It’s time to close the book on a wide-ranging year of University of Kansas sports, one that saw some programs continue their upward trajectories and others begin the process of reinventing themselves completely.
Here are a few of the most significant storylines that defined 2023 for KU, plus quite a few more that merit mentioning.
A Kansas fan holds a sign in support of Kansas head coach Bill Self during the first half on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at T Mobile Center in Kansas City. Photo by Nick Krug
March 9 and on: Head coach Bill Self endures health scare, misses end of season
With his team fresh off a regular-season Big 12 Conference crown, KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self checked into the University of Kansas Health System on the evening of March 8 due to what he later described as disorientation and a lack of balance.
As he underwent and recovered from a heart catheterization and a pair of stent procedures, he missed the Big 12 tournament.
With assistant Norm Roberts at the helm, the Jayhawks beat West Virginia and Iowa State but lost to Texas in the conference tournament final.
Self was released from the hospital on March 12 and traveled up to Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of KU’s initial NCAA Tournament matchup. The Jayhawks publicly expressed confidence about his chances of leading the team on March 16 against Howard, with Jalen Wilson even saying, “He will be coaching.”
Ultimately, he did not take the court for the win over Howard or the upset loss to Arkansas in the second round. Later on, Self suggested that he might have been able to return had the Jayhawks moved on to the Sweet 16 against UConn in Las Vegas.
Reflecting on the episode in the months since, Self has emphasized that it simply reenergized him and made him embrace coaching even more. As he put it on April 5 in his first press conference following the events, “I missed my job, I love my job and I want to do my job for a long time.”
Kansas Womens basketball wins the 2023 WNIT Tournament with a 66-59 win over Columbia on Saturday, April 1, 2023.
April 1: KU women take home Women’s National Invitation Tournament title
The Jayhawks lost 57-52 to TCU, a team they had beaten by 23 five days earlier, in the opening round of their conference tournament. That snapped a three-game winning streak and ultimately prevented a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Brandon Schneider’s program, consigning them to the second-tier Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
But KU embraced the postseason opportunity, even if it wasn’t the one it wanted.
“We all decided that if we’re going to play, it’s two feet in; we’re going to play to win,” junior guard Chandler Prater said. “It’s no backing down, it’s no feeling sorry for yourself. It’s all about basketball. We came here to play.”
Mustering all their possible motivation, the Jayhawks steamrolled most of their WNIT competition, including Nebraska (avenging a triple-overtime regular-season loss) and rival Missouri, and did so in front of enthusiastic Allen Fieldhouse crowds the likes of which they had rarely seen.
They knocked off Columbia 66-59 to claim the title behind a 17-point, 21-rebound double-double from Taiyanna Jackson and 19 additional points by Zakiyah Franklin.
Kansas transfer Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar are pictured at the Brett Ballard Basketball Camp on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at Lee Arena in Topeka.
May 4, May 24: Jayhawks transform offseason by getting Dickinson, retaining McCullar
The KU men’s basketball team saw its roster dramatically reshaped in a few weeks in May.
First KU won the Hunter Dickinson sweepstakes, claiming one of the top prizes ever in the transfer portal when the 7-foot-2 center picked the Jayhawks over schools like Kentucky and Villanova — an immense offseason victory for Self and his staff that would allow them to run through a true center once again.
Then, in the following weeks, the offseason took a bit of a sour turn for KU as post players Zuby Ejiofor and Ernest Udeh Jr. opted to transfer — the total number of transfers out reached eight, though Zach Clemence later decided to return — and the Jayhawks missed out on freshman Mackenzie Mgbako, who picked Indiana.
But they got a massive break when Kevin McCullar Jr., a two-time semifinalist for defensive player of the year honors, decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft and come back for another year at KU in what Self called the biggest move of the offseason.
Dickinson and McCullar have combined with Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams to form the foundation of the 2023-24 squad.
Kansas running back Devin Neal dives into the end zone to score a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Lawrence. Kansas won 38-33.
Oct. 28: Kansas football welcomes “Big Noon Kickoff,” stuns No. 6 Oklahoma
Even amid a rare winning season, a mistake-laden and vaguely controversial 39-32 loss at Oklahoma State had killed the mood somewhat in the KU football community entering the Jayhawks’ bye week.
