Encouraged by the return of ten lettermen from last year's 25-11 squad, plus the addition of several promising newcomers, The Jayhawks have reason to be optimistic about their chances this year. 

Heading the array of talent will be returning senior Danny Manning, who is touted as the top collegiate player this season.  Last year starters guard Kevin Pritchard and forward Chris Piper will return, as well as former starting forward Archie Marshall, who was a medical redshirt last year. Stalwart forward/guards Milt Newton and Jeff Gueldner bolster the staff, as do returnees Scooter Barry and Keith Harris.

Newcomers include several juco transfers, including 6'10 center Marvin Branch, and guards Otis Livingston and Lincoln Minor, as well as promising freshmen, forward Mike Maddox and center Mike Massucci.

The non-conference schedule includes traditional powers St. John's, North Carolina State, Washington, Notre Dame and Duke, and the Big 8 looks to be the best conference in the nation this year.

This was a season of heartbreak, adversity and triumph.  In the preseason, there were high expectations for the Jayhawks.  Basketball Times picked KU #1, the Sporting News had them second, and the APO picked us #7 in the first poll.

All American Danning Manning was back for his last year, along with returning starters Chris Piper, a 6’8 forward, and sophomore guard Kevin Pritchard.  Back after a year layoff with a broken leg was 6’6 swing forward Archie Marshall, who was a starter on the powerful 1986 team.  Three highly touted Juco transfers, 6’10 Marvin Branch, 6’0 Otis Livingston, and 6’3 guard Lincoln Minor were also on board.  Other returnees with promise were 6’4 forward Milt Newton, 6’4 guard Scooter Barry and 6’5 F/G Jeff Gueldner.  The team was so loaded they redshirted two centers, 6’10 senior Sean Alvarado and 6’9 soph Mark Randall.

The Jayhawks got off to a rocky start, losing two of their first three games in the Maui Classic.  They then started building steam, winning the next seven.  In the second game of the Holiday Classic, they faced St. John’s, a team they had beaten three weeks earlier.  With a 21-20 lead, Archie Marshall got hit and went down with torn ligaments, ending his collegiate career.  KU couldn’t get on track and lost the game, sending their record to 8-3 and down to 18^th in the polls.  They adjusted and won their next three, including the conference opener against missouri.  On January 13^th, the first day of the second semester, Marvin Branch was declared academically ineligible. With two starters now gone, the Jayhawks lost to Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum and four of their next five games, putting their record at 12-8 (1-4 in the Big 8) and out of the polls.

Then things started to jell as the Hawks son their next five conference games before losing to #6 Duke after storming to a 23-8 lead on national TV, and then to #4 Oklahoma in Norman.  They then won their next four games before losing to Kansas State in the second round of the conference tournament, to finish the regular season 21-11, and third place in the Big 8 at 9-5.  Pritchard strained a knee in the tournament, and Livingston and freshman Mike Masucci were both suspended from the team, leaving the Jayhawks with only 9 scholarship players going into the NCAA’s.

Now unranked, KU got a #6 seed, paired against #18 Xavier with a 26-3 record.  Pritchard played with his gimpy knee taped and led the team to a 85-72 victory.  In a nail biter, KU then squeaked by 15^th seed Murray State 61-58, and by 7^th seeded Vanderbilt 77-64 to reach the final eight.  They were joined by Big 8 foes, K-State and Oklahoma, both of which had beaten KU twice earlier in the season.  Early in the second half KSU went up by seven, before KU’s defense started taking control.  In the last ten minutes, KU turned the game into a runaway 71-58 victory and a trip to the Final Four in Kansas City.

Just before the Final Four, the Los Angeles Times reported that Larry Brown was the leading candidate for the UCLA head coaching job.  Brown said “I can’t talk about anything like that now.  I’m busy coaching KU and trying to win the national championship.  But I love UCLA, and I’m concerned about whatever happens there.”  These reports naturally led to team distraction.

Revenge, however, was foremost on the Jayhawks mind, as they were scheduled to play the No. 5 ranked Duke Blue Devils, who had beaten the Jayhawks in the ’86 NCAA semifinal and the current team 74-70 in overtime a month earlier in Lawrence.  As had happened in the earlier game, KU rushed out to a 24-6 lead, and finished the half 38-27.  Yet Duke staged a monumental comeback, and with 4:17 to go KU’s lead had dwindled to 57-54.  Then Manning stuffed in a missed layup, rebounded, blocked shots and led the avenged Jayhawks to a 66-59 win, to set up the first all-Big Eight championship game in NCAA history.

Every scouting report said “don’t run with Oklahoma.”  But the Jayhawks did run, and made 17 of their first 20 field goal shots, ending the half with 71% from the field.  The half ended in a 50-50 tie against the 4^th ranked Sooners.  They had played OU’s game and had survived.  Coach Brown had substituted freely, while Tubbs had rested only one starter for three minutes.  In the second half, it was time for OU to play Kansas’ game, and the Jayhawks defense was strong.  The game see-sawed with KU finally going ahead 77-71 with three minutes to go.  However, KU missed four of its next five free throws while Oklahoma came back to within one 78-77.  Then Scooter Barry put in a free throw and Manning drew a foul at :14.  He made both, and another two after being fouled with five seconds to salt away the national championship.

