Preview: Kansas at West Virginia

STAR CITY, W.Va. (Interstat) — Two teams riding the momentum of close conference victories will meet Saturday when the Kansas Jayhawks visit the West Virginia Mountaineers in a Big 12 matchup at WVU Coliseum.

Kansas (11-4, 1-1 Big 12) is coming off a 104-100 overtime thriller against TCU on Tuesday. The Jayhawks have won three of their last four, with the lone loss a six-point road defeat at UCF.

West Virginia (10-5, 1-1) edged Cincinnati 62-60 on Tuesday, bouncing back from a 21-point loss at Iowa State to open league play.

The spotlight will be on the backcourt, featuring two of the conference’s most dynamic scorers. Kansas sophomore guard Darryn Peterson enters on a hot streak, averaging 25 points over his last three games. He poured in a career-high 32 points in 31 minutes against TCU.

He will be matched by West Virginia’s senior guard Honor Huff, who scored 24 points in the win over Cincinnati and had 24 in a double-overtime loss at Ohio State last month. Huff’s production is critical for the Mountaineers; they are 0-3 this season when he scores fewer than 10 points.

Kansas, which has won its last two road games at Tennessee and North Carolina State, will test a West Virginia defense that allows just 66.9 points per game at home. The Jayhawks’ offense, averaging 77.5 points, will rely on Peterson alongside key contributors Tre White and Melvin Council, who had 18 points and eight assists against TCU.

West Virginia will need more consistent scoring beyond Huff. Treysen Eaglestaff and Chance Moore combined for 24 points off the bench against Cincinnati.

The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 17-6, but the Mountaineers have historically been tough at home, making this a pivotal early conference test for both squads.

Tipoff is set for Saturday afternoon. Kansas hosts Iowa State next Tuesday, while West Virginia travels to face Houston.