Kansas has 226 combined minutes of NCAA Tournament experience on its current roster.
6 current Jayhawks have appeared in an NCAA Tournament game:
White: 3
Council: 2
Jackson: 2
McDowell: 2
Bidunga: 1
Evers: 1
White and Council’s experience came at previous schools.
Since 1990, Kansas is 19–3 in games played in California.
The Jayhawks have won seven straight in the state entering it’s NCAA Tournament opener in San Diego Friday.
KU was 10-7 vs. NCAA Tournament teams this season:
Wins: Tenn, MU, NC State, TCU (2x), ISU, BYU, TTU, AZ, HOU
Losses: UNC, Duke, UConn, UCF, ISU, AZ, HOU
Kansas has earned a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd time since 1990.
That is the most of any program in the country over that span.
Most top-4 seeds since 1990 (including 2026):
1. Kansas — 33
2. Duke — 31
t3. Kentucky — 23
t3. Arizona — 23
5. North Carolina — 22
For the first time in Big 12 Tournament history, both semifinal games are AP Top-15 matchups:
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 7 Iowa State
No. 5 Houston vs. No. 14 Kansas
Kansas will face an AP Top-5 opponent in a conference tournament for just the third time since 1990 when it meets No. 5 Houston in the Big 12 semifinals.
Previous matchups:
1990 vs. No. 1 Oklahoma — L, 77–95
2002 vs. No. 4 Oklahoma — L, 55–64
Kansas records after 32 games since 2004:
30-2: 2010, 2011
29-3: 2008
28-4: 2007, 2016, 2017
27-5: 2012, 2013
26-6: 2022, 2023
25-7: 2006, 2009, 2015, 2018
24-8: 2004, 2014, 2019
23-9: 2026
22-10: 2024
21-11: 2025
*30 games played in 2005 & 2021 seasons and 31 games in 2020.
Kansas made 30 free throws against TCU, its most ever in a Big 12 Tournament game.
It was also KU’s best free-throw shooting performance (81.1%) with at least 35 attempts since 2008, when the Jayhawks went 32-of-36 vs. Kent State.
Kansas shot 37.9% (22-of-58) from the field in its Big 12 quarterfinal win over TCU.
The Jayhawks had lost their previous 10 games when shooting below 38% and being outshot by their opponent.
KU is now 5–16 in those games since 2020.
In the last 20 seasons, KU's league tourney win % is the highest among power conference schools.
1. Kansas: 37-9 (.804)
2. Duke: 36-10 (.783)
3. Oregon: 32-14 (.696)
t4. Arizona: 29-13 (.690)
t4. Kentucky: 29-13 (.690)
Some KU in KC & Big 12 Tourney notes as the event starts today:
- KU is 237-87 all-time in games played in KC
- KU is 48-13 in the T-Mobile Center (opened in '07)
- Of KU's 16 conf tourney titles, 14 have come in KC
- Since '04, KU is 37-10 in B12 or NCAA tourney games in KC
30 years ago today (3/10/96) marked the last game of the Big 8 Conference, a 56-55 Iowa St win over Kansas in the Big 8 Tourney title game.
KU in the Big 8 (1959-1996)--
League record: 346-186 (.650)
Reg-season titles: 13
Big 8 Tourney titles: 4
Melvin Council Jr. was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, making him the 5th Jayhawk since 2018 to claim the award:
Malik Newman (2018)
Dedric Lawson (2019)
David McCormack (2021)
Hunter Dickinson (2024)
Flory Bidunga becomes the 3rd Jayhawk to be named Big 12 DPOY and claim All-Big 12 First Team honors in the same season.
He joins Cole Aldrich (2009, 2010) and Jeff Withey (2013).
Kansas is No. 14 in the final AP poll of the regular season.
KU enters postseason play inside the AP Top 25 for the 26th time in the last 27 years.
It also marks the 4th time in the last 10 seasons that KU finished the reg season ranked higher than its preseason AP ranking.