The 2011-12 Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team will likely be a roster that head coach Bill Self will never forget. After preseason prognosticators believed the Jayhawks would finish second or even fourth in the Big 12 standings after losing the Morris twins among other pieces to the NBA and graduation, KU won yet another conference title — their eighth in a row — and proceeded to advance all the way to the national title game before losing to the Kentucky Wildcats. In short, it was an unexpected magical run for all involved.
"For me personally, there’s never been a team that cared more, tried more, liked each other more, allowed us to coach them more," said Self at the team’s return to Allen Fieldhouse after the Final Four. "That team (Kentucky) has six first-round draft picks, three lottery picks. We’re out there fighting our butt off. I love this team."
Kansas finished 32-7 on the season and head into next year with three returning starters.
For more on the Kansas Jayhawks' incredible season, check out Rock Chalk Talk.