Kansas Basketball: Ranking the last 29 NCAA Tournament teams
15. 2012-13 (31-6) (14-4 Big 12)
The Jayhawks weren’t a team full of lottery picks to start the 2012-13 season, but they still had a solid set of senior experience to go with their freshman sensation, who at the time was guard Ben McLemore.
McClemore led the team in scoring with 15.9 points per contest, to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. As their main sharpshooter, he averaged 2.0 made 3-pointers and shot 42 percent from behind the arc during the season. In the frontcourt, senior big man Jeff Withey had his way with 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per contest.
They flew through the regular season with some minor hitches against the Michigan State Spartans in non-conference play. After that, they won 18 straight games before losing three in a row in conference play.
The Jayhawks finished the season as the Big 12 regular season champions. They carried that momentum into the conference tournament where they won their third title in the last four seasons.
After completing the conference sweep, they began the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. They struggled in the opening round against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, but 17 points and seven blocks from Withey was enough to secure a 64-57 win.
In the second round, they faced former Jayhawks head coach Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels. They used a 49-28 performance in the second half to get a 70-58 victory. Travis Releford led the way in the scoring department with 22 points, while Withey had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
In the Sweet 16, things got dicey against the Michigan Wolverines. With things tied up at 76 to end regulation, the teams needed overtime to decide things. In the extra frame, the Wolverines came out on top, thanks to 25 points from Mitch McGary and 23 points and 10 assists from Trey Burke.
The Jayhawks were able to eclipse 30 wins, but they were unable to meet expectations in another case of a solid team getting a low rank. While this team was talented, their performance in the 2013 NCAA Tournament was an underachieving one.