Saturday, January 10
Morgantown, W.Va.
Noon
West Virginia University
11-5,2-1Big 12
86
vs
75
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Kansas
11-5,1-2Big 12
1
2
F
Kansas
43
32
75
West Virginia
39
47
86
West Virginia Rallies to Collect Third-Straight Victory Over Kansas
January 10, 2026 02:53 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia used a 16-0 run over a seven-minute stretch in the second half to defeat 22nd-ranked Kansas 85-75 Saturday afternoon at Hope Coliseum.
The Jayhawks appeared to be in full control of things when Tre White's 3 with 14:55 seconds left put them ahead 59-51.
But then they went ice cold.
Kansas (11-5, 1-2) missed its next eight shots before White finally ended the drought with 7:54 left, but by then West Virginia was leading 67-59.
"I thought our gameplan discipline got better as the game went on," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge explained afterward. "That was what was frustrating early is we just weren't doing what we were being asked to do.
"Where can your help come from? How can you funnel it? Finally, we kind of got to a group - and this one happened to be our starting group - and they were able to keep them out of the paint and contested their shots," Hodge added.
After White's basket, WVU's margin swelled to 10 on Honor Huff's four-point play, a straight-away 3 from well beyond the 3-point line and then a free throw when he was fouled by Darryn Peterson in the act of shooting.
The lead got to 12 on Jasper Floyd's driving layup and returned to double digits after withstanding a KU run that had gotten the margin back to six, 73-67.
At this point, center Harlan Obioha made a big basket when he grabbed Brenen Lorient's missed 3 and followed it up.
Then, White's missed jumper was retrieved by Huff and he was fouled by Melvin Council Jr. Both free throws were good, pushing the lead back to 10, and the margin returned to 12 with 34 seconds left when the Kansas bench was whistled for a technical foul and Huff sank two more free throws.
West Virginia's second half defense was telling.
The Mountaineers limited Kansas to just 31% shooting and scores on only 13 of its 30 second-half possessions.
Meanwhile, WVU scored on 21 of its 33 second-half possessions for a 63.6% success rate in producing its first noteworthy victory of the Ross Hodge era.
"The amount of force they put on the rim …," he said of Kansas. "I was talking to our team before the game, and it really is like three Chance Moores coming at you consistently. We got a little spread out and just didn't keep the ball out of the paint for so many minutes of (the first half).
"But eventually, we were able to keep the ball out of the paint, and when they did miss, we were able to come up with rebounds," Hodge explained.
Huff led the way with 23 points, with 17 of those coming in the second half. Lorient contributed 18 points and six assists; Eaglestaff scored 12 and Obioha ended the game with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Mountaineers shot 48.2% overall and 42.3% from 3, hitting 11 of its 26 triples. WVU also cashed in at the foul line where it made 21 of 29, compared to 15 of 18 for Kansas.
"We made more free throws than they attempted, which is not very often that happens," Hodge said.
Peterson, considered one of the top prospects in this year's NBA Draft, led Kansas with 23 points, but he frequently checked himself out of the game in the second half when his team was trying to mount a comeback.
White tallied 18 and Council added 11 for Kansas, which has now lost three in a row to West Virginia dating back to a 91-85 WVU victory here on Jan. 20, 2024.
Hope Coliseum has turned into a very difficult place for Kansas to win. Today's loss drops the Jayhawks to 5-8 overall in the facility.
Many of the near-capacity crowd of 13,743 remained afterward to celebrate with the players and coaches and sing "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
"A special crowd, full building, noon tipoff and (the fans) help you with those runs and stretches when we weren't playing great," Hodge said.
West Virginia (11-5, 2-1) will continue its tour of the top 25 with a game looming at No. 7 Houston next Tuesday night.
The Jayhawks appeared to be in full control of things when Tre White's 3 with 14:55 seconds left put them ahead 59-51.
But then they went ice cold.
Kansas (11-5, 1-2) missed its next eight shots before White finally ended the drought with 7:54 left, but by then West Virginia was leading 67-59.
"I thought our gameplan discipline got better as the game went on," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge explained afterward. "That was what was frustrating early is we just weren't doing what we were being asked to do.
"Where can your help come from? How can you funnel it? Finally, we kind of got to a group - and this one happened to be our starting group - and they were able to keep them out of the paint and contested their shots," Hodge added.
After White's basket, WVU's margin swelled to 10 on Honor Huff's four-point play, a straight-away 3 from well beyond the 3-point line and then a free throw when he was fouled by Darryn Peterson in the act of shooting.
The lead got to 12 on Jasper Floyd's driving layup and returned to double digits after withstanding a KU run that had gotten the margin back to six, 73-67.
At this point, center Harlan Obioha made a big basket when he grabbed Brenen Lorient's missed 3 and followed it up.
Then, White's missed jumper was retrieved by Huff and he was fouled by Melvin Council Jr. Both free throws were good, pushing the lead back to 10, and the margin returned to 12 with 34 seconds left when the Kansas bench was whistled for a technical foul and Huff sank two more free throws.
West Virginia's second half defense was telling.
The Mountaineers limited Kansas to just 31% shooting and scores on only 13 of its 30 second-half possessions.
Meanwhile, WVU scored on 21 of its 33 second-half possessions for a 63.6% success rate in producing its first noteworthy victory of the Ross Hodge era.
"The amount of force they put on the rim …," he said of Kansas. "I was talking to our team before the game, and it really is like three Chance Moores coming at you consistently. We got a little spread out and just didn't keep the ball out of the paint for so many minutes of (the first half).
"But eventually, we were able to keep the ball out of the paint, and when they did miss, we were able to come up with rebounds," Hodge explained.
Huff led the way with 23 points, with 17 of those coming in the second half. Lorient contributed 18 points and six assists; Eaglestaff scored 12 and Obioha ended the game with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Mountaineers shot 48.2% overall and 42.3% from 3, hitting 11 of its 26 triples. WVU also cashed in at the foul line where it made 21 of 29, compared to 15 of 18 for Kansas.
"We made more free throws than they attempted, which is not very often that happens," Hodge said.
Peterson, considered one of the top prospects in this year's NBA Draft, led Kansas with 23 points, but he frequently checked himself out of the game in the second half when his team was trying to mount a comeback.
White tallied 18 and Council added 11 for Kansas, which has now lost three in a row to West Virginia dating back to a 91-85 WVU victory here on Jan. 20, 2024.
Hope Coliseum has turned into a very difficult place for Kansas to win. Today's loss drops the Jayhawks to 5-8 overall in the facility.
Many of the near-capacity crowd of 13,743 remained afterward to celebrate with the players and coaches and sing "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
"A special crowd, full building, noon tipoff and (the fans) help you with those runs and stretches when we weren't playing great," Hodge said.
West Virginia (11-5, 2-1) will continue its tour of the top 25 with a game looming at No. 7 Houston next Tuesday night.
Team Stats
KU
WVU
FG%
.426
.482
3FG%
.296
.423
FT%
.833
.724
RB
32
38
TO
6
9
STL
7
2
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
9
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballTV Highlights: WVU 86, Kansas 75
Saturday, January 10
Ross Hodge | Kansas Postgame
Saturday, January 10
Honor Huff, Harlan Obioha & Brenen Lorient | Kansas Postgame
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