West Virginia Upsets No. 3 Kansas 91-85 in Thriller

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia basketball upset No. 3 Kansas by a final score of 91-85 on Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.

WVU F Quinn Slazinski went 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in just a few seconds after securing his own rebound on a miss. After many trips to the line, this helped secure West Virginia’s second Big 12 win of the year. Kerr Kriisa stole the ball with under five seconds.

Kansas (15-3, 3-2 Big 12) started on fire out of the gate behind freshman guard Johnny Furphy. Furphy started out 3-of-3 from deep as the Jayhawks took a 13-6 lead early. West Virginia (7-11, 2-3 Big 12) answered very well with a great start from three. Kriisa began 3-of-3 from three as well. WVU capped off a stretch of 3-threes in a row thanks to Kriisa, Kobe Johnson and Seth Wilson.

RaeQuan Battle answered many Kansas baskets with some of his own. Battle scored 17 points in the first 16 minutes of the game. The Montana State transfer ended the game with 23 points and nine rebounds. Battle secured a vital offensive rebound with just 40 seconds to go to give WVU another possession.

At one point during the first half, West Virginia was shooting 9-of-11 from three.

WVU F Pat Suemnick scored back-to-back baskets and a pair of free throws at the end of the first half to send the Mountaineers into the break tied at 51. Suemnick made his fourth-straight start on Saturday, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds. Suemnick’s 20 points was a career high for the junior forward.

West Virginia did not play as well on the defensive end, allowing 44 points in the paint. WVU has struggled to defend the paint the majority of the season. West Virginia did out-rebound the Jayhawks 31-22.

Other notable scorers for WVU: Kriisa (15), Wilson (9), Slazinski (8).

WVU C Jesse Edwards was seen warming up before the game and was dressed. Edwards has been sidelined since fracturing his right wrist on Dec. 16 against UMass. Edwards had successful surgery the following week as the program said originally he would miss approximately four weeks.

Entering the game, Kansas won six in-a-row over West Virginia dating back to 2021.

West Virginia will have a couple of days off until traveling down to Orlando, Fl. for a matchup with UCF on Tuesday. The Mountaineers and Knights will tipoff at 7 p.m.