Kansas Basketball: Ranking the last 29 NCAA Tournament teams

8.  2015-16 (33-5) (15-3 Big 12)

The Jayhawks won over 30 games during the 2015-16 regular season for the ninth time in Bill Self’s head coaching career. It’s not easy getting 20 wins in a season, let alone 25, but Self has shown the ability to adjust and adapt with his ability to win when it matters most.

Senior big man Perry Ellis entered the season as priority No. 1, although Devonte Graham, Wayne Selden and Frank Mason were still present in the backcourt. All four players averaged over 11.0 points per contest in a balanced attack for the Jayhawks. It largely worked when it needed to.

There were a few hiccups during the conference schedule, but Kansas righted the ship just in time, winning their final 11 games heading into the Big 12 Conference Tournament. The Jayhawks still took home regular season conference title honors. They won the conference tournament championship over the West Virginia Mountaineers to put the icing on the cake.

As a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they were a dominant opponent throughout. They beat the Austin Peay Cowboys 105-79 in the first round. The No. 9-seeded UConn Huskies were no match either, as they lost to the Jayhawks, 73-61. The No. 5-seeded Maryland Terrapins played them in a rematch of their 2002 Final Four meeting. Kansas won easily, 79-63.

In the Elite Eight, the Jayhawks ran into the Villanova Wildcats, a No. 2 seed. The Wildcats handed Kansas 64-59 loss. It marks the first of two straight losses in the NCAA Tournament to Villanova.

Though they lost, it marked the first over three consecutive seasons that the Jayhawks won over 30 games under head coach Bill Self. He’s created quite the résumé in the NCAA Tournament since taking over in 2003-04 for Roy Williams.