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Kansas Basketball: Ranking the Jayhawks’ 12 Big 12-winning teams

By Matt Ostrowski

Feb 27, 2016; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks fans cheer from the stands after the Jayhawks defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders 67-58 winning their twelfth consecutive Big 12 titles at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks fans cheer from the stands after the Jayhawks defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders 67-58 winning their twelfth consecutive Big 12 titles at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 23, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brazil center Augusto Lima (6) is defended by United States forward Keith Langford (5) in a men
Jul 23, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brazil center Augusto Lima (6) is defended by United States forward Keith Langford (5) in a men /

11. 2004-05 (23-7, 12-4 Big 12)

This particular team finished tied for first with Oklahoma, though the actual best team in the conference this year was probably Oklahoma State, led by John Lucas and Joey Graham.

This is one of just two Kansas teams under Bill Self to lose more than two games in a row. Which is odd, because everything was going well for them. They headed into February 14 matchup with Texas Tech as the number-one team in the country, and with a 20-1 record. They then lost to Tech in double overtime, and let that fatigue affect their next matchup when they lost to Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse! Which, if you haven’t been living under a rock, you know almost never happens.

Following their third straight loss against Oklahoma in Norman, they got back on track when they rattled off two straight wins over Oklahoma State and Kansas State, only to lose three of their final four games, including a loss to 14-seeded Bucknell in the Big Dance.

So if anything, this team is more “what could have been” as opposed to “they got pretty lucky in winning the Big 12,” like the previous team. Wayne Simien was one of the best players in the country, and a player of the year candidate that year. And Keith Langford was a great robin to Simien’s batman. Aaron Miles is one of the few traditional point guards that Bill Self has had (though he wasn’t recruited by Self), and was one of the better overall point guards in the country that year.

Overall, I think what this team really lacked was an identity. They were great, but something just kind of fell apart at the end, and when it came down to it, they just couldn’t find what they had earlier in the season.

Next: 2005-06

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