KU players responsible for historic Big 12 title streak react to its end
Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) watches a highlight video with his teammates following their 80-70 win over Texas on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 at Allen Fieldhouse. The win gave the Jayhawks an outright win of their 14th-straight Big 12 Conference title. by Nick Krug
It took 14 years, and whether they were All-Americans, all-conference talents, role players, backups, glue guys or walk-ons, Kansas basketball players coached by Bill Self helped the program set an NCAA record for most consecutive conference championships in a row.
The pride Jayhawks took in their ownership of The Streak grew year after year, so inevitably they were going to experience some disappointment, along with nostalgia, when it eventually came to an end.
That day finally arrived Tuesday, in Norman, Okla., when the 2018-19 Jayhawks were eliminated from title contention close to a decade and a half after KU’s streak of titles began in 2005.
Many of the most prominent players from the previous 14 seasons and some others who watched it from afar weighed in through social media about KU’s crazy run of Big 12 dominance finally concluding.
Here are some Twitter reactions from invested Jayhawks.
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A few video highlights from Late Night 2018
The teams and media watch as 2 Chainz performs at Late Night in the Phog on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 at Allen Fieldhouse. by Kyle Babson
The Kansas men's and women's basketball programs hosted the 34th annual Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, and with it came all of the usual fun and fanfare that the event has been known for throughout the years.
From the men's and women's teams staging separate scrimmages to dance flow, skits, videos and a live performance from Grammy-winning rap star 2 Chainz, this year's Late Night certainly had it all.
Said Kansas coach Bill Self, hosting Late Night for the 16th season since arriving at Kansas before the start of the 2003-04 season: "The marketing and Rock Chalk Video, they’re terrific. I thought it was good. I thought it got a little long to be honest. But I think everybody had a good time. The crowd was great.”
Be sure to check out our coverage and photos from the event. But for those of you who prefer to relive it like you're watching it live, here's a collection of videos from some of Late Night 2018's best moments.
EA Sports picks Joel Embiid as its new ‘NBA Live’ cover star
Former Kansas center Joel Embiid laughs while working with Philadelphia teammate Dario Saric in Allen Fieldhouse on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, during a Sixers practice.
If you find yourself shopping for video games sometime this fall, don’t be surprised to see the face of Joel Embiid staring back at you.
EA Sports announced Monday night the former University of Kansas center and current Philadelphia 76ers star will grace the cover of its upcoming release, “NBA Live 19.”
So even though the evening’s NBA Awards show didn’t include Embiid going home with some hardware — he finished second to Rudy Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year — it still went down as a sort of milestone night for the 24-year-old big man.
Embiid, remember, has only played in two seasons (94 regular-season games between them) and already is marketable enough to become the face of a video game franchise.
Although 2K Sports’ “NBA 2K” series is far more popular than its “NBA Live” competitor, some major names from The Association have graced recent covers of “NBA Live,” including two players who can now call themselves MVPs, Houston’s James Harden and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook.
Only the biggest and brightest talents get their likenesses attached to video games and Embiid, an all-star starter in 2018, now has crossed another distinction off his career bucket list.
This past season, his second in the league, Embiid averaged 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 3.2 assists, while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and playing in 63 games.
Look for Embiid’s stone-faced pose on “NBA Live 19” when it is released, on Sept. 7.
Former KU first-rounder Aqib Talib revisits draft night 10 years later
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib smiles at his introductory news conference. Talib, a former Kansas University All-American, met the media Monday in Tampa, Fla.
It's been 10 years since a Kansas football player was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. And there's no telling how long it will be until the Jayhawks achieve that feat again.
But while we wait, why not take a quick trip down Memory Lane with the player who, in 2008, was the first pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 20 overall.
Former KU cornerback Aqib Talib, one of the most electric players and personalities in program history, was the Bucs' selection that year.
And earlier today, which also happens to be the first night of this year's NFL Draft, Talib jumped on Twitter and revisited the moments before the Bucs made that pick with the following video put together by NFL films.
Although Talib spent just the first four-plus seasons of his 10-year-and-counting NFL career with the franchise that drafted him, the all-pro cornerback who turned 32 in February, has had one heck of a career with the three franchises he has played for to this point.
