Helena Frye
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as KU or simply Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team is one of the most successful college basketball programs of all time, with over 2,000 wins and multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The team has won numerous conference championships and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Jayhawks have a rich history and have produced many notable professional players, including Wilt Chamberlain and Paul Pierce. With a strong tradition and a focus on basketball excellence, the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team continues to be a force in college basketball.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Team Name | Kansas Jayhawks |
| University | University of Kansas |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Number of National Championships | 15 |
| Number of NCAA Division I Championships | 12 |
| Number of Men's Basketball Championships | 4 |
| Number of Helms Foundation National Titles | 2 |
| Number of Conference Championships | 177 |
| Number of Big 12 Regular Season Championships | 21 |
| Ranking in Street & Smith's Annual List of Greatest College Basketball Programs | 4th |
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What You'll Learn
Kansas Jayhawks: the team
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as KU or simply Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks are a member of the Big 12 Conference, one of three schools in the state that participate in NCAA Division I. The team's name, "Jayhawk", comes from the Kansas Jayhawker militias during the Bleeding Kansas era of the American Civil War.
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team is one of only three programs to win more than 2,000 games. In 2005, they ranked 4th in Street & Smith's Annual list of 100 greatest college basketball programs of all time. The team first played in 1890 and their first coach was the inventor of basketball, James Naismith. Ironically, Naismith is the only coach in Kansas basketball history with a losing record.
The Jayhawks' success continued under Naismith's former player, Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, who coached the team from 1907 to 1909 and again from 1919 onwards. Allen is known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching", having passed on his knowledge to some of the most well-respected names in college basketball, including National Basketball Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Dutch Lonborg, and Ralph Miller. Under Allen's successor, William O. Hamilton, the team won five conference championships.
The Kansas basketball program has produced many notable professional players, including Wilt Chamberlain, Clyde Lovellette, Jo Jo White, Danny Manning, Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce, Nick Collison, and Kirk Hinrich. The Jayhawks have won 177 conference championships across all sports in university history as of December 2024. They have won or shared an NCAA-record 63 conference championships since they joined their first conference in 1907.
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Big 12 Conference
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team plays in the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 Conference was founded in February 1994 by eight members of the former Big Eight Conference and four members of the former Southwest Conference. The only men's sports with full participation by the entire conference are basketball, football, and golf. Swimming and diving have the lowest participation, with only seven universities fielding a team.
The Big 12 Conference has undergone several changes in membership over the years. In 2011, Colorado and Nebraska left the conference, followed by Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012. TCU and West Virginia joined the conference in 2012, and in 2023, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF became new members. For the 2024-25 season, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah joined, and Colorado rejoined the conference.
The Kansas Jayhawks have had a successful history in the Big 12 Conference. They have won at least a share of 21 regular-season conference titles in the 28 seasons the conference has been in existence. On February 27, 2016, they won their 12th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship with a victory against Texas Tech. In 2018, they defeated Duke in the NCAA tournament to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2012.
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NCAA Division I
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as KU or simply Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks are a member of the Big 12 Conference, one of the three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I.
The Kansas men's basketball team is one of only three programs to win more than 2,000 games. The team has won four NCAA Division I championships and two Helms Foundation National Titles in 1922 and 1923. The Jayhawks have also won or shared an NCAA record of 63 conference championships since they joined their first conference in 1907. Of the 28 seasons the Big 12 conference has been in existence, Kansas has won at least a share of 21 regular-season conference titles. On February 27, 2016, the Jayhawks won their 12th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship with a 67-58 win against Texas Tech.
The first coach of the Kansas basketball team was the inventor of basketball, James Naismith. In 1907, Kansas hired one of Naismith's players, Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, as head coach. Allen coached the team from 1907 to 1909 and then again from 1919 onwards. Under his coaching, the team won five conference championships. Allen is known as the "'Father of Basketball Coaching'" and has passed on his knowledge to some of the most well-respected names in college basketball, including National Basketball Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Dutch Lonborg, and Ralph Miller.
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team has produced many notable professional players, including Wilt Chamberlain, Clyde Lovellette, Jo Jo White, Danny Manning, Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce, Nick Collison, and Kirk Hinrich.
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Kansas Jayhawks women's team
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team has a rich history, with 21 regular-season conference titles in the Big 12 Conference under its belt. But what about the Kansas Jayhawks women's team?
The Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team represents the University of Kansas and has been competing in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. While they have not achieved the same level of success as their male counterparts, the Jayhawks women's team has had their share of triumphs. The team first started playing in 1903, with James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, as their coach. However, women's basketball did not become a varsity sport at the University of Kansas until 1968, and the team has had official coaches since then.
The Jayhawks women's team has qualified for 14 NCAA Tournaments, with their best post-season result being the Sweet Sixteen, which they have achieved five times. The team has also won one Women's NIT championship in 2023. Despite their struggles on the court, the Jayhawks women's team has produced a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Lynette Woodard.
The team's most successful period was under the leadership of coach Marian Washington, who coached the team for 31 seasons from 1973 to 2004. During this time, the Jayhawks women's team won three Big Eight championships, appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments, and made three AIAW tournament appearances. Washington is the all-time leader for the program in years coached, wins, tournament appearances, tournament wins, and win percentage.
The current coach of the Kansas Jayhawks women's team is Brandon Schneider, who is tasked with the challenge of leading the team to greater success and matching the achievements of their male counterparts.
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Kansas' basketball rivalries
The University of Kansas sponsors 16 sports: 6 men's and 10 women's. The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference.
The Jayhawks men's NCAA basketball program is one of the most successful and prestigious in the history of college basketball. The team has won four NCAA Division I national championships, two Helms Foundation National Titles, and has produced some of the game's greatest players and coaches.
The University of Kansas has had a long-standing rivalry with the University of Missouri, known as the Border War. This rivalry has existed in all sports but is more prominent in football and men's basketball. The rivalry has historic roots in the often violent relationship between the states of Kansas and Missouri, dating back to the guerrilla warfare between the states before and during the American Civil War. The two schools first played each other in 1891 and competed in the same athletic conference from 1907 to 2012. The rivalry has been described as the oldest Division I rivalry west of the Mississippi River.
In basketball, Kansas leads the series against Missouri with a record of 172-95. The rivalry has seen some intense competitions, including remarkable come-from-behind wins by both teams in 2012. In 2017, the schools played an exhibition game, with proceeds going to hurricane relief, which Kansas won 93-87. In 2021, in the first regular-season game since Missouri's departure from the Big 12 Conference, Kansas defeated Missouri 102-65, their largest margin of victory since 1977.
In addition to the rivalry with Missouri, Kansas also had a rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, which focused on which school had the better sports program. Kansas prided itself on its basketball prowess, while Nebraska dominated in football. However, this rivalry has gone dormant since Nebraska moved to the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
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Frequently asked questions
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as KU or simply Kansas, are the athletic teams representing the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks are a member of the Big 12 Conference.
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team has won several Big 12 Conference championships. They won their 12th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship in 2016. In total, they have won at least a share of 21 regular-season conference titles in the 28 seasons the Big 12 conference has existed.
The University of Kansas has had rivalries with other universities that are part of different conferences. For example, the rivalry with Missouri ended when they joined the Southeastern Conference. Kansas also had a rivalry with Nebraska, which ended when they moved to the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
