Kansas Jayhawks
Record: 30-4 (15-3 Big 12)
Head Coach: Bill Self (13th season)
Season Recap: Parity reigned supreme for much of the year in college basketball, but the Jayhawks separated themselves from the rest of the pack in February and emerged as the clear choice for the number one overall seed and the favorite to win the national title. Kansas enters the Big Dance riding a 14-game winning streak with victories against the likes of Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky and Iowa State. The late surge carried the Jayhawks to their 12th consecutive Big 12 regular-season title, and they followed that up by winning the conference tournament against West Virginia Saturday night.
Kansas won what was arguably the game of the year, a 109-106 triple-overtime instant classic Jan. 4 against the then-No. 2 Sooners in the only instance the top two teams in the AP poll faced off this season.
The Jayhawks shoot 43 percent from beyond the arc—the second-highest clip in the nation, trailing only Michigan State—with junior Wayne Selden and sophomore Devonte Graham each knocking down at least two triples per game. Senior Perry Ellis can also stretch the floor with his range but does most of his damage on the inside, leading the team with 16.7 points per game en route to a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second straight season. Junior point guard Frank Mason is Kansas’ fourth double-digit scorer with 13.1 points per game and also leads the team with 4.7 assists per game.
How they make a run: The Jayhawks put the pieces together with their most experienced team in years and Ellis dominates the tournament to finish his illustrious college career cutting down the nets in Houston. The supporting cast of Selden, Graham and Mason proves to be steady and reliable, nailing a few timely 3-pointers to stave off an upset bid or two along the way.
How they falter: The ghosts of years past continue to haunt the Jayhawks and another chapter is added to the book of recent upset losses Kansas has suffered in the NCAA tournament. Ellis is overmatched against a bigger power forward, and a formidable opposing frontcourt like that of Maryland—a possible Sweet 16 foe—gets enough rebounds and second chance points to send the Jayhawks packing.
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