| SEASON SUMMARY:
Kansas concluded the 2001-02 slate with its
most wins in four years, its first Final Four appearance in nine
years and a host of pleasant memories.
The Jayhawks opened the season in the EA Sports Maui
Invitational, where the team was shocked by Ball State in its
first game, losing 93-91 to the Cardinals in the Lahaina Civic
Center. The loss marked KU's first defeat in a season-opener
since 1990 and broke the Jayhawks' 36-game win streak in the
month of November.
KU would bounce back, however, beating Houston and Seton Hall
to finish 2-1 in Maui, and, in fact, the team reeled off
13-straight wins after its loss to Ball State. Included in those
wins were impressive victories at No. 4 Arizona (105-97) and
against No. 23 Wake Forest at home (83-76). The Jayhawks also
won at Princeton (78-62) and out-lasted a tough Tulsa team in
Kemper Arena (93-85).
Conference play opened with a bang for the 'Hawks, as they
ran past Colorado, 97-85, for their 11th straight league-opening
win and their 25th consecutive win over the Buffaloes. With the
exception of a loss at No. 11 UCLA on Jan. 12, the Jayhawks were
on top of their game throughout January and February, winning 16
of 17 games in that span, including wins over No. 6 Oklahoma
State, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 22 Missouri and No. 24 Texas Tech.
Kansas took a 15-0 conference record into Columbia on March 3
-- a place where KU hadn't won since 1999 and where the Jayhawks
had lost five of their last six games. Behind a career game from
Nick Collison, however, KU held on to beat the Tigers, 95-92, to
become the first team in the history of the Big 12 Conference to
go 16-0 in league play.
The Jayhawks entered the sixth edition of the Phillips 66 Big
12 Tournament ranked No. 1 in the nation and riding a 16-game
win streak. KU, which received a first-round bye, opened the
tournament with a dominating 102-73 win over Colorado in the
quarterfinals. The 'Hawks then looked unbeatable in the semis,
routing a tired Texas Tech squad, 90-50, en route to their first
Big 12 Tournament championship game since 1999. Despite making
an admirable comeback in the second half, the Jayhawks fell to a
talented Oklahoma squad, 64-55, in the title game.
Although the team lost its bid for a fourth Big 12 Tournament
crown, when the NCAA Tournament selections were announced later
that night, the Jayhawks were pleased to see that they were
designated as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest and would be playing
in nearby St. Louis, Mo.
KU's 2002 NCAA Tournament did not begin well. The Jayhawks
were tested early by 16th-seeded Holy Cross, and the Crusaders
led, 37-35, at the half. In addition, Kansas lost starting guard
Kirk Hinrich for the second stanza after he sprained his left
ankle, and his status for the rest of the tournament was
uncertain. The 'Hawks persevered, however, and held on to beat
Holy Cross, 70-59, for their 19th straight win in an NCAA
Tournament first round game.
Next up for the Jayhawks was a second-round matchup with No.
24 Stanford. With Hinrich listed as questionable due to his
injured ankle, freshman Keith Langford made his first career
start and did an impressive job of defending Stanford
All-American Casey Jacobsen, as Kansas jumped out to a 15-0 lead
on the Cardinal and never looked back. KU won, 86-63, to advance
to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
The Jayhawks' Sweet 16 opponent was a familiar one, as the
game was a rematch of last year's Midwest Regional semifinal,
pitting KU versus Illinois. Kansas started out strong, and built
a six-point lead at the half. The Illini, behind all-Big Ten
guard Frank Williams, stormed back, but the Jayhawks held on for
a 73-69 win and their first appearance in the Elite Eight since
1996.
Kansas could not have been more focused when it took the
floor on March 24 to face the 11th ranked Oregon Ducks with a
trip to the Final Four at stake. The Jayhawks, behind a career
game from Langford and a standout performance from Collison,
routed Oregon, 104-86, to earn their first berth in the Final
Four since 1993.
KU's amazing ride finally came to an end on March 30, as the
Jayhawks ran into a relentless Maryland team and lost, 97-88, in
the national semifinals in Atlanta, Ga. Despite jumping out to a
13-2 lead, Kansas would trail by as many as 20 points in the
second half before making a furious comeback which fell just
short. Maryland went on to claim its first national title by
beating Indiana on April 1 in the Georgia Dome.
Source: KU Athletics web site HIGHLIGHTS:
KU won the regular season conference title for
the first time since 1998, the 46th time in school history.
KU went undefeated in the Big 12, the first
Jayhawk team to go unbeaten in conference play since the 1971
team.
The Jayhawks went undefeated at home.
Kansas set a school single-season record in
points scored (3,365) and steals (357), while ranking second in
points per game, rebounds, field goals, free throws, 3-point
field goal percentage, assists and steals per game.
KU led the nation in points per game, assists
per game, field goal percentage, and winning percentage.
FINAL FOUR PRECEDE, Ric
Anderson
FINAL FOUR GAME STORY, Ric
Anderson
YOU TUBE VIDEO - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOXCNe_ktdk KU vs Maryland
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