Coming into this week, West Virginia men’s basketball had not won against a top-ranked team in more than 30 years. That changed Tuesday night, as the Mountaineers defeated #1 Kansas 74-63 in Morgantown. It’s the third straight home win for West Virginia over the Jayhawks, an impressive feat considering the fact that Kansas continues to be the standard-bearer for Big 12 men’s basketball.

What makes it unique is the circumstances of the last two matchups at the WVU Coliseum. The game in 2015 came in the midst of a snowstorm that affected nearly the entire Mountain State, canceling school in some areas for a whole week. Tuesday brought another snowstorm; though not as severe as last year, it was enough for schools to either have a delayed start or an early dismissal. A very unique coincidence given the WVU-Kansas matchup both evenings, but it is indeed a coincidence.

With Tuesday’s win, West Virginia is the last remaining Big 12 team yet to lose in conference play. Their only loss of the season came at the Jimmy V Classic in New York City, where they were in control against Virginia late in the first half, until the Cavaliers pulled away in the second to win. Apart from that game, the Mountaineers were rarely tested until their meeting with the Jayhawks, where they proved they are a force to be reckoned with.

Next for West Virginia: a trip to Norman and second-ranked Oklahoma. The Mountaineers have not won in Norman since joining the Big 12, but the opportunity still remains; very rarely has one team played the top two teams in the country in the same week. Even if the Mountaineers fall Saturday, it’s likely they’ll find themselves in the top ten of both major basketball polls come next Monday.

As for Kansas, they can look at the degrees of success other Mountaineer opponents have had since playing WVU. Marshall, for example, had a poor start to the season even before the Capital Classic loss to the Mountaineers; the Thundering Herd have since opened Conference USA play on a win streak, albeit all their games so far have been at home, where they generally have more success. Virginia Tech took the lessons learned from a December 30 loss to WVU and began ACC play with two straight wins – including a win over in-state rival Virginia – although the Hokies did lose convincingly to Duke. How the Jayhawks respond to Tuesday’s outcome will have a big impact on what happens February 9 when West Virginia pays a visit to Lawrence.

Is this the year West Virginia breaks through and becomes a true Big 12 contender? The jury is still out for this season, but all signs indicate that may be the case in the near future.