2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 basketball 2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks University of Kansas athletics (logo).svg 200px Big 12 Conference Big 12 5 2 33–5 14–2 Bill Self (4th Season) Joe Dooley 4th Tim Jankovich 4th Kurtis Townsend 3rd Russell Robinson Allen Fieldhouse Big 12 tournament championsBig 12 regular season champions NCAA Tournament Elite Eight The 2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas Jayhawks for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2006–07. The team was led by Bill Self in his fourth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks' won the regular season championship with fourteen conference wins—the third straight season in which the team has claimed a share of the championship. In postseason play the team defeated its conference opponents to claim its second straight title. In the NCAA Division I tournament, the Jayhawks were defeated in the Elite Eight. Recruiting no no 2007 Darrell Arthur PF Dallas, Texas South Oak Cliff HS 6 9 217 2005-05-09 5 5 N/A Sherron Collins PG Chicago Crane Technical Prep Common HS 5 11 180 2005-10-16 5 5 N/A Brady Morningstar SG Lawrence, Kansas The New Hampton School (New Hampton, New Hampshire) 6 3 165 2005-10-04 4 3 N/A 2006 Kansas 2006 Basketball Commitments 2006 Kansas Basketball Commits ESPN kansas 172 2305 8 12 N/A 2009-04-11 yes Season Synopsis After returning every key player from the 2006 team that shared the Big 12 regular season title with the Texas Longhorns and defeated Texas for the conference tournament title, the Jayhawks expected to repeat as Big 12 champs and contend for the national title in 2006–07. ESPN's Andy Katz had ranked the Jayhawks as the second best team in the nation for the preseason, while Dick Vitale had the Jayhawks ranked third. The starting lineup included Russell Robinson (guard), Mario Chalmers (guard), Brandon Rush (small forward), Julian Wright (power/small forward), and Sasha Kaun (Center). Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins were the nucleus of Bill Self's recruiting class for the 06–07 season and provided valuable minutes coming off the bench. Some key returnees included Darnell Jackson and Jeremy Case. One early-season casualty was C.J. Giles. He was suspended in early November for failure to attend practices, for poor showing in the classroom, and because of unpaid child support. He was to have been reinstated for the Winston-Salem State game, but another incident involving charges of assault and battery against his ex-girlfriend left Bill Self with no choice but to dismiss the troubled center from the team. Giles transferred to play for the Oregon State Beavers. His problems, however, persisted to a degree that he was dismissed from OSU in January 2008. Following the victory over #1 ranked and defending National Champion Florida in Las Vegas, athletic director Lew Perkins announced that he had extended Coach Bill Self's contract through 2011. Until February 3, no team from the Big 12 South division had ever beaten Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse since the conference's formation in the 1996 offseason. That streak came to an end when Texas A&M came from 11 down to beat KU 69–66; this also marked the first time ever that the Aggies had beaten the Jayhawks. As it turned out, that would be the last time until 2011 that anyone would beat the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse, as KU would go on to post a school and conference record 69-game homecourt winning streak. There were two streaks that remained intact. Kansas extended its streak of consecutive home wins against Colorado to 24 with a 97–74 victory on January 27, 2007. KU also maintained the 24-game on-the-road win streak against Kansas State in Manhattan with a 71–62 victory in Bramlage Coliseum on February 19, 2007. KU won the final five games with KSU in Ahearn Fieldhouse and the first 19 meetings in Bramlage through 2007. Kansas won the 2007 regular season Big 12 championship, finishing in first place with a 14–2 record in conference play. In doing so, they clinched their third straight regular season title and their first outright Big 12 title since 2003, having settled for ties with Oklahoma and Texas the previous two seasons. They came from down 16 against Texas to win 90–86, leading by as many as 10 at one point and holding on for the four-point win. The title is the Jayhawks' 50th all-time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1907–08. It is also KU's fifth outright Big 12 championship and seventh overall. The outright title gave Kansas the top seed for the Big 12 Tournament and a bye for the preliminary rounds