The 5 most disappointing NCAA Tournament performances since 2000

2010 Kansas Jayhawks

Bill Self’s team was fantastic during the 2009-10 season. The Jayhawks began the campaign as the No. 1 ranked team in both the AP and Coaches polls and finished the regular season as the top dog as well. In the process, they racked up a 32-2 record, spent 15 weeks ranked No. 1, went 15-1 in the Big 12 and won the conference’s regular season title and postseason tournament.

The Jayhawks featured First Team All-American point guard Sherron Collins, Second Team All-American center Cole Aldrich and a host of other talented players.

Impressive guys like Xavier Henry, Jeff Withey, Tyshawn Taylor, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris and Thomas Robinson littered the roster. There were a total of seven future NBA draft selections on the team and five future lottery picks.

As the Jayhawks got set for the NCAA tournament they were riding high and many were picking them to take home the second title of the Bill Self era. At the very least, the supremely talented Kansas squad was expected to reach the Final Four with relative ease as the No. 1 seed in a weak Midwest region.

The Jayhawks opened things against Lehigh and nearly became the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed in NCAA tournament history. Kansas survived with a 90-74 win, but it was far closer than that score would indicate. Most figured Kansas would get it together for its next game and cruise to the Sweet 16. That didn’t happen.

In the round of 32, the Jayhawks ran into Northern Iowa and show-stopping guard Ali Farokhmanesh, a name that will forever live in infamy for Kansas fans. The ninth-seeded Panthers took it to the Jayhawks, leading for almost the entire game and extending that lead to 12 points in the second half.

Kansas made a late comeback, but Northern Iowa put the game away late, as Farokhmanesh buried an ill-advised but gutsy 3-pointer with 30 seconds left. Farokhmanesh finished with a game-high 16 points as the Panthers took down the Jayhawks 69-67.

That Kansas team had as much hype and promise surrounding it as any team in recent memory, and with good reason. Its failure to even get out of the tournament’s first weekend was a gigantic disappointment.

Next: 2004 Kentucky Wildcats