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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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January 11, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Brandon Rush (4) dribbles the basketball against Miami Heat forward Gerald Green (14) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Heat 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 11, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Brandon Rush (4) dribbles the basketball against Miami Heat forward Gerald Green (14) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Heat 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

10. 2005-06 (25-8, 13-3 Big 12)

It’s easy to remember how young and inexperienced the 2005-06 Jayhawks were, but not quite as easy to remember how bad the Big 12 was that year. They had just four of 12 teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and only one of those teams, Texas, made it past the first weekend.

Three of the top four leading scorers on this team were freshmen. That would be Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, and Julian Wright. Everyone else who played any significant role was a sophomore: Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun, and CJ Giles. They did not have a single rostered junior, and their lone seniors, Stephen Vinson, Christian Moody, and Jeff Hawkins, combined to average just 10 points per game.

Like the previous year, Kansas probably wasn’t actually the best team in the Big 12. They ended up tying with Texas in the final standings, who was led by Lamarcus Aldridge and Daniel Gibson. When the two teams met in late February, Texas wiped the floor with them, winning 80-55.

But Kansas would get the last laugh in the conference tournament, taking down Texas to hoist that trophy in the unofficial tiebreaker. The Jayhawks would go on to lose to 13-seeded Bradley in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.

They hardly dominated the Big 12 this year, but gave their young guys like Rush, Chalmers, Robinson, and Kaun valuable experience that would later pay off in the form of a National Championship just two seasons later.

Next: 2008-09

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