2008–09 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2008–09 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season , the Jayhawks' 111th basketball season. The head coach was Bill Self , serving his 6th year. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence , Kansas , and were the defending National Champions. The AP poll released on January 26, 2009, had the Jayhawks unranked, which was the last poll in which the Jayhawks were not ranked until February 8, 2021. The following week, Kansas entered the rankings at number 21, beginning what is the longest streak in Men's Basketball history with 223 consecutive polls being ranked and achieved that record on November 30, 2020. They are 2 ahead of UCLA's 221 straight weeks that was done from 1967 to 1980.
Pre-Season
The 2007–08 Jayhawks finished the season 37–3 overall with a 13–3 mark in conference play.[ 2] Big 12 regular season men's basketball championship, which they shared with the Texas Longhorns . In post season play, the Jayhawks won the Big 12 conference tournament championship and received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament . The team went on to win the national championship, 75–68, in overtime vs. the Memphis Tigers .[ 2] [ 3] NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship banner to the rafters in an official ceremony to celebrate its 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament victory during Late Night in the Phog event. The official championship and final four banners were raised during the November 18 game against Florida Gulf Coast.[ 4]
The Jayhawks lost five scholarship seniors from their national title team in addition to three underclassmen (Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, and Darrell Arthur) who opted to enter the NBA draft and eventually signed with agents. Returning from the national championship team are stars Sherron Collins , point guard, and Cole Aldrich , center. Other players returning are: seniors Matt Kleinmann and Brennan Bechard, and sophomores Brady Morningstar, Chase Buford, Tyrel Reed, and Connor Teahan.
Recruiting
Coach Self signed seven recruits for the 2008–09 season.[ 5] New Jersey twins Marcus and Markieff Morris who both played the power forward position. Another signee from New Jersey was Quintrell Thomas , who also played the power forward position. Travis Releford , a Kansas City product was the first signee for the Jayhawks and was in the mix for departed star Brandon Rush 's spot in the starting rotation. Coach Self also managed to lure point guard Tyshawn Taylor to Lawrence, after he was released from his letter of intent to play for Marquette .[ 6]
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Tyrone Appleton PG Midland, Texas
Midland College (TX)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Feb 25, 2008
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Mario Little SF Chicago, IL
Chipola Community College (FL)
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Oct 7, 2007
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Marcus Morris PF Pennsauken, NJ
Apex Academy
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Oct 31, 2007
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 94
Markieff Morris PF
Pennsauken, NJ
Apex Academy
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
230 lb (100 kg)
Oct 31, 2007
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 93
Travis Releford SG Shawnee Mission, KS
Bishop Miege H.S. (KS)
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Jun 19, 2007
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 95
Tyshawn Taylor PG Jersey City, NJ
Saint Anthony's H.S. (NJ)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Apr 29, 2008
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 92
Quintrell Thomas PF
Elizabeth, NJ
Saint Patrick's H.S. (NJ)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Oct 23, 2007
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : 12 Rivals : 2 ESPN : 5
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
Season summary
Kansas finished the regular season 25–6 (14–2). After being picked to tie for 3rd in the conference in preseason,[ 7]
Awards
Bill Self
Cole Aldrich
All-Big 12 First Team[ 8]
Big 12 All-Defensive Team[ 8]
Big 12 Defensive Co-Player of the Year[ 8]
Big 12 All-Academic Team[ 15]
AP All-American Honorable Mention[ 16]
Athlon Sports National Most Improved Player of the Year[ 16]
NABC District 8 First Team[ 16]
USBWA All-District VI Team[ 13]
NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional Team[ 17] Sherron Collins
All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous selection)[ 8]
AP All-American Third Team[ 16]
CBSSports.com All-American Third Team[ 16]
Sporting News Third Team All-American[ 18]
USBWA All-District VI Team[ 13]
USBWA Second Team All-American.[ 19]
NABC District 8 First Team[ 16]
Finalist, Oscar Robertson Trophy[ 16]
Finalist, Bob Cousy Award[ 16] Marcus Morris
Big 12 All-Rookie Team[ 8] Tyshawn Taylor
Big 12 All-Rookie Team (unanimous selection)[ 8] Tyrel Reed
Big 12 All-Academic Team[ 15] Matt Kleinmann
Big 12 All-Academic Team[ 15]
Roster
Name
#
Position
Height
Weight
Year
Home Town
Cole Aldrich
45
Center
6–11
245
Sophomore
Bloomington, MN
Tyrone Appleton
32
Guard
6–4
190
Junior
Midland, Texas
Brennan Bechard
10
Guard
6–0
183
Senior
Lawrence, KS
Chase Buford
41
Guard
6–3
200
Sophomore
San Antonio, Texas
Sherron Collins
4
Guard
5–11
200
Junior
Chicago, IL
Jordan Juenemann
40
Guard
6–4
195
Freshman
Hays, KS
Matt Kleinmann
54
Center
6–10
247
Senior
Overland Park, KS
Mario Little
23
Forward
6–5
210
Junior
Marianna, FL
Brady Morningstar
12
Guard
6–3
185
Sophomore
Lawrence, KS
Marcus Morris
22
Forward
6–9
230
Freshman
Pennsauken, NJ
Markieff Morris
21
Forward
6–10
220
Freshman
Pennsauken, NJ
Tyrel Reed
14
Guard
6–4
180
Sophomore
Burlington, KS
Travis Releford
24
Guard
6–6
190
Freshman
Shawnee Mission, KS
Tyshawn Taylor
15
Guard
6–3
160
Freshman
Jersey City, NJ
Conner Teahan
2
Guard
6–5
200
Sophomore
Leawood, KS
Quintrell Thomas
11
Forward
6–8
225
Freshman
Elizabeth, NJ
[ 20]
Schedule
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (attendance)
Summer Canadian Exhibition Games
2008/08/30 *10:00 a.m.
McGill University W 72–67 Montpetit Hall Gym Ottawa , Ontario, Canada
2008/08/30 *6:00 p.m.
Carleton University W 84–83 Scotiabank Place Ottawa, Canada
2008/08/31 *6:00 p.m.
University of Ottawa W 95–60 Montpetit Hall Gym Ottawa, Canada
Exhibition
2008/11/4 *7:00 p.m., Jayhawk-TV
No. 24
Washburn W 98–79 Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS
2008/11/11 *7:00 p.m., Jayhawk-TV
No. 24
Emporia State W 103–58 Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS
Regular season
2008/11/16 *7:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 24
UMKC CBE Classic First RoundW 71–56 1–0
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/11/18 *8:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 24
Florida Gulf Coast CBE Classic Second Round W 85–45 2–0
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/11/24 *9:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 22
vs. Washington CBE Classic Semifinal W 73–54 3–0
Sprint Center Kansas City, MO
2008/11/25 *9:15 p.m., ESPN2
No. 22
vs. Syracuse CBE Classic Championship L 81–89 OT
3–1
Sprint Center (16,988)Kansas City, MO
2008/11/28 *7:00 p.m., Jayhawk-TV
No. 22
Coppin State W 85–53 4–1
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/12/1 *8:00 p.m., ESPNU
Kent State W 87–60 5–1
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/12/3 *7:00 p.m., Jayhawk-TV
New Mexico State W 100–79 6–1
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/12/6 *1:00 p.m., Jayhawk-TV
Jackson State W 86–62 7–1
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/12/13 *1:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 25
vs. Massachusetts
L 60–61 7–2
Sprint Center (17,252)Kansas City, MO
2008/12/20 *1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Temple W 71–59 8–2
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2008/12/23 *9:30 p.m., FSN
at Arizona Fiesta Bowl Classic & Big 12/Pac-10 Series L 67–84 8–3
McKale Center Tucson, AZ
2008/12/30 *8:00 p.m., ESPNU
Albany W 79–43 9–3
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/1/03 *1:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 14 Tennessee
W 92–85 10–3
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/1/06 *7:00 p.m., Jayhawk-TV
Siena W 91–84 11–3
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/1/10 *1:00 p.m., CBS
at No. 8 Michigan State
L 62–75 11–4
Breslin Center East Lansing, MI
2009/1/13 7:00 p.m., Big 12 (ESPN+)
Kansas State Sunflower Showdown W 87–71 12–4
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/1/17 2:30 p.m., ABC
at Colorado
W 73–56 13–4
Coors Events Center Boulder, CO
2009/1/19 8:00 p.m., ESPN
Texas A&M W 73–53 14–4
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/1/24 1:00 p.m., ESPN
at Iowa State
W 82–67 15–4
Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA
