2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
Big 12 Regular Season Champion
Big 12 Tournament Champion
NCAA Tournament, Elite Eight
Conference Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 5
AP No. 2
2006–07 record 33–5 (14–2 Big 12)
Head coach Bill Self
Assistant coach Tim Jankovich
Assistant coach Joe Dooley
Assistant coach Kurtis Townsend
Home arena Allen Fieldhouse
200607 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Kansas†142 .875  335  .868
Texas A&M133 .813  277  .794
Texas124 .750  2510  .714
Kansas State106 .625  2312  .657
Texas Tech97 .563  2113  .618
Missouri79 .438  1812  .600
Oklahoma State610 .375  2213  .629
Nebraska610 .375  1714  .548
Oklahoma610 .375  1615  .516
Iowa State610 .375  1516  .484
Baylor412 .250  1516  .484
Colorado313 .188  720  .259
2007 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll Through March 27, 2011

The 2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas Jayhawks for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2006–2007. The team was led by Bill Self in his fourth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Jayhawks' won the regular season championship with fourteen conference wins—the third straight season in which the team has claimed a share of the championship. In postseason play the team defeated its conference opponents to claim its second straight title. In the NCAA Division I tournament, the Jayhawks were defeated in the Elite Eight.

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Darrell Arthur
PF
Dallas, Texas South Oak Cliff HS 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 217 lb (98 kg) May 9, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Sherron Collins
PG
Chicago Crane Technical Prep Common HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 16, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Brady Morningstar
SG
Lawrence, Kansas The New Hampton School (New Hampton, New Hampshire) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 4, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8   Rivals: 12  ESPN: N/A
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kansas 2006 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  • "2006 Kansas Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  • "2006 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2009-04-11.

    Season Synopsis

    After returning every key player from the 2006 team that shared the Big 12 regular season title with the Texas Longhorns and defeated Texas for the conference tournament title, the Jayhawks expected to repeat as Big 12 champs and contend for the national title in 2006–07. ESPN's Andy Katz had ranked the Jayhawks as the second best team in the nation for the preseason, while Dick Vitale had the Jayhawks ranked third. The starting lineup included Russell Robinson (guard), Mario Chalmers (guard), Brandon Rush (small forward), Julian Wright (power/small forward), and Sasha Kaun (Center). Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins were the nucleus of Bill Self's recruiting class for the 06–07 season and provided valuable minutes coming off the bench. Some key returnees included Darnell Jackson and Jeremy Case.

    One early-season casualty was C.J. Giles. He was suspended in early November for failure to attend practices, for poor showing in the classroom, and because of unpaid child support. He was to have been reinstated for the Winston-Salem State game, but another incident involving charges of assault and battery against his ex-girlfriend left Bill Self with no choice but to dismiss the troubled center from the team. Giles transferred to play for the Oregon State Beavers. His problems, however, persisted to a degree that he was dismissed from OSU in January 2008.

    Following the victory over #1 ranked and defending National Champion Florida in Las Vegas, athletic director Lew Perkins announced that he had extended Coach Bill Self's contract through 2011.

    Until February 3, no team from the Big 12 South division had ever beaten Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse since the conference's formation in the 1996 offseason. That streak came to an end when Texas A&M came from 11 down to beat KU 69–66; this also marked the first time ever that the Aggies had beaten the Jayhawks. As it turned out, that would be the last time until 2011 that anyone would beat the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse, as KU would go on to post a school and conference record 69-game homecourt winning streak.

    There were two streaks that remained intact. Kansas extended its streak of consecutive home wins against Colorado to 24 with a 97–74 victory on January 27, 2007. KU also maintained the 24-game on-the-road win streak against Kansas State in Manhattan with a 71–62 victory in Bramlage Coliseum on February 19, 2007. KU won the final five games with KSU in Ahearn Fieldhouse and the first 19 meetings in Bramlage through 2007.

    Kansas won the 2007 regular season Big 12 championship, finishing in first place with a 14–2 record in conference play. In doing so, they clinched their third straight regular season title and their first outright Big 12 title since 2003, having settled for ties with Oklahoma and Texas the previous two seasons. They came from down 16 against Texas to win 90–86, leading by as many as 10 at one point and holding on for the four-point win. The title is the Jayhawks' 50th all-time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1907–08. It is also KU's fifth outright Big 12 championship and seventh overall.