of play. In the quarterfinal, KU faced ninth-seed Oklahoma and prevailed 64–47. In the semifinal, KU faced fourth-seed Kansas State and prevailed 67–61. Finally, in the title game, KU defeated Texas 88–84 in overtime to win the Big 12 Tournament. They pulled off an even bigger comeback than in the regular-season meeting, coming from down 22 to win. The 22-point comeback is the biggest in KU history, eclipsing the 19-point comeback in an 85–70 win over UCLA in 1995. Kansas earned the top seed for the West Region of the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In subregional action at the United Center in Chicago, KU defeated Niagara 107–67 and Kentucky 88–76. In the Sweet 16, KU escaped a tough defensive stance from Southern Illinois, winning 61–58 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The victory sent KU to the Elite Eight against the second-seeded UCLA Bruins, but they lost 68–55, their largest margin of defeat all season. KU has never won a game against UCLA in NCAA Tournament play, losing all five meetings. The loss also left Bill Self at 0–4 all-time in Elite Eight games, having lost with Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas (twice), a problem he eliminated the following season. Kansas finished the season 33–5, winning the Big 12 regular-season and postseason championships, reaching the Elite Eight, and achieving the seventh 30-win season in school history. On April 9, 2007, sophomore forward Julian Wright announced that he would forgo his junior and senior seasons, hire an agent (therefore forfeiting his amateur status and college eligibility), and enter his name into the NBA draft. Teammate and fellow sophomore Brandon Rush had originally chosen to follow suit, announcing on April 26, 2007 his plan of entering his name into the NBA draft, but decided to not hire an agent (therefore allowing him to return to KU if he decided to withdraw his name from the draft). However, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a pickup game of basketball, Rush changed his mind and decided to return for his junior season at KU. Rush's surgery was successful; and, as it turned out the following season, the injury was a blessing in disguise for Rush and the Jayhawks. Roster Name # Position Height Weight Year Hometown Darrell Arthur 00 Power forward 6–9 230 Freshman Dallas, Texas Brennan Bechard 11 Point guard 6–0 183 Sophomore Lawrence, Kansas Jeremy Case 10 Point guard 6–1 182 Junior McAlester, Oklahoma Mario Chalmers 15 Point guard 6–1 195 Sophomore Anchorage, Alaska Sherron Collins 4 Point guard 5–11 200 Freshman Chicago, Illinois Darnell Jackson 32 Power forward 6–8 250 Junior Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sasha Kaun 24 Center 6–11 245 Junior Tomsk, Russia Matt Kleinmann 54 Center 6–10 247 Sophomore Overland Park, Kansas Brady Morningstar 12 Shooting guard 6–3 185 Freshman Lawrence, Kansas Russell Robinson 3 Point guard 6–1 200 Junior New York City, New York Brandon Rush 25 Shooting guard 6–6 210 Sophomore Kansas City, Missouri Rodrick Stewart 5 Shooting guard 6–4 205 Junior Seattle, Washington Brad Witherspoon 40 Point guard 6–1 180 Junior Humboldt, Kansas Julian Wright 30 Small forward 6–8 225 Sophomore Chicago Heights, Illinois KU Men's Basketball Quick Facts http://www.kuathletics.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/kan/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0607-mbaskbl-quickfacts English 2010-02-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20120306064159/http://www.kuathletics.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/kan/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0607-mbaskbl-quickfacts 2012-03-06 dead Schedule yes |- !colspan=9| Exhibition November 2 7:00 p.m. yes 3 Washburn Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas exhibition KU-ESPN+ 99–69 16,300 1–0 November 7 7:00 p.m. yes 3 Emporia State Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas exhibition KU-ESPN+ 90–55 16,300 2–0 |- !colspan=9| Regular season November 11 7:00 p.m. yes 3 Northern Arizona Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas KU-ESPN+ 91–57 16,300 1–0 November 15 7:00 p.m. yes 3 Oral Roberts Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas KU-ESPN+ 71–78 16,300 1–1 November 19 7:00 p.m. yes 3 Towson Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational KU-ESPN+ 87–61 16,300 2–1 November 21 7:00 p.m. yes 10 Tennessee State Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational KU-ESPN+ 89–54 16,300 3–1 November 24 7:00 p.m. yes yes 10 Ball State Orleans Arena Las Vegas Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational KU-ESPN+ 64–46 8,500 4–1 November 25 10:00 