2009/1/28 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
at Nebraska
W 68–62 16–4
Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, NE
2009/1/31 3:00 p.m., ESPNU
Colorado W 66–61 17–4
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/2/2 8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 21
at Baylor
W 75–65 18–4
Ferrell Center Waco, Texas
2009/2/7 2:30 p.m., ABC
No. 21
Oklahoma State W 78–67 19–4
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/2/9 8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 16
at No. 17 Missouri Border War L 60–62 19–5
Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO
2009/2/14 2:30 p.m., ABC
No. 16
at Kansas State Sunflower Showdown W 85–74 20–5
Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, KS
2009/2/18 7:00 p.m., Big 12 (ESPN+)
No. 15
Iowa State W 72–55 21–5
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/2/21 3:00 p.m., Big 12 (ESPN+)
No. 15
Nebraska W 70–53 22–5
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/2/23 8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 15
at No. 3 Oklahoma
W 87–78 23–5
Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK
2009/3/1 1:00 p.m., CBS
No. 15
No. 11 Missouri Border War W 90–65 24–5
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
2009/3/4 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 9
at Texas Tech
L 65–84 24–6
United Spirit Arena Lubbock, Texas
2009/3/7 3:00 p.m., CBS
No. 9
Texas W 83–73 25–6
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)Lawrence, KS
Big 12 Tournament
2009/03/12 11:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 11
vs. Baylor Quarterfinals L 64–71 25–7
Ford Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
NCAA Tournament
2009/03/20 11:30 a.m., CBS
No. 14 (3)
vs. (14) North Dakota State First Round W 84–74 26–7
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota
2009/03/22 1:30 p.m., CBS
No. 14 (3)
vs. (11) Dayton Second Round W 60–43 27–7
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota
2009/03/27 8:37 p.m., CBS
No. 14 (3)
vs. No. 8 (2) Michigan State Sweet Sixteen L 62–67 27–8
Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP poll , NCAA tournament seeds shown in parentheses. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Standard Time .
Rankings
Poll
Pre
Wk 1
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Wk 13
Wk 14
Wk 15
Wk 16
Wk 17
Wk 18
Final
AP
24
24
22
NR
25
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
21
16
15
15
9
11
14
N/A
Coaches
23
24
23
25
23
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
24
16
18
15
9
11
13
10
References
^ "2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF) . Big 12 Conference. pp. 26– 30. Retrieved June 18, 2020 .^ a b "Kansas Jayhawks Basketball 2016-17 Schedule - Jayhawks Home and Away - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2017 .^ "NCAA College Basketball Polls, College Basketball Rankings, NCAA Basketball Polls - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved February 27, 2017 .^ Stell, Jeff (October 18, 2008). "Catching up with Harrison Barnes" . Ames Tribune the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2008 . ^ "Rivals.com" . rivalshoops.rivals.com . Retrieved February 27, 2017 .^ "Tyshawn Taylor commits to KU" . KUsports.com . Retrieved February 27, 2017 .^ Oklahoma Selected First In Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll ^ a b c d e f g "Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards Announced" . Big12Sports.com . Retrieved February 27, 2017 .^ AP Coach of the Year [permanent dead link ] ^ Self named national coach of the year by basketball writers ^ "Sporting News COY" . Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009 .^ "Athlon Sports COY" . Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009 .^ a b c "USBWA All-District Teams" . Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009 .^ "Yahoo Sports" . Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009 .^ a b c Big 12 Academic Team ^ a b c d e f g h "AP and Other Awards" . Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2009 .^ "NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional Team" . Archived from the original on June 9, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2009 .^ "Sporting News All-Americans" . Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009 .^ KU's Collins is second-team All-American ^ 2008 Roster
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
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