Traded this offseason to the Los Angeles Rams by Denver, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2016, Talib is set to begin play with his fourth team. And in doing so he will be reunited with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who coordinated the Broncos' defense during that Super Bowl run, and former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who, in so many ways, has reminded people throughout the league of Talib during the first three years of his career.
Talib enters Year 11 with 34 career interceptions, which includes six pick-sixes during his four seasons in Denver.
Talib's Jayhawks do figure to get some good news this draft season, with defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., slated to be selected somewhere in the third-to-fifth rounds. And while the experience for Armstrong might not quite live up to the thrill felt by Talib a decade ago, there's no doubt that Armstrong's family, friends, teammates and KU coaches will have a reaction similar to Talib's in that video when the former KU D-End's name is called this weekend.
Former and current Jayhawks react to KU’s win over Duke, spot in Final Four
A giddy Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) jumps as the Jayhawks begin to secure the victory in overtime, Sunday, March 25, 2018 at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. by Nick Krug
For the first time since 2012, the Kansas basketball team is back in the Final Four. Headed to San Antonio, a familiar destination for some former Jayhawks, a long list of current and old players took to social media to react to the wild Elite Eight victory.
In an 85-81 slugfest against Duke, in overtime, the Jayhawks punched their ticket to college basketball’s biggest stage.
After two straight seasons of defeats in the Elite Eight, it made the reward of the Final Four that much more special for all of the players in the program, or those who have already gone through it and watched from a distance.
Doubted for most of the season with a lack of depth, lack of size and home losses, the Jayhawks were happy to prove people wrong again with their run through the Midwest Regional. A look at many of the reactions from KU’s victory against Duke, which includes several from Jayhawks who made it possible.
College basketball world reacts to KU’s record-breaking 14th consecutive league title
Kansas guard Clay Young hugs teammates Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (10) and Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) following the Jayhawks' 74-72 win over Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at United Supermarkets Arena. by Nick Krug
The college basketball world already had reason enough to tune in Saturday and watch the Big 12’s marquee game of the year: No. 8 Kansas at No. 6 Texas Tech.
Throw in what was on the line for the Jayhawks — a share of the Big 12 title, and with it a historic 14th consecutive conference championship — and the result meant much more than another instance of a Bill Self-coached team earning payback for a loss earlier in the season.
KU survived in Lubbock, Texas, 74-72, against a hobbled Keenan Evans and the Red Raiders, inspiring many who follow the team to congratulate and/or celebrate Self and his Jayhawks on eclipsing UCLA’s longstanding record of 13 straight league titles.
The social media responses to the historic moment for Kansas came in from journalists, analysts, current and former KU standouts, and even some players who have yet to — or never will — suit up for the Jayhawks.
Here are some of the highlights from the aftermath of yet another Big 12 championship for Self and Kansas.
https://twitter.com/sportsiren/status/967557359861088256
By the Numbers: Kansas 74, Texas Tech 72.
Frank Mason, former Jayhawks, college basketball observers react to KU’s win at WVU
Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) grabs Kansas guard Lagerald Vick (2) as the Jayhawks celebrate their 71-66 win over West Virginia, Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. by Nick Krug
When two top-10 teams square off in prime time, the rest of the college basketball universe makes a point to tune in and watch the show.
ESPN’s Big Monday matchup between No. 10 Kansas and No. 6 West Virginia wasn’t always the most visually appealing display, but the Jayhawks’ unlikely rally for a rare “Country Road” win made it a captivating finish.
For the more prominent viewers — some former KU players, others national college basketball writers and analysts — the battle between two of the Big 12’s top teams and the Jayhawks’ first win at WVU Coliseum in five years not only proved entertaining but also telling.
Here are some of the social media reactions to KU’s 71-66 win, from around college basketball, including a couple from Jayhawks who made it possible.
More news and notes from Kansas vs. West Virginia
- Mountain of a comeback: Jayhawks stun West Virginia, move atop Big 12 standings
- Tom Keegan: Jayhawks far more effective with Azubuike on the floor
- Notebook: WVU’s Harris earns start despite reprimand; Self wears Huggins’ pullover
- The Keegan Ratings: Graham leads comeback, tops ratings at West Virginia
- Matt Tait's Postgame Report Card
- Pressing on: Jayhawks rally for rare victory at West Virginia
By the Numbers: Kansas 71, West Virginia 66
