Andre

West Virginia University began its Big 12 schedule in the heated and noise of the fabled Allen Fieldhouse at the University of Kansas.

No Mountaineer team had ever won at Kansas.

But now, the 2024-2025 team has won there!

Even though it played without usual starters Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry, the Mountaineers electrified the college basketball world with a 62-61 win. Javon Small made a tie-breaking free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining, to send the previously vocal crowd out into the Kansas night in disbelieving silence. And the Mountaineers had a win in Lawrence for the first time ever on Dec. 31, 62-61.

Harris

Eduardo Andre made seven of nine shots, had six rebounds and played 34 minutes in his most demonstrative performance of the season.

Small never left the game, playing all 40 minutes. He collared 11 rebounds, had six assists and scored 13 points.

Toby Okani played 34 minutes and scored seven points, while Sencire Harris added eight points in his 22 minutes.

Jonathan Powell played 31 minutes and scored 11 points in the ebb-and-flow game, that saw the Mountaineers maintain a grip on the overall tempo and texture of the conference game.

Kansas was never really rattled by the unforeseen tone of the game, but still could not prosper from its 19 for 21 showing at the free throw line, as compared with WVU’s 4-for-6 stat line on free throws.

Powell

Back at home in the Coliseum on Saturday, the Mountaineers literally swamped the Cowboys of Oklahoma State by rolling out to a long 46-19 halftime lead before settling for a 69-50 win that gave them a 2-0 beginning to the long and geographically scattered conference schedule.

Hansberry returned in a reserve role and was able to play 14 minutes and score six points. Small led all WVU scorers with his 24 points, and had 11 rebounds in his 37 minutes. Powell totaled 17 points and played 34 minutes. In his 27 minutes, Andre claimed 10 rebounds and had seven points. Harris added nine points in 33 minutes and made his first three-point field goals of the season.

In this post-New Year’s week of play, the Mountaineers were at home on Tuesday to play Arizona (a team they edged in overtime in a tournament) and will travel to face Colorado on Jan. 12 in Boulder.

The availability of DeVries and Jayden Stone (a transfer from Detroit Mercy who has yet to be healthy enough to ever play this season) are unknown.

History failed to do its ill will at Kansas. Will the Moutaineers get a healthy DeVries back at some time? Will the core of “long minutes” players continue to find the ways to control the tempo and raise the eyebrows of those who are now watching their every move?

Okani

Small

Hansberry