3 reasons why West Virginia squandered a sure win versus Kansas

West Virginia had Kansas on the ropes with a 14-point lead in the game's final three minutes, but somehow couldn't close the deal. The Mountaineers made several crucial errors down the stretch that helped the Jayhawks force overtime and eventually steal a victory.

Here are three reasons why they blew it:

Turnovers

Essentially all West Virginia had to do to secure a win in the final minutes was hold onto the ball, and they couldn't do it.

The Mountaineers suddenly found it a monumental challenge to inbound the ball and were turning it over with regularity. Bob Huggins' crew had six turnovers in the final five minutes, with Tarik Phillip owning two of those.

Those giveaways gifted Kansas extra possessions and a belief that they could pull off an incredible comeback.

Mountaineers defense disappeared

West Virginia did a great job defending the Jayhawks for most of the night, but that disappeared in the dying minutes.

Part of that was Kansas making some incredible shots and pushing the pace on offense, yet it's still inconceivable the Mountaineers gave up 21 points in a 2:20 span.

Missed free throws

Anyone who knows anything about basketball knows all you need to do with three minutes left and a double-digit lead is make your free throws. West Virginia, though, apparently didn't get the memo.

The Mountaineers missed three critical free throws down the stretch, keeping Kansas in a game they had no business being in. A third of West Virginia's missed foul shots in the contest came in the game's final three minutes.

This loss for the Mountaineers is going to sting for quite some time.