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

No. 3 Kansas used a ferocious rally to force overtime and ultimately defeat No. 9 West Virginia 84-80 Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

The Mountaineers held a 14-point lead with three minutes remaining in regulation, but a heavy press helped force turnovers and give the Jayhawks a chance. They tied the game at 71 with 21 seconds remaining and got one more stop to force overtime.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports described the scene:

Kansas took control from there, as Frank Mason III made his free throws to seal the win. The guard overcame a poor shooting effort from the field to score a game-high 24 points, thanks to his 16-of-18 performance from the charity stripe.

Devonte' Graham was also key to the comeback as he scored 14 of his 18 points in the final three minutes of regulation and overtime.

ESPN's Jay Bilas compared the game to another thriller:

On a night when the crowd at Allen Fieldhouse set a record for the loudest roar at an indoor sporting event, the fans were treated to one of the most memorable games of the year.

It was hard to get a read of the action in the first half that featured a bunch of runs from both sides. 

West Virginia wasn't intimidated by the surroundings at the start of the game, jumping out to an impressive 10-0 lead in the first three minutes.

The lead reached 21-10 before Kansas finally woke up with a big run to take a five-point advantage with 5:56 remaining in the half. Keenan Cummings of Rivals.com described the situation:

The Mountaineers regained control to earn a 39-32 lead going into the half. Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore offered his take on what led to West Virginia's run:

The lack of a Kansas post presence led to some easy baskets and a bunch of offensive rebounds in this stretch for West Virginia. Lagerald Vick was keeping Kansas in the game with 10 first-half points, eventually finishing with 14 points.

Kansas' stars continued to struggle in the second half, with Josh Jackson especially having a hard time finishing despite being involved in almost every play. Although the Mountaineers weren't able to take advantage of the poor shooting early in the half, they still hit enough big shots to stay in front.

Eric Bossi of Rivals.com described the challenge for the home team:

West Virginia used its balance to pull away with just about everyone contributing. Esa Ahmad especially came through, making key shots while helping the visitors build a 64-50 lead.

The forward finished with 20 points after posting a career-high 27 points in the earlier win over Kansas. Tarik Phillip also helped out with 18 points.

After some fans started exiting the arena during a six-minute drought without a field goal, the Jayhawks made their comeback. A Graham three-pointer cut the lead down to just six points with 1:56 remaining, and this seemingly woke up the home team.

Scott Phillips of NBC Sports described the offensive struggles for the Mountaineers late in the game:

Two West Virginia turnovers in the final minute and some quality shooting were enough for Kansas to tie things up at 71 with a pair of Mason free throws with 21 seconds remaining. 

Graham remained red-hot in overtime to give Kansas a quick three-point lead, and the squad never looked back as it sealed the victory. Kansas also avoided back-to-back losses at home for the first time since the 1988-89 season.

Things only get tougher for the Jayhawks, which will now have to go on the road to take on Baylor on Saturday. They survived at home against the Bears earlier in the year but will be facing an angry team that just lost to Texas Tech on Monday.

West Virginia will now go through arguably its easiest stretch of the conference schedule with home games against Texas Tech and Texas, although every week proves there are no gimmes in the Big 12.

Postgame Reaction

"I think it's the most remarkable win I've ever been a part of," Kansas coach Bill Self said after the game, per Kansas announcer Brian Hanni.

The win helped Self continue an incredible statistic, as noted by ESPN Stats and Info:

"Basketball is a game of runs and coach said just keep fighting and play every play like it's our last," Mason explained, per the team's Twitter account.

From the other perspective, West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins summed up the loss.

"Pretty self explanatory," he said, per Matt Galloway of the Topeka Capital-Journal. "We had control of the game and didn't make free throws (or) guard them well enough."

This loss will sting as the Mountaineers try to improve their seed for the NCAA tournament.