p.m. yes yes 10 Florida 1 Orleans Arena Las Vegas Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational ESPN2 82–80 OT 8,500 5–1 November 28 7:00 p.m. yes 5 Dartmouth Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas KU-ESPN+ 83–32 16,300 6–1 December 2 1:00 p.m. yes yes 5 DePaul Allstate Arena Rosemont, Illinois ESPNU 57–64 16,922 6–2 December 4 8:00 p.m. yes 5 USC Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas ESPN2 72–62 16,300 7–2 December 9 12:00 p.m. yes yes 12 Toledo Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri American Century Investments Shootout ESPN2 68–58 16,488 8–2 December 19 7:00 p.m. yes 11 Winston-Salem State Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas KU-ESPN+ 94–43 16,300 9–2 December 23 1:00 p.m. yes 11 Boston College Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas CBS 84–66 16,300 10–2 December 28 7:00 p.m. yes 9 Detroit Mercy Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas KU-ESPN+ 63–43 16,300 11–2 December 30 7:00 p.m. yes 9 Rhode Island Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas KU-ESPN+ 80–69 16,300 12–2 January 7 3:30 p.m. yes yes 9 South Carolina Colonial Center Columbia, South Carolina CBS 70–54 14,713 13–2 January 10 8:00 p.m. 6 Oklahoma State 9 Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas ESPN2 87–57 16,300 14–2 (1–0) January 13 1:00 p.m. yes 6 Iowa State Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa ESPN 68–64 OT 13,226 15–2 (2–0) January 15 8:00 p.m. 6 Missouri Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas ESPN 80–77 16,300 16–2 (3–0) January 20 3:00 p.m. yes 5 Texas Tech United Spirit Arena Lubbock, Texas ESPN 64–69 11,469 16–3 (3–1) January 24 7:00 p.m. yes 8 Baylor Ferrell Center Waco, Texas KU-ESPN+ 82–56 8,102 17–3 (4–1) January 27 12:30 p.m. 8 Colorado Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas BIG 12-ESPN+ 97–74 16,300 18–3 (5–1) January 29 8:00 p.m. yes 8 Nebraska Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, Nebraska ESPN 76–56 12,262 19–3 (6–1) February 3 8:00 p.m. 6 Texas A&M 10 Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas ESPN 66–69 16,300 19–4 (6–2) February 7 8:00 p.m. 9 Kansas State Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas BIG 12-ESPN+ 97–70 16,300 20–4 (7–2) February 10 2:30 p.m. yes 9 Missouri Mizzou Arena Columbia, Missouri ABC 92–74 15,061 21–4 (8–2) February 14 8:00 p.m. yes 9 Colorado Coors Events Center Boulder, Colorado KU-ESPN+ 75–46 6,608 22–4 (9–2) February 17 3:00 p.m. 9 Nebraska Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas BIG 12-ESPN+ 92–39 16,300 23–4 (10–2) February 19 8:00 p.m. yes 9 Kansas State Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas ESPN 71–62 13,340 24–4 (11–2) February 24 5:00 p.m. 6 Iowa State Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas ESPN 89–52 16,300 25–4 (12–2) February 26 8:00 p.m. yes 6 Oklahoma Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma ESPN 67–65 11,192 26–4 (13–2) March 3 11:00 a.m. 3 Texas 15 Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas CBS 90–86 16,300 27–4 (14–2) |- !colspan=9| Big 12 tournament March 9 11:30 a.m. yes 2 Oklahoma Ford Center Oklahoma City Quarterfinals BIG 12-ESPN+ESPNU 64–47 18,879 28–4 March 10 1:00 p.m. yes 2 Kansas State Ford Center Oklahoma City Semifinals BIG 12-ESPN+/ESPN2 67–61 18,879 29–4 March 11 2:00 p.m. yes 2 Texas 15 Ford Center Oklahoma City Championship ESPN 88–84 OT 18,879 30–4 |- !colspan=9| NCAA tournament March 16 6:10 p.m. yes 2 (1) (16) Niagara United Center Chicago First Round CBS 107–67 19,274 31–4 March 18 4:05 p.m. yes 2 (1) (8) Kentucky United Center Chicago Second Round CBS 88–76 20,916 32–4 March 22 6:10 p.m. yes 2 (1) Southern Illinois 14 (4) HP Pavilion San Jose, California Sweet Sixteen CBS 61–58 18,049 33–4 March 24 6:05 p.m. yes 2 (1) UCLA 7 (2) HP Pavilion San Jose, California Elite Eight CBS 55–68 18,102 33–5 Central Time AP Poll Awards Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Mario Chalmers (Sophomore, Guard) Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week Julian Wright (Sophomore, Forward), November 27 and March 5 (co-winner) All-Big 12 First Team Brandon Rush (Sophomore, Guard) Julian Wright Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team Brandon Rush Julian Wright References External links Big 12 Record Book: Men's Basketball http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf 2007-11-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20071126231337/http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf 26 November 2007 dead Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball seasons Kansas Kansas Jayhawks men's b Kansas Jayhawks men's b Kansas