The team’s leader was all-conference selection Tom Kivisto, one of only two seniors.  He was only the No. 6 scorer on the team, but Owens considered him the quarterback.  Balance was the key for the Jayhawks.  The scoring mix of juniors Danny Knight (12.4 points a game), Roger Morningstar (12.3), Dale Greenlee (11.8) and Rick Suttle (11.3) and freshman Norm Cook (11.4) – the NCAA had declared freshmen eligible for varsity play in 1793 – provided the spark for KU.  The season was the first in KU history in which five players scored more than 300 points and five players averaged in double figures.

The key game in the conference race was on March 6 in Allen Fieldhouse.  The championship boiled down to K-State vs. KU.  Kansas won the game 60-55 and the Big Eight title, sparking a midnight celebration by 7,000 students in front of Watson Library, the Alumni Magazine reported.

In the Midwest Regional in Tulsa, last-minute wins against Creighton and Oral Roberts University clinched a spot for the Jayhawks in the Final Four, set for Greensboro, N.C.  The Jayhawks lost the national semifinal game to Marquette 64-51.  KU also dropped the third-place game to UCLA, 78-61.  North Carolina State won the tournament.

Certainly I’m disappointed and the players are disappointed we didn’t play better,” Owens said after losing both games.  “We are a much better basketball team than we demonstrated. But at the same time, I’m so darned proud of this team I can’t even begin to explain it.  In the 14 years I’ve been at KU, I can’t think of a squad as dedicated and determined as this one.”

'74 Miracle - A Century of Basketball

Season Recap, Topeka Capitol-Journal

The Kansas Jayhawks managed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college history, going from an 8-18 record the previous year to become one of the nations best teams in 1973-74.  They were the first team in 23 years to come off a losing season to the NCAA Final Four.  The was one of Coach Ted Owens finest teams, winning the Big 8 Conference title (13-1), achieving last minute wins over Creighton and Oral Roberts in the NCAA Midwest Regional, and finally losing to Marquette 64-51 in the NCAA semifinals and then to UCLA 78-61 in the third place consolation game.

All-conference senior guard Tom Kivisto (7.6 ppg, 92 rbs) directed the team which featured balanced scoring.  Five players averaging in double figures, a first in KU history.  Juniors Danny Knight and Rick Suttle shared the post and combined for 23.7 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.  Forwards Roger Morningstar (12.3 ppg) and Big 8 Freshman of the Year Norm Cook (11.4) combined for 11.7 rpg.  The off-guard was ably manned by junior Dale Greenlee who poured in 11.8 ppg.

Top reserves were Tommie Smith, Donnie Von Moore, captain Dave Traynor (a hip injury limited him to 9 games), and Nino Samuel (who transferred mid-semester).  The ’74 Jayhawks finished the season with a 23-7 record and a #6 ranking in the polls.

NOTE: Danny Knight, the leading scorer and rebounder for Kansas’ 1974 Final Four team, was 24 when he died in June 1977, three weeks after falling down the steps at his home.  Knight had been suffering headaches for some time and doctors attributed his death to an aneurysm in the brain.

1974 You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlPkvMbE2jY&feature=related

1973-74 Reunion

Kansas to honor 1974 Final Four squad Sunday, February 25, 2004