Kansas basketball vs. West Virginia recap: Jayhawks win 76-62 against Mountaineers

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Kansas men’s basketball’s 2022-23 regular season continued Saturday with a Big 12 Conference matchup on the road against West Virginia.

The No. 3 Jayhawks came in off a win on the road against Texas Tech. The Mountaineers came in off a loss on the road against Oklahoma State. Last season, Kansas topped West Virginia twice during the regular season and once more during the Big 12 tournament.

Did coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks squad come away with another win in Morgantown? Did coach Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers squad remain undefeated at home? A 3-0 start in conference play would put Kansas in great position to compete for another Big 12 title this year.

RELATED:Here’s how to watch Kansas men’s basketball vs. West Virginia in Big 12 Conference matchup

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Here's what happened inside the WVU Coliseum:

FINAL: Kansas 76, West Virginia 62

Kansas leads 73-55 against West Virginia with 3:49 left in 2nd half

The fans are starting to make their way to the exits in droves now, after starting to trickle out in the minutes that preceded this break. The Mountaineers are down 18 points. There's just under four minutes remaining in regulation.

It doesn't look like Bill Self is going to empty his bench just yet, though. All the starters are still in the game coming out of this break. The likes of Zach Clemence, MJ Rice and more are still on the bench.

Kansas leads 66-49 against West Virginia with 7:45 left in 2nd half

The Mountaineers have continued to struggle shooting the ball this half, while the Jayhawks have somehow been hitting better 50% of their opportunities. West Virginia is at 26.3% from the field and 12.5% from behind the arc this half, while Kansas is 52.9% from the field and 42.9% from behind the arc in that same timeframe. And it's following how the two sides have done so far in Big 12 Conference play.

Gradey Dick, Kevin McCullar Jr., Jalen Wilson and KJ Adams Jr. are all in double figures scoring for Kansas, and the Jayhawks could very easily have all five starters in there soon as Dajuan Harris Jr. has eight points. Dick leads Kansas with 16 points, and has shot the ball well throughout. He continues to shine in his freshman season.

Kansas leads 54-43 against West Virginia with 11:33 left in 2nd half

This game has been pretty ugly offensively, lately, on both sides. Teams aren't always getting great looks, and are too often missing the ones they do. And Kansas was even called for a five-second violation.

Maybe that's why Bill Self is going to give Zach Clemence some playing time here. Among the Jayhawks' bigs, even though he hasn't shot it well this season off the bench he has the potential to be the most prolific from deep. And that could be the spark Kansas needs.

Kansas leads 47-38 against West Virginia with 16:00 left in 2nd half

West Virginia is currently on a scoring drought that's lasted more than three minutes, although it'll likely end as one of its players is going to the free-throw line. The Mountaineers have missed their last five shots. And they haven't all been that great of looks.

Still, though, West Virginia has a chance. Kansas is leading by nine points, but doesn't seem to have that much momentum. Like the latter parts of the first half, the Jayhawks appear to be coasting without much energy.

HALFTIME: Kansas 42, West Virginia 35

Kansas leads 36-26 against West Virginia with 3:39 left in 1st half

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of energy in this one right now, on either side. It feels like the teams are coasting toward the break. And it's probably why the separation on the scoreboard between the teams hasn't changed much in the last four minutes.

Kansas leads by 10 points with about three and a half minutes left in the first half in a game that it's led by as many as 12. West Virginia's largest lead has been four points, but it's been a while since the Mountaineers have been in the lead. And West Virginia will need a spark to change that.

Kansas leads 28-19 against West Virginia with 7:58 left in 1st half

There have been a lot of empty possessions for Kansas lately, as evidenced by the fact they have only scored four points across about four minutes of play. That could be why Bill Self has put Bobby Pettiford Jr. and Gradey Dick back in, even though they each have two fouls. The Jayhawks need a spark offensively.

On the other side, West Virginia doesn't have anyone in foul trouble because it's only been called for one so far. That's five less than Kansas. And it's part of why the Mountaineers have been able to be 4-for-5 from the free-throw line and the Jayhawks just 2-for-2.

Kansas leads 24-14 against West Virginia with 11:59 left in 1st half

There are multiple Jayhawks in foul trouble already. Gradey Dick and Bobby Pettiford Jr. each have two fouls. It might mean that Kansas has to turn to MJ Rice off the bench more than Bill Self planned, but coming out of this break it looks like Self is still going with the main players of his rotation.

Regardless, the Jayhawks have hit each of their last nine shots. The Mountaineers, who've been playing with a clear size advantage, are only one for their last seven. And that's in large part why Kansas holds a 10-point lead.

Kansas leads 14-8 against West Virginia with 15:36 left in 1st half

The Jayhawks have started the game 4-for-5 from behind the arc, with Gradey Dick hitting a couple and Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr. each hitting one. Although the Mountaineers started off fast, that kind of shooting has allowed Kansas to take the momentum away from West Virginia. And if the Mountaineers can't drive the Jayhawks off the line, it doesn't look like things will change any time soon.

West Virginia has a size advantage in the post, and has been looking to use it. It's how the Mountaineers scored their first bucket. But overall West Virginia hasn't enjoyed much success offensively in the last couple minutes.

The game is underway

West Virginia won the opening tip, and the game has started.

Check out the starters

West Virginia won't be at full strength

Looks like Joseph Yesufu is available

Could Kansas get Joseph Yesufu back today?

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball vs. West Virginia updates: Jayhawks at Mountaineers