Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) gets to the bucket against West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (2) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WVU Coliseum.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) gets to the bucket against West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (2) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WVU Coliseum.

The Kansas Jayhawks already survived a stretch against three ranked teams in consecutive games a couple of weeks ago.

Next up is a Big Monday clash against No. 9 West Virginia (8 p.m., ESPN) before heading on the road to play No. 4 Baylor.

The Mountaineers snapped KU’s 18-game winning streak last month and sit two games back in the Big 12 race.

West Virginia leads the country in turnover margin (plus-10.1) and steals (11.1), second in scoring margin (plus-20.2), fourth in offensive rebounds (14.7), 10th in scoring offense (86.0) and 12th in assists (17.4).

Interesting note: The Mountaineers have a 6-1 record in their last seven games against AP Top 25 teams.

Series history: Kansas leads 6-4. Jayhawks have a 4-0 record against WVU inside of Allen Fieldhouse.

Vegas says: Kansas by 5.

WEST VIRGINIA STARTERS

No. 2 — G Jevon Carter | 6-2, 200, jr.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) gets to the bucket against West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (2) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WVU Coliseum.

• A two-time honoree on the All-Big 12 defensive team, Carter leads the conference with 72 steals this season. He ranks seventh in the nation with 2.88 thefts per game. No other player in the Big 12 has more than 59 steals.

• Along with his defense, Carter leads the Mountaineers with 11.8 points per game on 44 percent shooting. He’s dished 108 assists to 48 turnovers while grabbing an average of 4.4 rebounds.

• According to hoop-math.com, Carter only takes 25 percent of his shots at the rim, one of the lowest marks on the squad. He’s scored on 66 percent of those layups/dunks.

• Against KU this season: 9 points (3-of-8 shooting), 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals in 34 minutes.

No. 12 — G Tarik Phillip | 6-3, 195, sr.

photo by: Nick Krug

West Virginia guard Tarik Phillip (12) celebrates a dunk by West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate (50) during the second half, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WVU Coliseum.

• Phillip is averaging 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. He’s shooting 44 percent from the floor and 39 percent from deep, and 66 percent at the free throw line.

• A pesky defender, Phillip ranks second on the team with 42 steals and he’s blocked eight shots.

• According to hoop-math.com, Phillip usually scores on drives to the rim. Only 8.1 percent of his buckets at the rim were on assists from teammates.

• Against KU this season: 10 points (3-of-6 shooting), 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in 24 minutes.

No. 11 — F Nathan Adrian | 6-9, 235, sr.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) and West Virginia forward Nathan Adrian (11) compete for a loose ball during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WVU Coliseum.

• Second on the team in minutes (28.9 per game), Adrian averages 10.8 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds. He’s a strong passer with 72 assists to 37 turnovers.

• A Morgantown native, Adrian ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 3.0 offensive rebounds per game. He’s collected 74 offensive boards this season.

• One of the important glue players, Adrian is shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from downtown.

• Against KU this season: 11 points (4-of-6 shooting), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks in 29 minutes.

No. 23 — F Esa Ahmad | 6-8, 225, soph.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) looks to make a move on West Virginia forward Esa Ahmad (23) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at WVU Coliseum.

– Since scoring 27 points against Kansas last month, Ahmad has averaged 9.6 points, including a scoreless outing against Oklahoma State in 14 minutes.

– Throughout the season, Ahmad is averaging 11.6 points and 4.1 rebounds. He’s shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 64.9 percent at the free throw line. He’s added 29 steals and 18 blocks.

– Pronunciation: E-sa AAh-muhd.

• Against KU this season: A career-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 32 minutes.

No. 45 — F Elijah Macon | 6-9, 240, jr.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Perry Ellis wrestles with West Virginia forward Elijah Macon (45) for a ball during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

• Macon has posted averages of 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. He’s shooting 56 percent from the field and 63 percent at the charity stripe.

• His mom, Renai, died two years ago after battling cancer.

