Kansas vs. WVU: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

For the fourth year in a row, Kansas went into West Virginia with high expectations and left with a loss.

The Jayhawks had won 18 games in a row since their opening-night loss, but the Mountaineers outworked their opponent to earn an 85-69 victory over the No. 2 team in the country.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports summed up the winning team:

ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello also noted the long-term implications of the win:

While West Virginia is known for its press-heavy defense, it was the offense that led to the success with Esa Ahmad being the clear star of the day. He finished with a career-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting.

Three other players were in double figures for the Mountaineers, although Jevon Carter was also impressive with nine points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals.

Josh Jackson was as good as advertised for Kansas with 22 points, while Devonte' Graham added 17 of his own. The team also shot 13-of-29 from three-point range and only had a respectable 13 turnovers against this tough defense.

However, star guard Frank Mason III finished with 15 points on just 6-of-16 shooting from the field. This, plus poor half-court defense, doomed the No. 2 team in the country in this one.

John Gasaway of ESPN.com questioned the Jayhawks defense:

With that said, West Virginia deserved a lot of credit for excelling with its half-court offense throughout the game. 

The high level of play was apparent from the opening tip with the two teams battling back and forth in the first half.

Ahmad was a big part of the Mountaineers success early, as described by John Raby of the Associated Press:

The sophomore scored 12 in the first half, although the Jayhawks eventually woke up. They took control of the game by taking care of the basketball and knocking down shots from the outside to tally a 9-0 early run. The squad eventually built up a 28-22 advantage for the biggest lead in the first half.

John Antonik of West Virginia's official site described the shooting barrage as the half progressed:

Still, the home team continued to force the action and went in to halftime with a three-point lead.

Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star described the first half:

This disproved the idea that the Mountaineers can only score on fast-break points off turnovers.

West Virginia flexed its muscle again to start the second half, scoring the first six points to go up 44-35. As the half continued, the usually strong defense allowed the lead to reach double digits at 55-45 with about 13 minutes remaining.

Matt Tait of KU Sports noted the effort being the difference:

ESPN.com's Fran Fraschilla added his note:

Every time Kansas tried to keep it close, West Virginia would go on yet another run to build the lead back up.

Ahmad continued to make shots while the players in the low post kept battling for rebounds, helping the Mountaineers stay in front. Once they earned a 74-64 lead with about three minutes remaining, it was all but over.

West Virginia eventually closed with a 27-10 run to finish the game and earn a 16-point victory.

The schedule only gets tougher for Kansas, which will go on the road to face Kentucky on Saturday. The Jayhawks needed overtime to survive last year's matchup of the blue bloods, and the next game should be just as good.

West Virginia will get a bit of a break in its SEC opponent with a home game against Texas A&M.

Postgame Reaction

Ahmad was the best player on the floor in this game with 27 points, which didn't come as a surprise to West Virginia coach Bob Huggins.

"Esa was the Esa we all thought and hoped he would be," Huggins said after the game, per Chris Anderson of 247Sports.

The forward discussed the difference from previous games, per Keenan Cummings of Rivals.com:

While the result was disappointing for Kansas, one of the team's veterans provided some perspective.

"A loss is not the worst thing if you can learn from it," senior Landen Lucas said, per the team's official Twitter account. "Come practice though, we need to be ready."

A win over Kentucky would certainly help the Jayhawks forget about this loss.