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2005-06 Men's Basketball Season Recap

An unthinkable ending last March for a standout senior class and a tumultuous off-season that featured transfers, violations, and even a well-publicized brawl, created plenty of question marks surrounding Kansas University basketball this season that didn’t have to do with a Jayhawk team that would rely heavily on its talented freshmen.

The KU youngsters excited Kansas faithful at Late Night on Oct. 14, in preseason wins over Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State, and a season-opening victory over Idaho State, but did little to quash those question marks when the season started for real in Hawaii.

The Jayhawks were hurting after back-to-back losses to Arizona and Arkansas. KU rebounded when it crushed Maui Invitational host school Chaminade — but were once again bumming when they lost to Nevada in the final seconds at Allen Fieldhouse. A 29-point win over Western Illinois evened the Jayhawks’ record, but another narrow road loss to Saint Joseph’s in the 11th annual Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden dropped Kansas to 3-4 for the first time since 1971-72.

KU coach Bill Self remained patient with his young squad at the start of his third season at Mount Oread and the Jayhawks picked up their first quality win of the year over a surging California team in the American Century Investments Shootout at Kemper Arena in early December. KU upperclassmen were reacquainted with former Jayhawk Omar Wilkes. The win started a streak of seven straight victories as Kansas knocked off Pepperdine, Northern Colorado, New Orleans, and Yale before blowing out No. 19 Kentucky in a raucous Fieldhouse environment that saw KU freshman Brandon Rush score a career-high 24 points and grab a career-best 12 rebounds in front of UK’s most famous fan.

The Jayhawks then started Big 12 play with a solid win over a Colorado team coming into its own when Christian Moody tallied a career-best 18 points in Boulder, Colo. Next up was Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown. The Wildcats hadn’t defeated their in-state rival in 31 meetings dating back to 1994. But what seemed like a sure win became a shocking setback as KSU pulled out the 59-55 win in Lawrence. The Jayhawks had little time to ponder the historic loss, because another rival, the Missouri Tigers, loomed. KU certainly had the game in Columbia, Mo., in hand as it led by seven with 39 seconds left. But even after losing the late lead, Kansas looked like it would escape MU with a win when Moody was fouled with 0.4 on the clock. But the senior missed both charities and Mizzou pulled off the upset thanks to a 40-point performance by Tigers guard Thomas Gardner.

The loss dropped KU to 10-6 on the season and 1-2 in league play, causing early season speculation that KU might miss its first NCAA Tournament since 1989. Instead KU responded with a 94-54 blowout over Nebraska in the Fieldhouse on the first day the new Booth Family Hall of Athletics opened. The shellacking of the Cornhuskers started another string of wins, including road victories over an improved Texas A&M team led by former Self assistant Billy Gillispie and against an Iowa State team led by talented and trash-talking guards. KU followed with a 30-point drubbing of Bobby Knight’s Red Raiders and a hard-fought, come-from-behind victory over 19th-ranked Oklahoma. Rematches against Nebraska and Iowa State were never in doubt. The Jayhawks then traveled to Stillwater, Okla., and broke-open a close game for a 64-49 win over the Cowboys on an emotional day when Self’s mentor, Eddie Sutton, announced he would take a medical leave of absence the rest of the season.

The Jayhawks got plenty of payback in a 79-46 win over Mizzou in Lawrence and beat a Baylor team burdened by NCAA restrictions. Ten wins in a row set-up a Big 12 title showdown with No. 7 Texas on Feb. 25 in Austin, Texas. But the Jayhawks gave the Longhorns little challenge as UT whipped 16th-ranked Kansas, 80-55. While the prospects of a league title appeared dead, there was plenty to celebrate in a Senior Night win over Colorado that honored Jeff Hawkins, Christian Moody, Stephen Vinson -- along with legendary KU broadcaster Max Falkenstien, who had his own number retired in a special halftime ceremony as he called his last game in Allen Fieldhouse after 60 years. Later that night KU players learned that A&M had upset Texas, meaning a win over K-State in the regular-season finale would allow Kansas to at least tie for the conference championship — if not win it outright if UT lost to OU. The Longhorns handled business, and so did the Jayhawks (although KU didn't get to hold a trophy like UT).

Kansas enjoyed a few days off before the Big 12 Tourney began in Dallas when Self saw another showdown against his alma mater. KU survived a physical game that featured a near-fight and Russell Robinson suffering a bad gash over his eye. Kansas took the one-point victory then put it to surprise-winner, Nebraska, in the semis, creating a rematch against Texas in the title game. A back-and-forth championship tilt turned KU’s way late as Julian Wright and Mario Chalmers led the Jayhawks to their first Tourney title since 1999.

Minutes after defeating Texas, the Jayhawks found out that they would be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and would play No. 13 Bradley in an opening-round game at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. Riding a wave of momentum, which saw Kansas win 15 of its last 16 games, several national pundits predicted that KU might make it all the way to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Sadly though for KU players and Jayhawk fans, Kansas was once again bitten by a “B”-school underdog when the Braves upset Kansas, 77-73.

The shocking loss ended KU’s season with a record of 25-8, but there were bright signs even on that bleak night as freshman sensation Brandon Rush said he would return for his sophomore season. The KU frosh kept to his promise at the annual awards banquet in April -- and all of Jayhawks, except for the three graduating seniors, sounded serious about their goal of winning it all next season.