West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The examples stretch back for decades with the latest victim being TCU and head coach Jamie Dixon.

The Horned Frogs had a 16-point lead against Kansas inside the famed Allen Fieldhouse with 11 minutes and change to go on Tuesday night, only to fall in double overtime, 104-100.

“Disappointed with the loss. Disappointed by how it happened,” was how Dixon tried to explain it. “I take full responsibility for the loss. Whatever we tried to do, we didn’t do well enough. That’s on me.”

In a nutshell, that is the Kansas factor. It can’t be grabbed hold of and physically held. It can’t be fully explained, either. It’s just out there, like oxygen, looming over the other 15 teams in the Big 12 whenever they match up with the Jayhawks.

To be sure, West Virginia (10-5, 1-1 Big 12) and its fans know the feeling all too well. This time, it was in 2017, and the Mountaineers had a 14-point lead with 2:58 remaining against the then No. 3-ranked Jayhawks. Kansas mounted a furious comeback and won in overtime, 84-80.

Each instance, of course, only adds to Kansas’ lore, making the Jayhawks the most favorite team to beat in the Big 12. That’s despite the fact that Houston has established itself as a perennial power, Arizona is ranked No. 1 in the country and Iowa State is flourishing under head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Kansas, with its tradition that stretches from Wilt Chamberlain to Danny Manning, is still the one to beat, regardless of rankings or what the Big 12 standings may say.

WVU has done it eight times since joining the conference in 2012, with all eight being memorable, sometimes historical. That was the case last season, when former head coach Darian DeVries and point guard Javon Small led an injury-depleted roster into Allen Fieldhouse and came away with the program’s first road win against the Jayhawks.

Never mind that No. 22 Kansas (11-4, 1-1) has 21 wins against the Mountaineers. For the most part, those are tossed away like scrap paper into a waste basket.

The Jayhawks visit Hope Coliseum at 7 p.m. today having lost two in a row against WVU. DeVries’ victory was unexpected last season, as was WVU’s 91-85 on Jan. 20, 2024. That one became the highlight of Josh Eilert’s interim season as the Mountaineers head coach, a season that finished with a 9-23 record.

Ross Hodge now becomes the fourth WVU head coach in as many seasons to match wits with Kansas head coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Hodge will do so with a roster that is still rather new to life in the Big 12 and certainly inexperienced to what exactly the Kansas factor is.

“If you would have asked me before we played any games, I would have said absolutely,” said WVU guard Treysen Eaglestaff when asked if there is a different mindset when playing a team like Kansas. “After we’ve been into it a little bit, we know what we signed up for and we know what it is. For me personally, just because they are a blue blood or regardless of what they are, I’m just going to play my hardest.”

That just might be the other side to the Kansas factor, in that very few will speak publicly that it’s any different playing Kansas. The Jayhawks lace up their sneakers the same as everyone else after all.

To think differently is to admit a disadvantage, which is where Hodge comes into this story. He has one Big 12 victory under his belt, that being Tuesday’s 62-60 victory against struggling Cincinnati.

Self has 288 Big 12 wins – not counting the league tournament in which he’s won nine times – obviously creating a David-and-Goliath equation.

Don’t count Hodge as one who will put much thought into that equation.

“With all due respect to coach Self, who is probably on the Mt. Rushmore of college basketball coaches, no,” Hodge said. “Obviously you know who you are playing. When I was a junior-college coach and I’m 24 years old, you’re still coaching against Hall of Famers. You all may not know their names, but they are legends who had been coaching for 30 years. Scott Gernander at (San Jacinto College), Steve Francis and Sam Cassell and Lewis Orr. They were the Bill Selfs and Kelvin Sampsons of that level. I have much appreciation and respect, and so I’m going to give them my all when going up against them.

“Once the ball gets tipped, it really is your team just trying to out-execute his team. You don’t spend a lot of time thinking about much, other than how can I help our guys execute better and play better defense. That’s where your mind is.”

If it is a simple matter of execution, WVU does not look like a major underdog. Both programs are in the bottom tier of the Big 12 in points scored, while the Mountaineers are second in the conference in points allowed.

Kansas has the top player – no surprise there – in freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who is averaging 29 points per game in Big 12 play. Peterson is projected as either the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

WVU will counter with the homecourt advantage and with the hope that Honor Huff can stretch the Jayhawks out defensively with some sharp 3-point shooting. Huff enters the game leading the Big 12 with 60 makes beyond the arc.

From there it just may come down to a simple equation: Does the Kansas factor come into play yet again or does West Virginia create yet one more magical moment against the Jayhawks?

“We were on the opposite end (against Iowa State). When Iowa State went on their run, their crowd went ballistic,” Huff said. “To have that on the flip side at home, it just brings us so much momentum to want to make another play. Knowing your fans are behind you and they’re going to be going crazy. You don’t want to let them down.”