Kansas Basketball: Ranking the last 29 NCAA Tournament teams
1. 2007-08 (37-3) (13-3)
The Jayhawks squad entered the 2007-08 season as the No. 4 team in the preseason AP Poll. With seven future NBA draft picks on the roster and entering the junior seasons of Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, they were well-seasoned as a team in all that comes with making and playing in the NCAA Tournament.
In the year prior, they lost to the UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight as a No. 1 seed. This season, things played out a lot differently, as Kansas reeled off 20-straight victories before losing a game during the regular season. They lost two games in their final 10 contests after that to finish out the schedule, showing just how focused their squad was on winning ball games.
The Jayhawks finished 13-3 in the Big 12 during regular season conference play. They won each game in the conference tournament by no less than six points, as they won the conference tournament championship over the Texas Longhorns.
In the NCAA Tournament, Kansas earned a No. 1 seed and rightfully so. They reeled off their first two victories by 21.5 points over the Portland State Vikings and the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. In the Sweet 16, they beat the Villanova Wildcats 72-57, behind 45 combined points from Russell Robinson, Chalmers and Rush.
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They stumbled in the Elite Eight against the Davidson Wildcats, but narrowly escaped with a 59-57 victory, overcoming 25 points from a rising star named Stephen Curry. In the Final Four, the Jayhawks made easy work of Tyler Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tar Heels, 84-66.
In the national championship, it was a showdown for the ages as Derrick Rose and the Memphis Tigers (though vacated) squared off against Mario Chalmers and the Jayhawks.
It was a game for the ages, as Kansas scored 12 points in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime. Chalmers made a 3-pointers with 2.1 seconds left to tie the game at 63 and send it to an extra frame.
In overtime, the Jayhawks proved to be the better competitor, as they scored the first six points and won 75-68 en route to their first national title since the 1988 team.
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The Jayhawks are currently on their way to their 30-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are in a tie for third currently with the UCLA Bruins for the most NCAA Tournament appearances since 1939. The Kentucky Wildcats lead the way with 56 total appearances in the tournament.