They saw the final score, witnessed nets being cut down and the trophy being handed out and even purchased T-Shirts [and attended or watched a parade.][1]
So why is it that many Kansas basketball fans are still in that pinch-me-this-can’t-be-real stage regarding Bill Self’s bunch bringing home the 2022 national title?
There are many answers to that question, but the ones I got from inquiring about it on Twitter seemed to sum it up best.
The quest started with a post from @JayhawkTalk, who laid out the very scenario listed above and then added, “And it STILL hasn’t fully set in. Not sure when it will.”
Hundreds of KU fans responded to my question whether they, too, felt like @JayhawkTalk and if they had any idea why. Here’s a collection of some of the best replies.
“I do,” wrote @DanEngland. “Maybe I had given up at halftime or maybe it’s because I never had national title expectations for this team. I don’t know.”
From @PannoneNick: “Yeah. I felt the same in ’08, too. That tournament is so stinking hard to win. There are so many things that have to go right to pull it off. Slaying the dragon with ‘Nova and the comeback, then thinking about the second-half adjustments all tourney. It’s crazy!”
“I am still in shock,” wrote @Jeffandstph2012.
“Still feels more like a dream than reality at this point,” added @beems34.
The response from @WestCoastHawkKU pointed to measuring this team against past KU champions: “In ’88 we had the best player in the country/#1 pick. In ’08, a team filled with NBA guys. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t really know what we have in ’22. This year was a surprise — a great surprise — but it will take time to figure out how great this team was. … Under truth serum, I doubt I could have said I saw this team as a serious contender 2 months ago. ’08 always felt like one. This needs to sink in.”
“I thought it was just me,” wrote @Wildcats1600. “I still can’t believe it. They have set one helluva standard.”
Karen Holmes, who goes by @RockChalkinTX on Twitter, wrote that even though she watched the games from afar she always felt like a part of “something really special.” She added that, after all of the real world challenges of the past couple of years, the feeling of celebrating a title like this is a bit overwhelming because it was “what we ALL needed!”
For @theREALgigante_, the sudden ending of it all makes it hard to digest in a short amount of time. “It’s something we do two or three times a week for like five months then it abruptly ends. Even when it’s on the happiest of notes, it just feels like there should be more games to watch.”
Added @rupertpupkin91: “There’s times when it hits and I have one of those moments, but most of the time I have to remind myself what transpired. Still can’t believe it!”
Ty Logan, aka @lugnut527, has some advice for those needing help believing it.
“Watch the games 4-5 more times like I did. Soak it all in.”
If there’s one thing we know about championship teams at Kansas it’s that their games live on forever. Especially those from the NCAA Tournament run. So whether they intend to do it or not, Jayhawk fans figure to have plenty of chances to take Logan’s advice in the days, months and years to come.
[1]: https://www2.kusports.com/news/2022/apr/10/celebration-city-jayhawks-and-adoring-fans-turn-ma/
