14 Strong and Keeping Em’ Coming
Since 2005 the Kansas University Men’s basketball team has won every single Big 12 championship. Thats 14 straight championships (suck it K-State). Now I know what you’re thinking and yes that is the NCAA record and once again I know those uneducated on Big 12 basketball may be thinking “Well the Big 12 must not be a competitive league then.” However that is far from correct. The Big 12 has several other competitive top 25 teams each year such as West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor and yes even K-State is a competitive team that the Jayhawks face. In fact, 9 different teams have been ranked a top 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, but still did not beat out Kansas for the Big 12 title.
In addition, the current rate at which players go to the NBA makes 14 straight even more impressive. With star players leaving so frequently, it’s the norm for teams to have an off year, but KU hasn’t had one since 2005. They’ve kept a consistently successful program for 14 years. Other teams rely solely on their superstar players headed for the draft after freshman year but KU has remained great because they utilize both the superstars and the players who take the full 4 years to develop and then head for the draft. These 4 year players can end up becoming some of the most impactful players in the country. Examples of these players could include Frank Mason and Devontae Graham, both of which were recognized as one of the best point guards in the country their senior years.
Both Bill Self’s recruiting and coaching are to blame for these 14 straight conference titles. Currently the team is the back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back Big 12 champion. So my bet’s on them for the title of the upcoming season as well.
