Guards torched KU Jayhawks at WVU. Next they face Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham
Bill Self has witnessed some impressive individual scoring outbursts from opposing players during his 18 seasons as basketball coach at Kansas.
“Usually it’s a Michael Beasley or an Arthur Johnson — he had 38 on us one time — and they’re throwing it inside and whipping our (butt) that way,” Self said, speaking on a Zoom call to media members after West Virginia’s 91-79 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.
“We usually don’t have guards just whip us and that’s what happened. Those two combined for 54 (points),” he exclaimed of guards Miles McBride and Taz Sherman, who each had career highs in points. WVU’s McBride went for 29 points on 8-of-15 shooting (4-of-5 from three) and Sherman 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting (4-of-7 from three). Big man Derek Culver chipped in 19 points and nine boards.
The WVU guards’ efforts did not rival the 39-point explosion of Kansas State’s Beasley against KU during the 2007-08 season or the 37-point effort from Missouri’s Johnson against the Jayhawks in 2003-04.
They were certainly instrumental in beating KU on Saturday, however.
“McBride totally dominated the game. I mean he was a first-team All-American the way he played. He made every big shot, made free throws (9 of 9), had eight assists, seven rebounds,” Self said.
There have been some other notable performances by guards against KU this season as guard-heavy Oklahoma State heads to town Monday for a game against the Jayhawks. Tipoff for the Big Monday contest between KU (12-7, 6-5) and OSU (12-5, 5-5) is 8 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse with a live broadcast on ESPN.
Baylor guard Jared Butler scored 30 points in a 77-69 win over KU on Jan. 18 in Waco, Texas. Oklahoma guards De’Vion Harmon and Austin Reaves had 22 points and 16 points respectively in a 75-68 win over the Jayhawks on Jan. 22 in Norman, Oklahoma. Also guard Jalen Suggs scored 24 points in Gonzaga’s 102-90 season-opening win over the Jayhawks on Nov. 26 in Florida.
OSU guards Cade Cunningham, Bryce Williams and Avery Anderson scored 18, 17 and 14 points respectively, combining for 49 points in the Cowboys’ 75-70 win over KU on Jan. 12 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
“Oklahoma State’s beaten us once. They are plenty good enough to beat us twice,” Self said of coach Mike Boynton’s Cowboys, who defeated Texas, 75-67, in double overtime on Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
“We’re going to have to play well to beat them, so we’re going to have to let this one go,” Self added. of the loss to WVU. “We’ve got 48 hours to get it right and let it go and have a really good week which we still have an opportunity to do.”
KU plays Oklahoma State on Monday, then Iowa State at 7 p.m. Thursday, also at Allen Fieldhouse. After that, in a unique situation caused by a COVID-19 postponement earlier this season, KU also will meet the Cyclones at 2 p.m. Saturday, in Ames, Iowa.
“They all add up the same at the end, but I think there’s an opportunity playing at home the next two games to get some momentum,” Self said. “We need to make the most of that.”
He said there are some things to build off this week.
“That was about as locked in and as prepared as I thought our guys were going into a game as far as the mindsets,” Self said of Saturday’s game. “Then we go jack around and can’t finish the play early and play from behind.”
KU missed several inside shots early in falling behind the Mountaineers, 12-2. The Jayhawks also lagged early in the first meeting against the Cowboys. KU trailed by 11 points at halftime and 16 in the second half before making a comeback. Freshman sensation Cunningham, who is projected to be a top pick, maybe the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, hit 6 of 12 shots against KU (3 of 6 threes) and also had seven boards and three assists. He obviously will be fired up playing what likely will be his only game against KU in Allen.
“I think that Cade is the best freshman in the league hands down, but is he the best player? I think so. He’ll be one of the first (taken) in the draft,” Self said of Cunningham before the KU-OSU game on Jan. 12. “What I like about him the most is he’s a player, he’s just a basketball player. He can play 1 through 4, maybe 5. He rebounds his position .He’s got size. He’s got unbelievable vision. He can score all three levels. He has great pace and the game is in slow motion to him. That’s a tribute to his IQ and his feel and also his talent.”
Oklahoma State in the only team in the Big 12 to sweep a regular-season home-and-home series versus KU in the Self era. In 122 regular-season Big 12 home-and-home series, Kansas has 82 sweeps, 39 splits and has been swept once (by Oklahoma State in 2017-18).
“We have games coming up, it’s a quick turnaround so we can’t dwell on this one. But we can tap into more. We know that,” KU sophomore guard Christian Braun said. “We have plenty of games to go win and I know this team can do it. I think everyone’s head is in a good spot, but we just have to do it on the court. We have to stop talking about it and actually be about it.”
Noted freshman wing Jalen Wilson: “It’s basketball and we have another game to focus on for Monday. In basketball you sometimes have to focus on what’s in front of you and not think about the past and what you could’ve done. Another day, another game we just have to focus on competing.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Guards torched KU Jayhawks at WVU. Next they face Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham ."