    The outright title gave Kansas the top seed for the Big 12 Tournament and a bye for the preliminary rounds of play. In the quarterfinal, KU faced ninth-seed Oklahoma and prevailed 64–47. In the semifinal, KU faced fourth-seed Kansas State and prevailed 67–61. Finally, in the title game, KU defeated Texas 88–84 in overtime to win the Big 12 Tournament. They pulled off an even bigger comeback than in the regular-season meeting, coming from down 22 to win. The 22-point comeback is the biggest in KU history, eclipsing the 19-point comeback in an 85–70 win over UCLA in 1995.

    Kansas earned the top seed for the West Region of the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In subregional action at the United Center in Chicago, KU defeated Niagara 107–67 and Kentucky 88–76.

    In the Sweet 16, KU escaped a tough defensive stance from Southern Illinois, winning 61–58 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The victory sent KU to the Elite Eight against the second-seeded UCLA Bruins, but they lost 68–55, their largest margin of defeat all season. KU has never won a game against UCLA in NCAA Tournament play, losing all five meetings. The loss also left Bill Self at 0–4 all-time in Elite Eight games, having lost with Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas (twice), a problem he eliminated the following season.

    Kansas finished the season 33–5, winning the Big 12 regular-season and postseason championships, reaching the Elite Eight, and achieving the seventh 30-win season in school history.

    On April 9, 2007, sophomore forward Julian Wright announced that he would forgo his junior and senior seasons, hire an agent (therefore forfeiting his amateur status and college eligibility), and enter his name into the NBA Draft. Teammate and fellow sophomore Brandon Rush had originally chosen to follow suit, announcing on April 26, 2007 his plan of entering his name into the NBA Draft, but decided to not hire an agent (therefore allowing him to return to KU if he decided to withdraw his name from the draft). However, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a pickup game of basketball, Rush changed his mind and decided to return for his junior season at KU. Rush's surgery was successful; and, as it turned out the following season, the injury was a blessing in disguise for Rush and the Jayhawks.

    Roster

    Name # Position Height Weight Year Home town
    Darrell Arthur 00 Power Forward 6–9 230 Freshman Dallas
    Brennan Bechard 11 Point Guard 6–0 183 Sophomore Lawrence, Kansas
    Jeremy Case 10 Point Guard 6–1 182 Junior McAlester, Oklahoma
    Mario Chalmers 15 Point Guard 6–1 195 Sophomore Anchorage, AK
    Sherron Collins 4 Point Guard 5–11 200 Freshman Chicago
    Darnell Jackson 32 Power Forward 6–8 250 Junior Oklahoma City
    Sasha Kaun 24 Center 6–11 245 Junior Tomsk, Russia
    Matt Kleinmann 54 Center 6–10 247 Sophomore Overland Park, Kansas
    Brady Morningstar 12 Shooting Guard 6–3 185 Freshman Lawrence, Kansas
    Russell Robinson 3 Point Guard 6–1 200 Junior New York City
    Brandon Rush 25 Shooting Guard 6–6 210 Sophomore Kansas City, Missouri
    Rodrick Stewart 5 Shooting Guard 6–4 205 Junior Seattle
    Brad Witherspoon 40 Point Guard 6–1 180 Junior Humboldt, Kansas
    Julian Wright 30 Small Forward 6–8 225 Sophomore Chicago Heights, Illinois

    [1]

