If this one didn't go as expected, it was only because of the thoroughness with which Kansas dispatched West Virginia. The Mountaineers were more than short-handed, and it showed even against a Jayhawks program sans arguably its best two players as well. The result was an 78-53 setback that was every bit as lopsided as the margin in a game decided by the half. We sift through the debris for takeaways in The Full 40.

HOT AND NOT

HOT

Derek Culver. This is debatable considering the freshman missed eight of 10 shots, but he also pounded the boards as best able with 12 - including four on offense on the multitude of Mountaineer misses - and finished with nine points and four assists with a pair of blocks against just two turnovers. This is the obvious bright spot in this blowout, as Culver battled and played 32 minutes while flashing the ability that will make him a centerpiece moving forward.

The second half. This is desperation talk, but WVU cut down its turnovers from 12 in the first half to just four through the initial stages of the second period. The Mountaineers finished with 24, but actually outscored KU 37-35 in the second half. All of that was meaningless, but it did show West Virginia didn't completely pack it in.