But with No. 6 Oklahoma coming to town — and Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show making its inaugural visit to Lawrence — KU had a chance to get its season back on track, earn bowl eligibility in the process and make a national statement.
Boy, did it ever.
The Jayhawks overcame a lengthy rain delay, a blown lead, struggles against the run and a pair of late interceptions by Jason Bean. They forced a three-and-out on defense when they needed it most, Bean found Lawrence Arnold for 37 yards on a fourth-and-6 that will live on in KU lore and Devin Neal scored the go-ahead touchdown.
Dillon Gabriel’s last-second heave sailed too far and the Jayhawks earned their first win over the Sooners in 18 tries and their first victory over a top 10 team at home since 1984, while also clinching a second consecutive bowl trip for just the second time in school history.
“We’ve sat here for a long time just trying to keep it even, do those things, not talk about it, but you know what, it’s probably time for me to start talking about how proud I am about how far this program’s come,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “It really has, in a short time.”
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) gives a bear hug to Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) following the Jayhawks’ win over Texas Tech to clinch a share of the Big 12 Conference championship on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug
The best of the rest
Feb. 28: On McCullar’s Senior Night (or so we thought), the guard faced off against his former team and made a last-minute, potentially game-saving maneuver that Bill Self called “about as competitive of a play as I’ve had.” With the Jayhawks nursing a one-point lead, he surged into the paint to snatch a loose ball that multiple KU and Tech players had been unable to corral, then in one rather fluid motion put it in for a quick layup. The Jayhawks held on for a 67-63 win that clinched at least a share of the Big 12 Conference title; TCU then beat Texas to knock the Longhorns out of the race and give KU the outright crown.
May 12: Kansas softball broke through for four runs in the final inning, then held off a furious Oklahoma State rally in the home half, to upset the eighth-ranked Cowgirls in their opening game at the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City. That was KU’s first win in the conference tournament since 2007.
KU golfer Will King competes in the final round of the NCAA Regional in Norman, Okla. on May 17, 2023.
May 17: KU’s freshman golfer Will King, an Olathe native, came out of nowhere in his first postseason appearance and clawed his way into an eight-hole sudden-death playoff with Ole Miss’ Hugo Townsend, from which King emerged victorious and earned a trip to the NCAA National Championships.
May 24: Janson Reeder hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to lift the Jayhawks over top-seeded Texas in the Big 12 baseball tournament, helping them earn a 6-3 win, their first victory in the competition since 2019.
Aug. 15: KU unveiled more detailed plans for its comprehensive stadium redesign and surrounding “Gateway District.”
Sept. 12, Oct. 8: Lindsay Kuhle’s women’s golf team couldn’t stop smashing records. It posted the best overall 18-hole round in team history with a 14-under 274 at the Dick McGuire Invitational, then had junior Jordan Rothman card an 11-under 205 in 54 holes the following month at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate.
Oct. 11: The IARP handed down its final ruling in the KU men’s basketball team’s protracted NCAA infractions case, bringing to the end a six-year saga dating back to the initial federal investigation into corruption in college basketball from 2017. The Jayhawks were found to have committed only minor violations, and had to vacate 15 wins from the 2017-18 season; as a result, they lost a Final Four appearance, NCAA Tournament streak and their status as the winningest program in men’s college basketball.
Oct. 24: Mark Francis retired after serving for 25 seasons as the KU soccer coach. He led the Jayhawks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including three in four years between 2016 and 2019.
Kansas’ Toyosi Onabanjo (11) serves to Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
Nov. 30-Dec. 1: After closing out an excellent regular season, the Kansas volleyball team hosted NCAA Tournament matches at the revamped Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena for the first time, fulfilling a goal that dated back to the offseason. KU beat Omaha in the first round but dropped a hotly contested five-set match with Penn State the next day.
Dec. 1: In front of one of the consensus best Allen Fieldhouse atmospheres in recent memory, the Jayhawks hosted UConn in a battle of the previous two national champions, both top-five teams entering the week. KU overcame a second-half slump to pull out a 69-65 victory, sealed by free throws from Adams, who had been playing with a heavy heart and flew to Texas for his mother’s funeral the following morning.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Chance Parker
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Kansas Athletics
Carter Gaskins/Special to the Journal-World