MORGANTOWN - In my pregame notes the first two keys I listed for Kansas State were to play defense without fouling and to convert easy opportunities inside.

The Wildcats did neither of those things.

My third point, however, was titled, 'Big Game Barry,' in reference to the need for Barry Brown to produce a big offensive game.

That did happen, and because of it Kansas State (20-6, 10-3 Big 12 Conference) beat West Virginia (10-16, 2-11) on the road Monday night to maintain its lead atop the Big 12 Conference.

After scoring 23 points in the loss to Iowa State, Brown - perhaps the leading candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors - scored 21 points to go along with four assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Oh, and give Xavier Sneed credit for some very timely three-pointers mid-way through the second half when it appeared Bob Huggins' team could challenge.

Let's recap all of the happenings from Morgantown in The Post Game.

Brown cooled off just a bit down the stretch, but there was a segment of basketball where the senior couldn't miss.

He also established himself as K-State's leader - once again - with an impassioned speech to his teammates during a timeout at the under-12 minute mark and the game tied. K-State would go on to drill the Mountaineers from that point forward - much like they did after halftime in Manhattan and another passionate message from Brown - to earn a key road win as the Wildcats navigate the final third of their Big 12 schedule.

Nights like this - which have become common for Brown - are why he's developed into the best player in the league.

Sneed deserved consideration for going 4-of-4 of three in the second half and grabbing six second-half rebounds, but Brown's consistency while his teammates were struggling put him over the top.

K-State came out and played right into West Virginia’s hands on the offensive end. Four of the five first shots of the game from the Wildcats were threes with the only two coming because West Virginia saved the ball right to Makol Mawien underneath the K-State basket. West Virginia’s guards were extremely physical with their defense on the perimeter, and K-State too easily gave into their physically. Too many times a K-State guard tried to get open by posting up on the perimeter instead of moving without the ball or going and screening someone.

On the defensive end, K-State’s attention to detail and communication wasn’t where it needed to be. Derek Culver is a left handed player, and even when he puts the ball on the floor going to his right, he wants to get back to his left hand. K-State frequently got caught out of position by not playing to the scouting report, which led to a plethora of fouls.

Two key spots in the first half occurred because of mistakes on the offensive end by the Wildcats.

After K-State forced a turnover, Xavier Sneed was ahead of the pack, but lost the ball going up for a one handed dunk. West Virginia made K-State pay by hitting a three and a Culver basket inside on successive possessions after the missed dunk. Later in the half, Levi Stockard did a good job defensively of staying in front of Culver which led to a three second call on him. However, Stockard returned the favor on the other end by committing an offensive foul. Again, the Mountaineers made the Wildcats pay with a long three.

After a start to the second half that needs no analysis, it looked like Barry Brown was going to once again put the team on his back. He took and made a corner three that was one of those shots that would have been considered a bad shot had it not gone in, and then he went to work with his mid-range game. As soon as K-State was beginning to find a little comfort on both ends of the court, Brown went to the bench with his third foul.

To K-State’s credit, they played their best basketball of the night after West Virginia tied the game at 42.

After Dean Wade found an open Mawien and Sneed on back to back possessions, K-State came out of a WVU timeout with a renewed sense of purpose. Bob Huggins ran a set to isolate Wade on the perimeter, and Wade showed off his versatility on that end by keeping the ball in front of him. On their next possession, the Mountaineers ran another set where they set a cross screen for Culver and then a double down screen for the screener. Wade helped to take away Culver and then received help off of the double. And on the third possession out of the timeout, Wade helped on Culver on his left side forcing a tough shot that he badly missed.

This was the K-State team we have seen on the defensive end for the vast majority of the year.

In between those defensive possessions, K-State moved the ball well and made good decisions on the offensive end. The threes they took in that stretch were much better shots as they came off good ball movement. And twice Kam Stokes made a good decision by turning down a guarded three and getting good looks from two.

At the end of the day, this team is now 7-1 on the road in conference play, and that is extremely impressive any way you slice it.

On being led by veterans...

We win these road games, and you do that with experience. You’ve got guys who have been through it, they’re poised, they stay focused, they’re disciplined on defense. You only have a chance if you guard on the road. You know, we had a seven-point lead, and we subbed Dean (Wade), he needed to come out, he got his third (foul). Mack (forward Makol Mawien) - we had so many guys in foul trouble, and they went on a quick run. And these guys went out, and the dunks - Dean hit Xavier (Sneed) for a 3. It went to five and then that went to 14. I think with West Virginia, if you watch them - and obviously you do - there’s always a breaking point where somebody just kind of takes it over. Tennessee, they’re playing with them and then all of a sudden - Texas, it was a four-point game at halftime, and all of a sudden, it’s 1618. And I was surprised, all of a sudden I look at the scoreboard and boom, we’re up 14, then 16, and even messed up a couple plays. These guys (deserve) a lot of credit. Barry’s an unbelievable leader, (he has) just been amazing. I’ve got to give Kam (Kamau Stokes) and Dean a lot of credit for playing. I didn’t know if they would play as of today. And you know, they both played and did a great job. Now, we’ve got to see after a three-hour flight home how they’re doing tomorrow morning, but we do have a couple days off where, hopefully, they can recover and get back to practice a little bit on Thursday. Get ready for Oklahoma State on Friday.

-Kansas State Coach Bruce Weber

On leaving Morgantown with a win...

I guess I made a good decision. We came out Saturday night after our game. We made that decision a long time ago, but I saw four out of five on the road, a Saturday, Monday. The longest trip in the league. I said get out here, really get focused, get away from all the chatter and talk and be prepared. Hopefully, it worked. I don’t know, the players could probably tell you better. It was a gutsy win. We knew - they battle everyone. Kansas jumped on them the other day, but you know he (West Virginia coach Bob Huggins) is going to get them to play. I thought their defense was way better in the first half than it’s been. They did a lot of good things. We had no answer for (WVU freshman forward Derek) Culver, except just keep putting more guys in to foul him, I guess. Finally, we made the run. Barry (Brown Jr.) made big plays, Kam (Kamau Stokes) made big plays, Xavier (Sneed), after those air-ball layups in the first half, was huge in the second half. I think (he had) 16 points, five 3’s in that run.

-Kansas State Coach Bruce Weber

At this point, every game is simply about K-State winning, and that's what the Wildcats accomplished tonight in Morgantown.

As ugly as it was, it's okay to remember Kansas lost in this building earlier this season in league play. The Wildcats won here, and that's one reason why they've earned a one-game lead over the Jayhawks, Red Raiders and Iowa State.

K-State needs to play better than it did tonight, but you can be certain Weber and company are happy to have this road trip out of the way with a victory - and what seems like an increasingly healthy team.

The Wildcats will head back home immediately tonight and grab some much, much needed rest before returning to the court Saturday against Oklahoma State. In the mean time K-State will sit back and see how the rest of the Big 12 competitors fare over the week, as the Wildcats maintain their perch atop the league standings.