West Virginia @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Kansas 64, West Virginia 65

For all of its problems winning on the road, Kansas hasn't encountered any such issues at home. The 14th-ranked Jayhawks aim to remain undefeated at home this season and stretch their winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse to 18 games Saturday when they host West Virginia.

Kansas won for only the second time in eight true road outings following Monday's 82-77 overtime victory at TCU, ending a four-game slide in such contests - a stretch which began with a 65-64 upset loss to the Mountaineers on Jan. 19 and gave West Virginia its first Big 12 win after opening conference play with five losses. Devon Dotson (season-high marks of 25 points and 10 rebounds) and Ochai Agbaji (20 points, season-high 11 boards) led a group of four freshmen starters versus the Horned Frogs, accounting for two of the team's three double-doubles. "Those two freshmen (Dotson and Agbaji) were just incredible. … They got 21 rebounds and Devon had some turnovers, but God he was good. … Ochai made that huge one (3-pointer) in overtime," Kansas coach Bill Self said. West Virginia's tumultuous season continued along that path Monday when the school announced starters Esa Ahmad and Wes Harris had been dismissed from the team, which came shortly after the Mountaineers lost 75-53 at home to Texas to fall to 1-5 since their win against Kansas.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (10-14, 2-9 Big 12): Coach Bob Huggins declined to elaborate on the suspensions of Ahmad (12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Harris - one of the team's top defenders - other than to say both players violated athletic department policies. Junior center Sagaba Konate (team-high 13.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, team-high 2.8 blocks) has missed the last 16 games due to a right knee injury and second-leading scorer James Bolden (12.2 points) has sat out the last four with a high-ankle sprain, leaving freshman Derek Culver (11.7 points, 8.7 rebounds) as the primary source of offense. "We’re just going to have to have some other people step up that really haven’t stepped up yet this year. We lost the guys who were really the leaders of the team," Huggins told MetroNews.

ABOUT KANSAS (19-6, 8-4): Self has utilized Dedric Lawson (Big 12-best marks of 19.4 points and 10.6 boards) much more on the perimeter lately, as the junior forward is 14-for-29 beyond the arc over the last seven games (6-of-29 over the first 18 contests). “I do think he’s more comfortable facing (up). … I think he’s had a pretty good run. … The reality of it is, I think when players can settle in on, ‘Hey, this is my role. This is how we play … that kind of stuff, you’re obviously better," Self said. Dotson (12.0 points) in particular has found a comfort zone in the last four games without Marcus Garrett in the lineup, averaging 19 points per contest in that time.

TIP-INS

1. Kansas' next victory will give the program its 30th consecutive 20-win season, one shy of the NCAA record set by North Carolina from 1971-2001.

2. West Virginia is 0-6 all-time in Lawrence, although the last two meetings in Allen Fieldhouse have been decided by five points or fewer.

3. Three Jayhawks (Dotson, Lawson and Agbaji) each grabbed 10 boards Monday, marking the first time Kansas had three double-digit rebounders in the same game since 2010 and only the second time it has happened since the 1988-89 season.

PREDICTION: Kansas 80, West Virginia 58