2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

The 2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2007–08, which was the Jayhawks' 110th Season. The team was led by Bill Self in his 5th season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
NCAA tournament National Champions Big 12 tournament champions Big 12 regular season co-champions
National Championship Game, W 75–68 OT vs. Memphis
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 4
Record	37–3 (13–3 Big 12)
Head coach	Bill Self (5th Season)
Assistant coaches	Joe Dooley (5th season) Danny Manning (1st season) Kurtis Townsend (4th season)
Captains	Jeremy Case Darnell Jackson Sasha Kaun Russell Robinson Rodrick Stewart
Home arena	Allen Fieldhouse
Seasons ← 2006–07 2008–09 →

2007–08 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 7 Texas	13	–	3		.813			31	–	7		.816
No. 4 Kansas †	13	–	3		.813			37	–	3		.925
Kansas State	10	–	6		.625			21	–	12		.636
Oklahoma	9	–	7		.563			23	–	12		.657
Baylor	9	–	7		.563			21	–	11		.656
Texas A&M	8	–	8		.500			25	–	11		.694
Nebraska	7	–	9		.438			20	–	13		.606
Texas Tech	7	–	9		.438			16	–	15		.516
Oklahoma State	7	–	9		.438			17	–	16		.515
Missouri	6	–	10		.375			16	–	16		.500
Iowa State	4	–	12		.250			14	–	18		.438
Colorado	3	–	13		.188			12	–	20		.375
† 2008 Big 12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll [1]

The Jayhawks finished the season 37–3, 13–3 in Big 12 play to finish tied for first place. They defeated Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M to win the Big 12 tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. They defeated Memphis in the National Championship game, marking the third NCAA tournament title in the school's history.

The Jayhawks 37 wins remains a program record. Additionally, the win total is tied for 3rd most in NCAA history (Kentucky twice won 38 and Memphis also won 38, but the wins were officially vacated).

Recruiting

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Chase Buford SG	San Antonio, TX	Alamo Heights HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	N/A
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (71)
Cole Aldrich C	Bloomington, MN	Jefferson HS	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Nov 1, 2005
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (97)
Tyrel Reed PG	Burlington, KS	Burlington HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Nov 15, 2006
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (93)
Conner Teahan SF	Leawood, KS	Rockhurst HS (Kansas City, MO)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 26, 2007
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: 34    Rivals: NR    ESPN: NR
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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 2007 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "2007 Kansas Basketball Commits". Scout. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "2007 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved April 11, 2009.

