Kansas Jayhawks: Remembering Big 12 Titles From Bill Self Era

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self  Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

2004-2005 Season

Here we go back to when it all started. It was Bill Self’s second season coaching the Kansas Jayhawks and he was coming off of a season in which the Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12.

Before the season began, Self had landed a few recruits that were extremely talented. These recruits included Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, and Russell Robinson. As most of us KU fans know, these three were very important to the success of the Jayhawks down the road.

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These recruits would mix in with a plethora of talent that included forward Wayne Simien, guard Keith Langford, and guard Aaron Miles. All three of these talented players were in their senior year.

KU had started off the season ranked first in the nation. Even with an opening day win over Vermont, however, KU fell to second place behind Wake Forest. Second is where the Jayhawks would remain even though they won the first 14 games of the season.

Although I was fairly young during this season, I can vividly remember my dad going nuclear when the Jayhawks finally lost their first game of the season. It came in an 82-63 blowout against Villanova. I didn’t understand how my dad could get so mad at a game on the television, but I completely understand now.

Going into the last month of the season, the Jayhawks hit a bit of a lull. Starting with a double overtime loss to the 25th-ranked Texas Longhorns, KU would go on to lose four of their last six games.

Even with this lull, the Jayhawks finished 12-4 in conference play and were able to capture a share of their first conference championship with Bill Self. They were eliminated in the second round of the Big 12 tournament and then in the first round of the NCAA tournament, finishing with a 23-7 record.

Wayne Simien would go on to be named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Year.

I’m not sure how many obscenities my father yelled at the Jayhawks during the end of that season, but it was more than my 12-year-old ears could handle.

Next: Unranked Preseason