KU Jayhawks’ next road foe, West Virginia, has senior guard who launches many 3s
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KU defense slipped after Christmas; opponents made double-digit 3s twice.
- West Virginia’s Honor Huff paces the team with 60 makes and 41.4% accuracy.
- KU must tighten perimeter communication and limit WVU catch-and-shoot attempts.
Kansas’ men’s basketball opponents have hit double-digit 3-pointers in two of the Jayhawks’ last three games — wins over TCU (15 made 3s) and Davidson (11).
That follows a stretch of 12 contests in which just one opponent, Princeton, converted 10 or more long-distance shots against KU (Princeton hit 10).
“We haven’t been connected on the defensive end like we were prior to Christmas,” said KU coach Bill Self.
Self’s Jayhawks (11-4, 1-1 Big 12) rank fifth in the country in field-goal percentage defense (27.0%) despite being torched for 15 threes in 35 attempts during Tuesday’s 104-100 overtime victory over TCU.
And KU next faces one of the country’s most prolific 3-point shooters on Saturday at West Virginia. WVU’s Honor Huff, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior transfer who played at Chattanooga the past two seasons, has hit 60 of 145 three-point attempts (41.4%) entering Saturday’s game, which is set for 11 a.m. Central time at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown (TV: FOX).
Huff, a 40.5% shooter, averages 17.1 points per game with 17 total assists, 21 turnovers and 21 steals. He’s also very good at the line, having made 57 of 71 free-throw attempts (80.3%).
Only Louisville’s Ryan Conwell has attempted more 3-pointers (150). And only Tyler Lundblade of Belmont has made more 3s (62). Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic — he and the Cyclones will meet KU on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse — ranks third nationally in 3-pointers made (58) and 96th in 3s attempted (103).
Momcilovic enters this weekend’s set of games ranked first in the nation in 3-point accuracy (56.3%), while Huff is 49th (41.4%) and Conwell 87th (37.3%).
In comparison, KU’s leader in 3-point attempts is senior guard Tre White, who has made 23 of 55 shots beyond the arc (41.8%).
“They (Mountaineers) let their shooter shoot it,” Self said. “They’ve got three guys that can, but two of them really can and will shoot a lot of them. So we’ve got to do a great job defending the arc.”
Treysen Eaglestaff, a 6-6 senior transfer from North Dakota, has made 23 of 73 attempts from deep (31.5%). Jasper Floyd, a 6-3 senior transfer from North Texas, has drained 10 of 25 (40%).
“Maybe don’t switch as much. I think have better communication,” Self said of goals for Saturday’s game on the defensive end. “A lot of it is poor communication. We screwed up some non-switches the other day when they all they (TCU) did was just dribble the ball from one side of the floor to the other.
“Two guys … one of them thinks there’s a switch. One of them thinks there’s not and they (the Horned Frogs) have an advantage when they haven’t done anything. So we certainly can tighten that up. For the most part, up until the last two games, our defense has been pretty good. But the last two games, it hasn’t been at all.”
Self said a player like freshman forward Bryson Tiller “has got to be able to guard better, especially on the perimeter, because regardless if you’re switching or not, you’re going to guard somebody on the perimeter if you’re a 4-man in college basketball these days. So he’s got to get where he does that better.”
Led by first-year coach Russ Hodge, West Virginia will enter Saturday’s game with a 10-5 record (1-1 Big 12). WVU tripped Cincinnati 62-60 on Tuesday at home after dropping its league opener at Iowa State, 80-59. In the ISU game, Momcilovic hit eight 3-pointers in 10 tries and scored 26 points. Brooklyn, New York native Huff was 1-of-8 from 3-point range and scored six points in 36 minutes.
Huff hit eight 3-pointers against both Little Rock and Lafayette. As a team, WVU has made 129 of 356 3-point attempts (36.2%). The Mouintaineers’ opponents have made 106 of 301 (35.2%). Kansas is 117-of-327 from deep (35.8%). KU’s opponents are 111-of-411 (27.0%).
“It’s a tough league,” Jayhawks guard Elmarko Jackson said. “There are a lot of great players. We’re excited to match up with their guys. They’ve got an elite shooter in Honor Huff and Eaglestaff, as well.
“We’re going to have to focus in and hone in on those two guys along with their supporting cast. We’re going to focus on those guys. Make sure we can limit their 3-point attempts.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM.