Roster

2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown C 45 Cole Aldrich 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Bloomington, MN F 00 Darrell Arthur 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Dallas, TX G 11 Brennan Bechard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Lawrence, KS G 22 Chase Buford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr San Antonio, TX G 10 Jeremy Case 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr McAlester, OK G 15 Mario Chalmers 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Anchorage, AK G 4 Sherron Collins 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Chicago, IL F 32 Darnell Jackson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Oklahoma City, OK C 24 Sasha Kaun 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Tomsk, Russia C 54 Matt Kleinmann 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Overland Park, KS G 12 Brady Morningstar 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) So Lawrence, KS G 14 Tyrel Reed 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Burlington, KS G 3 Russell Robinson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr New York, NY G 25 Brandon Rush 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Kansas City, MO G 5 Rodrick Stewart 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Seattle, WA G 2 Conner Teahan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Leawood, KS G 40 Brad Witherspoon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Humboldt, KS	Head coach Bill Self Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	Pittsburg State	W 94–59		Allen Fieldhouse  Lawrence, Kansas
November 6, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	Fort Hays State	W 93–56		Allen Fieldhouse  Lawrence, Kansas
Regular season
November 9, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	Louisiana-Monroe	W 107–78	1–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
November 11, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	UMKC Jayhawk Invitational	W 85–62	2–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
November 15, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	Washburn Jayhawk Invitational	W 92–60	3–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
November 21, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	Northern Arizona Jayhawk Invitational	W 87–46	4–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
November 25, 2007* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 4	Arizona Jayhawk Invitational/ Big XII–Pac-10 Hardwood Series	W 76–72 OT	5–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
November 28, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 4	Florida Atlantic	W 87–49	6–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
December 2, 2007* 1:00 p.m., FSN	No. 4	at No. 24 USC	W 59–55	7–0	Galen Center (10,017) Los Angeles, California
December 5, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 3	Eastern Washington	W 85–47	8–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
December 8, 2007* 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	DePaul	W 84–66	9–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
December 15, 2007* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 3	vs. Ohio American Century Investments Shootout	W 88–51	10–0	Sprint Center (18,482) Kansas City, Missouri
December 18, 2007* 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	at Georgia Tech	W 71–66	11–0	Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191) Atlanta, Georgia
December 22, 2007* 12:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 3	Miami (OH)	W 78–54	12–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
December 29, 2007* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 3	Yale	W 86–53	13–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
January 1, 2008* 11:00 a.m., ESPN	No. 3	at Boston College	W 85–60	14–0	Conte Forum (8,606) Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
January 8, 2008* 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 3	Loyola (MD)	W 90–60	15–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
January 12, 2008 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	at Nebraska	W 79–58	16–0	Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,829) Lincoln, Nebraska
January 14, 2008 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	Oklahoma	W 85–55	17–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
January 19, 2008 7:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 3	at Missouri	W 76–70	18–0	Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, Missouri
January 23, 2008 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	Iowa State	W 83–59	19–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
January 26, 2008 12:45 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+	No. 2	Nebraska	W 84–49	20–0	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
January 30, 2008 7:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+	No. 2	at No. 24 Kansas State	L 75–84	20–1	Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, Kansas
February 2, 2008 2:30 p.m., ABC	No. 2	at Colorado	W 72–59	21–1	Coors Events Center (10,347) Boulder, Colorado
February 4, 2008 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 5	Missouri	W 90–71	22–1	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
February 9, 2008 7:00 p.m., J-TV	No. 5	Baylor	W 100–90	23–1	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
February 11, 2008 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 3	at No. 11 Texas	L 69–72	23–2	Frank Erwin Center (16,755) Austin, Texas
February 16, 2008 12:45 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+	No. 3	Colorado	W 69–45	24–2	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
February 23, 2008 3:00 p.m., CBS	No. 5	at Oklahoma State	L 60–61	24–3	Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,905) Stillwater, Oklahoma
February 27, 2008 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 7	at Iowa State	W 75–64	25–3	Hilton Coliseum (13,624) Ames, Iowa
March 1, 2008 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 7	Kansas State ESPN College GameDay	W 88–74	26–3	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
March 3, 2008 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	Texas Tech	W 109–51	27–3	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas
March 8, 2008 3:00 p.m., CBS	No. 6	at Texas A&M	W 72–55	28–3	Reed Arena (12,054) College Station, Texas
Big 12 Tournament
March 14, 2008 6:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+	No. 5	vs. Nebraska Quarterfinals	W 64–54	29–3	Sprint Center (18,897) Kansas City, Missouri
March 15, 2008 3:20 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+	No. 5	vs. Texas A&M Semifinals	W 77–71	30–3	Sprint Center (18,897) Kansas City, Missouri
March 16, 2008 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 5	vs. No. 6 Texas Championship	W 84–74	31–3	Sprint Center (19,047) Kansas City, Missouri
NCAA Tournament
March 20, 2008 11:25 a.m., CBS	No. 4 (1)	vs. (16) Portland State First round	W 85–61	32–3	Qwest Center Omaha (17,839) Omaha, Nebraska
March 22, 2008 5:50 p.m., CBS	No. 4 (1)	vs. (8) UNLV Second round	W 75–56	33–3	Qwest Center Omaha (17,162) Omaha, Nebraska
March 28, 2008 8:50 p.m., CBS	No. 4 (1)	vs. (12) Villanova Sweet Sixteen	W 72–57	34–3	Ford Field (57,028) Detroit, Michigan
March 30, 2008 4:05 p.m., CBS	No. 4 (1)	vs. No. 23 (10) Davidson Elite Eight	W 59–57	35–3	Ford Field (57,563) Detroit, Michigan
April 5, 2008 8:47 p.m., CBS	No. 4 (1)	vs. No. 1 (1) North Carolina Final Four	W 84–66	36–3	Alamodome (43,718) San Antonio, Texas
April 7, 2008 8:21 p.m., CBS	No. 4 (1)	vs. No. 2 (1) Memphis National Championship game	W 75–68 OT	37–3	Alamodome (43,257) San Antonio, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll, NCAA tournament seeds shown in parentheses. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Standard Time.

Rankings

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Wk 19	Final
AP	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	4	3	4	6	5	4	4	–
Coaches	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	5	3	5	7	6	5	4	1

Awards

Big 12 Sixth Man Award^[2]

Sherron Collins (Sophomore, Guard)

Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week

Darnell Jackson (Senior, Forward), January 7 (co-winner)^[3]

Brandon Rush (Junior, Guard), March 3 (co-winner)^[4]

Sherron Collins, March 9 (co-winner)^[5]

All-Big 12 Teams^[2]

Darrell Arthur (Sophomore, Forward), First Team

Brandon Rush, First Team

Mario Chalmers (Junior, Guard), Second Team

Darnell Jackson, Third Team

Big 12 All-Defensive Team^[2]

Mario Chalmers

Russell Robinson (Senior, Guard)

Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team^[6]

Brandon Rush, Most Outstanding Player

Mario Chalmers

NCAA (Midwest) Regional All-Tournament Team^[7]

Brandon Rush

Mario Chalmers

Sasha Kaun (Senior, Center)

NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player^[8]

Mario Chalmers