The Remarkable Consistency of Kansas in a Sport That Favors the Unexpected

Posted by Chris Stone on March 4th, 2015

Kansas rather unceremoniously captured a share of its 11th straight Big 12 regular season title when Iowa State roared back for a 77-70 win over Oklahoma in Ames Monday night. The Jayhawks came into last night’s home game against West Virginia wanting to be selfish, as head coach Bill Self told the Lawrence Journal-World, “We don’t want to share it.” It took five extra minutes of basketball to get it done, but Kansas clinched the outright Big 12 regular season title with a thrilling overtime victory over the Mountaineeers. The Jayhawks’ 11th Big 12 title in a row (shared or outright) ties Gonzaga’s WCC streak from 2001-11 for the second-longest streak in college basketball history. Nothing else in the modern era of college basketball even comes close. “I will be shocked if it happens again in a major conference,” Self said after the game. The streak, though, doesn’t end here. The number Kansas is chasing is 13 — John Wooden’s UCLA program won every Pac-8/10 conference title from 1967-79.

Screenshot 2015-03-04 09.17.03

Before chasing more historical milestones, the Jayhawks must worry about a somewhat cloudy remainder of this season. After an NCAA issue was raised last week, Kansas is still awaiting word on freshman Cliff Alexander’s eligibility. He has missed the last two games and his family has hired an attorney to expedite the investigation, but it remains unclear whether the big man will return to the Jayhawks’ lineup this season. The larger concern is with junior Perry Ellis. Ellis suffered a sprained knee in last night’s game against West Virginia and is likely to miss Saturday’s final regular season game with Oklahoma. Team doctors told Self that Ellis may be able to return in time for the Big 12 Tournament and Kansas will assuredly need its leading scorer at full health if it hopes to make any sort of run in the NCAA Tournament this year.

Kansas guard Frank Mason lifts the Big 12 trophy. (Nick Krug/KU Sports)

Kansas guard Frank Mason lifts the Big 12 trophy. (Nick Krug/KU Sports)

Even amid that cloud of uncertainty, Kansas will always have this moment. In a sport where the unexpected becomes ordinary, Self’s Jayhawks have become a symbol of long-term consistency. “You win the league three times in a row in the Big Ten, it’s not a big deal, it’s a huge deal. You have somebody else in our league win it two or three times in a row, it’s a big deal,” Self said. Indeed, Kansas has now won 11 straight league titles in one of the toughest basketball conferences in America over that span. That doesn’t change things for the Jayhawks, as Self made clear afterward, “Faces change, but expectations don’t.”

Chris Stone (136 Posts)

Chris Stone is a contributor to the Big 12 microsite. You can find him on Twitter @cstonehoops.


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