    Schedule

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    November 2*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 3 Washburn
    exhibition
    W 99–69  1–0
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    November 7*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 3 Emporia State
    exhibition
    W 90–55  2–0
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    Regular season
    November 11*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 3 Northern Arizona W 91–57  1–0
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    November 15*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 3 Oral Roberts L 71–78  1–1
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    November 19*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 3 Towson
    Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational
    W 87–61  2–1
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    November 21*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 10 Tennessee State
    Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational
    W 89–54  3–1
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    November 24*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 10 vs. Ball State
    Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational
    W 64–46  4–1
    Orleans Arena (8,500)
    Las Vegas
    November 25*
    10:00 p.m., ESPN2
    No. 10 vs. No. 1 Florida
    Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational
    W 82–80 OT 5–1
    Orleans Arena (8,500)
    Las Vegas
    November 28*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 5 Dartmouth W 83–32  6–1
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    December 2*
    1:00 p.m., ESPNU
    No. 5 at DePaul L 57–64  6–2
    Allstate Arena (16,922)
    Rosemont, Illinois
    December 4*
    8:00 p.m., ESPN2
    No. 5 USC W 72–62  7–2
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    December 9*
    12:00 p.m., ESPN2
    No. 12 vs. Toledo
    American Century Investments Shootout
    W 68–58  8–2
    Kemper Arena (16,488)
    Kansas City, Missouri
    December 19*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 11 Winston-Salem State W 94–43  9–2
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    December 23*
    1:00 p.m., CBS
    No. 11 Boston College W 84–66  10–2
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    December 28*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 9 Detroit Mercy W 63–43  11–2
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    December 30*
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 9 Rhode Island W 80–69  12–2
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    January 7*
    3:30 p.m., CBS
    No. 9 at South Carolina W 70–54  13–2
    Colonial Center (14,713)
    Columbia, South Carolina
    January 10
    8:00 p.m., ESPN2
    No. 6 No. 9 Oklahoma State W 87–57  14–2 (1–0)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    January 13
    1:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 6 at Iowa State W 68–64 OT 15–2 (2–0)
    Hilton Coliseum (13,226)
    Ames, Iowa
    January 15
    8:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 6 Missouri W 80–77  16–2 (3–0)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    January 20
    3:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 5 at Texas Tech L 64–69  16–3 (3–1)
    United Spirit Arena (11,469)
    Lubbock, Texas
    January 24
    7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 8 at Baylor W 82–56  17–3 (4–1)
    Ferrell Center (8,102)
    Waco, Texas
    January 27
    12:30 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+
    No. 8 Colorado W 97–74  18–3 (5–1)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    January 29
    8:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 8 at Nebraska W 76–56  19–3 (6–1)
    Bob Devaney Sports Center (12,262)
    Lincoln, Nebraska
    February 3
    8:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 6 No. 10 Texas A&M L 66–69  19–4 (6–2)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    February 7
    8:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+
    No. 9 Kansas State W 97–70  20–4 (7–2)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    February 10
    2:30 p.m., ABC
    No. 9 at Missouri W 92–74  21–4 (8–2)
    Mizzou Arena (15,061)
    Columbia, Missouri
    February 14
    8:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+
    No. 9 at Colorado W 75–46  22–4 (9–2)
    Coors Events Center (6,608)
    Boulder, Colorado
    February 17
    3:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+
    No. 9 Nebraska W 92–39  23–4 (10–2)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    February 19
    8:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 9 at Kansas State W 71–62  24–4 (11–2)
    Bramlage Coliseum (13,340)
    Manhattan, Kansas
    February 24
    5:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 6 Iowa State W 89–52  25–4 (12–2)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    February 26
    8:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 6 at Oklahoma W 67–65  26–4 (13–2)
    Lloyd Noble Center (11,192)
    Norman, Oklahoma
    March 3
    11:00 a.m., CBS
    No. 3 No. 15 Texas W 90–86  27–4 (14–2)
    Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
    Lawrence, Kansas
    Big 12 Tournament
    March 9
    11:30 a.m., BIG 12-ESPN+
    ESPNU
    No. 2 vs. Oklahoma
    Quarterfinals
    W 64–47  28–4
    Ford Center (18,879)
    Oklahoma City
    March 10
    1:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+
    /ESPN2
    No. 2 vs. Kansas State
    Semifinals
    W 67–61  29–4
    Ford Center (18,879)
    Oklahoma City
    March 11
    2:00 p.m., ESPN
    No. 2 vs. No. 15 Texas
    Championship
    W 88–84 OT 30–4
    Ford Center (18,879)
    Oklahoma City
    NCAA Tournament
    March 16
    6:10 p.m., CBS
    No. 2 (1) vs. (16) Niagara
    First round
    W 107–67  31–4
    United Center (19,274)
    Chicago
    March 18
    4:05 p.m., CBS
    No. 2 (1) vs. (8) Kentucky
    Second round
    W 88–76  32–4
    United Center (20,916)
    Chicago
    March 22
    6:10 p.m., CBS
    No. 2 (1) vs. No. 14 (4) Southern Illinois
    Sweet Sixteen
    W 61–58  33–4
    HP Pavilion (18,049)
    San Jose, California
    March 24
    6:05 p.m., CBS
    No. 2 (1) vs. No. 7 (2) UCLA
    Elite Eight
    L 55–68  33–5
    HP Pavilion (18,102)
    San Jose, California
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Awards

    Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
    Mario Chalmers (Sophomore, Guard)
    Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week
    Julian Wright (Sophomore, Forward), November 27 and March 5 (co-winner)
    All-Big 12 First Team
    Brandon Rush (Sophomore, Guard)
    Julian Wright
    Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team
    Brandon Rush
    Julian Wright

    References

    1. "KU Men's Basketball Quick Facts" (English). Retrieved 2010-02-21.
    • "Big 12 Record Book: Men's Basketball" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
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