No team had ever won the national championship with more than ten losses.  How did KU end up winning it all?  In spite of their regular season record, they weren’t that bad.  Five of their 11 losses were to teams that would up in the final eight, and five others were to teams that made the NCAA field.  In the end, the Jayhawks won because of the earlier heartbreaks and adversity that brought them together as a team at the right time.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Kansas took the NCAA National Championship, besting OU in the final game of the year, 83-79.

During the NCAA tourney, KU got revenge on Duke, which had beat the Jayhawks earlier in the season, as well as K-State and Oklahoma, both of which had two wins over the Hawks that year.

Danny Manning was named NCAA Player of the Year.  He finished his career as KU's all-time leading scorer with 2,951 points, and ll-time rebounder with 1,187 caroms.

1988 CHAMPIONSHIP STORY,  By Dave Toplikar,
Journal-World Staff Writer

ARTICLE ON 1988 SEASON, From "Nothin But Net"

1988 TITLE RUN, From "A Century of Kansas Basketball"

SPORTING NEWS ARTICLE, by Paul Attner

FINAL FOUR STORY, Pete Goering

CHAMPIONSHIP PRECEDE, Pete Goering

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME STORY, Pete Goering

SEASON RECAP, Pete Goering

DANNY AND THE MIRACLES, Mark Hersey

20 YEARS OLDER, Mark Fagan

YOU TUBE VIDEOS OF 1988 SEASON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj3zgxld9tw    One Shining Moment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kA0Ko28VVY     Intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH81R6zro2Y      Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw64QuT5jiE        Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoJJrm-AG2s         Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t-Nx8w7Sbw       Part 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUJ8_qeYj2g        Part 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvu-l7pzMBY      Part 7

Chaminade

W

89-62

Nov. 27

at Maui, Hawaii

Iowa

L

81-100

Nov. 28

at Maui, Hawaii

Illinois

L

75-81

Nov. 29

at Maui, Hawaii

Pomona-Pitzer

W

94-38

Dec. 1

at Lawrence

Western Carolina

W

68-63

Dec. 3

at Cullowhee, N.C.

St. John’s

W

63-54

Dec. 5

at Lawrence

Appalachian State

W

73-62

Dec. 7

at Lawrence

Rider

W

110-72

Dec. 12

at Lawrence

North Carolina State

W

74-67

Dec. 19

at Raleigh, N.C.

Memphis State

W

64-62

Dec. 28

at New York, N.Y.

St. John’s

L

56-70

Dec. 30

at New York, N.Y.

Washington

W

67-57

Jan. 4

at Seattle, Wash.

American

W

90-69

Jan. 6

at Lawrence

Missouri

W

78-74

Jan. 9

at Lawrence

Iowa State

L

78-88

Jan. 13

at Ames, Iowa

Hampton

W

95-69

Jan. 16

at Lawrence

Notre Dame

L

76-80

Jan. 23

at South Bend, Ind.

Nebraska

L

68-70

Jan. 27

at Lincoln, Neb.

Kansas State

L

61-72

Jan. 30

at Lawrence

Oklahoma

L

65-73

Feb. 3

at Lawrence

Colorado

W

73-62

Feb. 6

at Lawrence

Oklahoma State

W

78-68

Feb. 10

at Stillwater, Okla.

Iowa State

W

82-72

Feb. 13

at Lawrence

Nebraska

W

70-48

Feb. 16

at Lawrence

Kansas State

W

64-63

Feb. 18

at Manhattan, Kan.

Duke

L

70-74

*

Feb. 20

at Lawrence

Oklahoma

L

87-95

Feb. 24

at Norman, Okla.

Missouri

W

82-77

Feb. 27

at Columbia, Mo.

Colorado

W

85-64

Mar. 2

at Boulder, Colo.

Oklahoma State

W

75-57

Mar. 5

at Lawrence

Oklahoma State

W

74-58

Mar. 11

at Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas State

L

54-69

Mar. 12

at Kansas City, Mo.

NCAA Tournament

Xavier

W

85-72

Mar. 18

at Lincoln, Neb.
(NCAA Sub-Regional)

Murray State

W

61-58

Mar. 20

at Lincoln, Neb.
(NCAA Sub-Regional)

Vanderbilt

W

77-64

Mar. 25

at Pontiac, Mich.
(NCAA Midwest Regional)

Kansas State

W

71-58

Mar. 27

at Pontiac, Mich.
(NCAA Midwest Regional)

Duke

W

66-59

Apr. 2

at Kansas City, Mo.
(NCAA Semifinals)

Oklahoma

W

83-79

Apr. 4

at Kansas City, Mo.
(NCAA Finals)