efficient 3-point shooting team in the conference, making 41.3% of its shots from downtown. Cincinnati attempts more threes than any team in the Big 12 with 29.1 attempts per game. 43Although it was a small one-game sample size, TCU nearly knocked off the Jayhawks due to impressive shooting from beyond the arc. TCU made 15-of-35 (43%) attempts from 3-point territory on the road at Allen Fieldhouse. They outscored Kansas by 21 points from beyond the arc. The Jayhawks shot an efficent 40%, and made 8 of their 20 attempts. 41 & 88In a bit of a “something’s gotta give” number to recognize entering the matchup, the Jayhawks’ offense and Mountaineers’ defense have been on opposite sides of the spectrum to begin Big 12 play. Through their first 2 games (UCF, TCU), Kansas is assisting on just 41% of their made baskets. Conversely, West Virginia (against Iowa State and Cincinnati) is allowing opposing offenses to assist on 88% of their made shots. The Cyclones and Bearcats combined for just 6 unassisted made baskets. Through 2 games, Kansas has 34 unassisted field goals. Players to Know Darryn Peterson, the standout KU freshman is battling a lingering hamstring injury that has limited him to just 6 games played. However, in those 6 games, Peterson has played incredibly well. He is averaging 22.5 points per game while shooting over 43% from three-point range. After not playing in late November, Peterson played two games in the first half of December before being sidelined again. Peterson has played in both conference games for KU and has scored a combined total of 58 points. With Peterson sidelined for 9 games, Kansas has been led by a trio of scorers. Collegiate journeyman Tre White is averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds while shooting over 40% from downtown. White had previous stops at USC, Louisville, and Illinois. Flory Bidunga is a 6’10 sophomore from Congo. After playing just 16 minutes per game last season, in which he averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds, Bidunga has elevated his game through the first half of this season. In 30 minutes per game, Bidunga is averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds to go along with over 2 blocks per game. The big man has 5 double-doubles this season. Melvin Council Jr. is a former teammate of Chance Moore’s at Saint Bonaventure. The senior guard has transitioned nicely into the Big 12, filling the stat sheet with nearly 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. By far, the Council’s best game this season came in the 77-76 overtime win against NC State. The senior guard scored 36 points and made 9-of-15 shots from beyond the arc. Council Jr. has only made 20 threes the entire season.