No. 7 Kansas Upset by Unranked WVU on Jermaine Haley’s Game-Winning Layup

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The West Virginia Mountaineers picked up a much-needed marquee win Saturday with a 65-64 upset victory over the seventh-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Jermaine Haley made a go-ahead layup with 8.5 seconds left, and the Mountaineers defense came up with a clutch stop on the game’s final possession. Haley led the way for WVU with 13 points, while James Bolden (12) and Derek Culver (11) also reached double figures.

Dedric Lawson posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Kansas, which shot just 43.6 percent from the field and turned the ball over 18 times.

The Jayhawks opened the season with 10 straight wins, including victories over the ranked Michigan State Spartans, Tennessee Volunteers and Villanova Wildcats. They’ve dropped three of their past eight games, however, and narrowly escaped an upset bid by the Texas Longhorns on Monday.

Kansas struggled to find a rhythm against West Virginia’s high-pressure defense. It made only five of its 16 attempts from three-point range and recorded a mere six assists on 24 field goals.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers pulled off the stunner without leading scorer Sagaba Konate, who is still sidelined by a knee injury.

West Virginia needed a statement win following an 8-9 start, which included five straight losses to open Big 12 play.

Chris Anderson of 247Sports provided postgame comments from WVU head coach Bob Huggins, who hadn’t lost faith in his team’s potential.

“We had a great practice. They were very engaged. There were 10 eyes on [me] when I talked about what we wanted to do. It worked,” he said. “We’ve said all along that we’re talented enough that we shouldn’t be where we are in the league standings. We’ve stubbed our toe with some dumb things.”

West Virginia will look to take another step toward a massive turnaround Monday night when it welcomes the Baylor Bears to WVU Coliseum.

Kansas will get a chance to avenge one of its three losses Monday when it returns home to take on the Iowa State Cyclones, who won the teams’ first matchup 77-60 on Jan. 5.