Kansas basketball: 5 best seasons in Jayhawks history, ranked

1. 2007-08 Kansas basketball season

Final Record: 37-3 | Season Result: National Champions (Def. Memphis)

When Bill Self took over Kansas basketball from Roy Williams, he was tasked with doing one simple thing that his predecessor was never able to do, despite their immense success under Williams: win a National Championship. And in his fifth season at the helm of the program, Self was not only able to accomplish exactly that but he got the sweet vindication of beating Williams along the way to do it.

Led by a host of terrific players headlined by juniors Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers along with sophomore Darrell Arthur, Kansas was dominant early on. They came into the year as the No. 4 ranked team in the country and went unbeaten in non-conference play. And despite only losing three games in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks only climbed as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25 throughout the season.

Even still, winning the Big 12 Tournament — including a championship game win over Texas, who won the conference in the regular season — earned the Jayhawks a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They handled Portland State, UNLV and Villanova in the first three games but then ran into Stephen Curry and upstart Davidson in the Elite Eight. Though it was a nailbiter, they survived with a 59-57 win to advance.

In the Final Four, they met up with Williams’ Tar Heels and owned them. In a game that was never in question, the Jayhawks dominated with an 84-66 win. That put them up against Derrick Rose and the 38-1 Memphis Tigers with the title on the line. In one of the best title games of the 2000s, Chalmers forced overtime with a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left. Kansas then took control in overtime and held on for the 75-68 victory, cementing their legacy as the greatest Jayhawks team of all time.

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