Each season, the objective of the power conference teams in men’s college basketball is to reach the big dance. the NCAA Tournament. March Madness. Every year, when the brackets are released, there are always a few new faces fans haven’t seen before.
Then there are programs that never seem to miss it. One of those is the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks are in search of their 36th straight appearance in the big dance as the 2025-26 season tips off. The last time Kansas did not reach the NCAA Tournament was 1989.
Note that the Kansas Jayhawks were told by the NCAA they must vacate their 2018 appearance, so the record books no longer list that run. But fans, players, and coaches remember it, meaning, in reality, Kansas has made 35 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.
A Legacy Built on Decades of Winning
Of course, the results haven’t always been perfect. The Jayhawks have won two NCAA Tournament titles during that time and finished as runner-up three other times. They’ve reached the Final Four eight times and made it to the Elite Eight on 14 occasions.
Despite the occasional early-round upset, it’s hard to match the sustained excellence Kansas has maintained for more than three decades.
Bill Self has been at the center of that success since he took over in 2003. Before him came Roy Williams, who missed the tournament in his first season at the helm, then led the Jayhawks to 14 straight appearances before leaving for North Carolina. Williams finished with 418 wins at Kansas, including 175 in conference play. The Jayhawks reached the Final Four in 2001-02 and lost in the national title game the following year before Williams departed.
Bill Self’s Relentless Standard
After three seasons at Illinois, where he made the NCAA Tournament every year, Self carried that same standard to Lawrence. His first season ended in an Elite Eight run, and in his fifth season, Kansas captured its first national title under his watch. The second championship came in 2021-22, but since then, the Jayhawks have not advanced past the second round.
Still, the Jayhawks have the talent and depth to make noise in 2025-26. The pieces didn’t quite fit last season, but Self and his staff believe this group has what it takes to extend the streak to 36 in a row, a mark that, in today’s ever-changing world of college basketball, might never be matched again.