• Against KU this season: 7 points (2-of-2 shooting) and 5 rebounds in 11 minutes.

WEST VIRGINIA RECRUITS

G Brandon Knapper | 6-0, 170

• Playing at Hargrave Military Academy, Knapper has led his team to a 34-1 record. At the beginning of the season, he was averaging 24 points and five assists per game.

• As a senior in high school, at South Charleston High, Knapper was an all-state selection after averaging 28.5 points, 6.0 assists and 5.4 steals per game. He scored more than 1,000 points in his first two seasons at South Charleston.

• He chose the Mountaineers over offers from Marshall and East Tennessee State.

• Knapper grew up in California and dreamed of playing for UCLA before moving to West Virginia in the eighth grade.

• QUOTE: He was excited about going to prep school to make himself ready to play at this level,” Huggins said. “Because of that, we think he will be ready to come in and play major minutes with the loss of two senior guards.”

F Teddy Allen | 6-6, 225

• Allen grew up in Mesa, Arizona but attends Boys Town High in Omaha, Nebraska. He’s led his team to a 15-6 record, averaging 29.7 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. He recorded a quadruple-double last month with 33 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 steals in a game.

• He averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds during his junior season at Boys Town High, only playing in the second semester.

• According to West Virginia, Allen has a 6-8 wingspan.

• He chose West Virginia over Nebraska-Omaha and DePaul. His younger brother, Timmy, is a high-major recruit in Arizona.

• QUOTE: “It was hard to find something I didn’t like,” Allen said. “The school, the guys, the coach. The guys would do anything for Coach…. It was a situation where there was love all around and it was like a real family, which is when I play my best.”

F D’Angelo Hunter | 6-6, 180

https://twitter.com/_dlow0/status/782283500917559296

• Hunter, who attends Navarro College in Texas, previously played at Pleasure Ridge Park High in Louisville and St. John Northwestern Military Academy in Wisconsin.

• In 21 games, Hunter leads Navarro with 15.1 points per game on 33 percent shooting, including a 30 percent mark at the 3-point line. He added 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

• Last season, Hunter averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19 games.

• According to Rivals, Hunter had offers from Buffalo, Iona, Troy, Utah State and Eastern Kentucky.

• QUOTE: “D’Angelo is getting better and better all the time,” Huggins said. “He plays for a coach who demands hard work and plays the same pressing style as we do. He should be able to make a quick adjustment to our style of play at this level.”

F Wesley Harris | 6-8, 200

• Before playing at junior colleges, Harris averaged 10.3 points and 6.1 rebounds during his senior season at Callaway High in Mississippi alongside Kansas transfer Malik Newman. They won four state titles together.

• During his freshman year of JUCO ball at Northeast Mississippi, Harris averaged 18.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. He shot 47 percent from the field.

• He was supposed to play at Lawson State this year, but was sidelined with an unspecified injury.

• QUOTE: “Wesley is very physically talented player, who will add significant athleticism to our front line, Huggins said. “He will run and jump as well as anyone in our league. He also shoots the 3 extremely well, which will further enable us to extend defenses.”

F Derek Culver | 6-10, 210

• Playing at Warren G. Harding High, Culver led his team to a 23-4 record last season, averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. It’s the same high school that produced football players Korey Stringer, Mario Mannningham and Maurice Clarett.

• It was reported in January that Culver was removed from his high school basketball team. He had recently scored his 1,000th career point. The Warren Tribune Chronicle reported he was academically ineligible. Warren Harding coach Andy Vlajovich declined to provide a reason.

• Ranked 77th in the country by Rivals, the four-star prospect picked WVU over offers from Purdue, Indiana, Xavier, Illinois and North Carolina State.

• QUOTE: “Derek brings much-needed size and athleticism to the front line with the losses to our front line in the last couple of years,” Huggins said. “We expect him to be productive in filling those spots. He is a very agile big man who will be able to use his size and athleticism in our style of play.”