Nobody wanted the season to end like this. The unprecedented decision to cancel the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments stung Kansas players, coaches and fans as much as any program in the country. After all, the Jayhawks were the unanimous #1 team in the AP poll at the end of the regular season and boasted two ESPN 1st Team All-Americans as well as ESPN’s National Defensive Player of the Year. Kansas had all kinds of momentum entering the postseason including a 16-game winning streak, which was the 2nd best in the Bill Self era, and to quote the head coach, “This team was built to win in March.” Yet that chance to finish what they had started in a 28-3 regular season never came to pass.
But as disappointing as the end was for all involved, this was still one of the best Jayhawk teams in recent memory and that is certainly something worth celebrating. But what made them great? With the help of Bill Self, we’re bringing you the story of the 2019-2020 Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.