With four starters gone from last season's 29-7 team, the temptation is there for the experts to cast this season as a rebuilding one for the Jayhawks.  After all, the Jayhawks do lose arguably the nation's best starting backcourt in Adonis Jordan and Rex Walters.  Kansas also loses the services of starting center Eric Pauley and athletic forward Darrin Hancock.  KU's most highly-touted returnee - Steve Woodberry - has started just five games in his three-year career.

So if the experts, the preseason prognosticators, don't rate Kansas highly in their preseason polls, that will sit just fine with the Jayhawks.  While the Jayhawks do have their work cut our for them, the Kansas cupboard is hardly bare.  Three seniors, including Woodberry, will lead KU's charges in 1993-94.  Patrick Richey, Richard Scott and Woodberry, who have played in the shadows of previous all-stars the last two seasons, know success.  Four other letter-winners return to go along with a talented group of four newcomers.  All will have to step forward to alleviate the loss of one of the most talented senior classes in recent KU history.

"We're very pleased with our freshman class," Williams said.  "I think we have four outstanding young men who have a chance to contribute to our program right away."

Source:  KU Basketball Media Guide, 1993-94. 

It was a great year for KU basketball, and the team did every bit as well as could be expected.  With a 27-6 record, only four teams in KU history have won more in a single season.  Had not Richard Scott hurt his shoulder, they likely would have won 3 or 4 more games, been better seeded in the NCAA’s, and possibly would have avoided playing Purdue in the best game of the Boilermaker’s year.  Think what might have happened too, if Darren Hancock had been around for his senior year!!!

After concluding the regular season at 24-6, with a #15 rank in the polls, and a third place standing in the Big Eight at 9-5, the Jayhawks stomped on the Kansas State Wildcats 73-52 in the first round of the league tournament at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.  The next night, however, Kansas lost a thriller to Oklahoma State 68-69, although having a chance to win it in the last second.

In the NCAA tourney, the Hawks annihilated Tennessee-Chattanooga 102-73, while setting a SE Regional record for assists with 33.  Two nights later, freshman Scot Pollard led a second half surge to rally KU to a 69-58 victory over Wake Forest (avenging the 59-69 2^nd round loss to Wake Forest ten years earlier).  Pollard ended with 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Steve Woodberry led all scorers with 18.

Unfortunately, Kansas next played Purdue, who were led by All-American Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson and Cuonzo Martin who scored a combined 73 points for the Boilermakers.  In spite of Purdue playing arguably their best game of the season, KU did not give up without a fight, keeping it close throughout, but finally succumbing at the end 78-83.  Sean Pearson led the team in scoring with 20 points, while Richard Scott grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

  Source:  Ken Johnson’s KU Basketball Report, Vol. 93/94, No. 3.

HIGHLIGHTS:

The 1993-94 version of the Jayhawks struggled at times on offense, shooting less that 50% from the field and scoring less than 84 ppg for the first time in Roy Williams' six seasons at KU.  The Jayhawks compensated with a suffocating defense, setting school single-season rebounding and blocked shot records, and posted the fourth best defensive field goal percentage (38.3%) in the nation.

The Jayhawks captured the prestigious Preseason NIT title.  The freshman class established itself as one of the top rookie groups in recent KU history, combining for 19.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, as Jacque Vaughn was named Big Eight Newcomer of the Year.

KU made it to the Final 16, where they lost a heartbreaker to Purdue, which arguably played it's best game of the year.

Western Michigan (NIT)

W

69-50

Nov. 17

at Lawrence

California (NIT)

W

73-56

Nov. 19

at Lawrence

Minnesota (NIT)

W

75-71

Nov. 24

at New York, N.Y.

Massachusetts (NIT)

W

86-75

Nov. 26

at New York, N.Y.

Temple

L

59-73

Dec. 1

at Lawrence

DePaul

W

79-74

Dec. 4

at Rosemont, Ill.

Washburn

W

82-68

Dec. 6

at Lawrence

N.C. State

W

74-57

Dec. 8

at Raleigh, N.C.

Arkansas-Little Rock

W

98-63

Dec. 11

at Lawrence

Georgia

W

89-79

Dec. 18

at Atlanta, Ga.

Furman

W

101-60

Dec. 20

at Lawrence

Indiana

W

86-83

*

Dec. 22

at Lawrence

Rhode Island

W

73-60

Dec. 29

at Kansas City, Mo.

SMU

W

84-64

Dec. 30

at Kansas City, Mo.

UNC-Asheville

W

90-44

Jan. 5

at Lawrence

SMU

W

91-59

Jan. 8

at Lawrence

Oklahoma

W

94-84

Jan. 10

at Lawrence

Kansas State

L

64-68

Jan. 17

at Lawrence

Iowa State

W

78-71

Jan. 22

at Ames, Iowa

Oklahoma State

W

62-61

*

Jan. 26

at Lawrence

Colorado

W

87-53

Jan. 29

at Boulder, Colo.

Missouri

L

67-79

Jan. 31

at Columbia, Mo.

Nebraska

W

94-87

Feb. 6

at Lawrence

Kansas State

W

65-56

Feb. 12

at Manhattan, Kan.

Oklahoma State

L

59-63

*

Feb. 16

at Stillwater, Okla.

Missouri

L

74-81

Feb. 20

at Lawrence

Nebraska

L

87-96

Feb. 23

at Lincoln, Neb.

Colorado

W

106-62

Feb. 26

at Lawrence

Iowa State

W

97-79

Mar. 3

at Lawrence

Oklahoma

W

84-81

Mar. 6

at Norman, Okla.

Kansas State

W

73-52

Mar. 11

at Kansas City, Mo.

Oklahoma State

L

68-69

Mar. 12

at Kansas City, Mo.

NCAA Tournament

Tenn.-Chattanooga

W

102-73

Mar. 17

at Lexington, Ky.
(NCAA Sub-Regional)

Wake Forest

W

69-58

Mar. 19

at Lexington, Ky.
(NCAA Sub-Regional)

Purdue

L

78-83

Mar. 24

at Knoxville, Tenn.
(NCAA Regional)