Kansas Basketball: Ranking the last 29 NCAA Tournament teams

13. 2003-04 (24-9) (12-4 Big 12)

The Jayhawks entered the 2003-04 under a transition of sorts with head coach Roy Williams off to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Bill Self era began here after he spent three seasons as the head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini.

He led them to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Big Ten regular season titles and a conference tournament championship during his tenure. He picked up right where he left off with Kansas.

Self and company only finished third in the Big 12 standings, but the rest of the league was on notice of a new sheriff in town. Juniors Wayne Simien and Keith Langford led the way for Kansas during the regular season, as they went 12-4 in conference play in Self’s first season.

They lost in the conference tournament semifinals to the Texas Longhorns, but their performance was enough to earn them an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The selection committee gave them a No. 4 seed. Kansas made the most of it in Self’s first year, making it all the way to the Elite Eight.

They won their first three games handily over the UIC Flames, the Pacific Tigers and the UAB Blazers by an average of 22 points. In the Elite Eight, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets proved to be a formidable opponent, as they beat Kansas 79-71 in overtime. Future NBA Draft pick Jarrett Jack went off for 29 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals to lead the Yellow Jackets to victory.

The Jayhawks fell in the NCAA Tournament, but it marked the beginning of a new era. Self showed that despite the changes, his team would remain a consistent member of the NCAA Tournament selection process.