2011–12 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

2011–12 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
Big 12 Regular Season Champions NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Champions
NCAA Tournament National Championship Game, vs Kentucky Wildcats L 59-67
Conference	Big 12
Ranking
Coaches	#2
AP	#6
2011–12 record	32-7 (16–2 Big 12)
Head coach	Bill Self
Assistant coach	Joe Dooley
Assistant coach	Kurtis Townsend
Assistant coach	Danny Manning
Home arena	Allen Fieldhouse

2011–12 Big 12 men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
#6 Kansas	16	–	2		.889			32	–	7		.821
#3 Missouri†	14	–	4		.778			30	–	5		.857
Iowa State	12	–	6		.667			22	–	10		.688
#9 Baylor	12	–	6		.667			30	–	8		.789
Kansas State	10	–	8		.556			22	–	10		.688
Texas	9	–	9		.500			20	–	13		.606
Oklahoma State	7	–	11		.389			15	–	18		.455
Oklahoma	5	–	13		.278			15	–	16		.484
Texas A&M	4	–	14		.222			14	–	18		.438
Texas Tech	1	–	17		.056			8	–	23		.258
† 2012 Big 12 Tournament winner As of March 10, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011–12 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 114th basketball season. As in every season since 1955–56, the team played its home games at Allen Fieldhouse on its campus in Lawrence, Kansas, US. After defeating rival Missouri on February 25, the Jayhawks clinched their 8th straight outright Big 12 championship. After defeating North Carolina, the Jayhawks advanced to their 14th Final Four in school history, where they defeated Ohio State 64-62 in the national semifinals. On April 2, Kansas faced Kentucky for the national title, losing to the favored Wildcats. Kansas had played both of its Final Four opponents during the regular season, losing to Kentucky on November 15 and defeating Ohio State on December 10. They finished the season with a 32–7 overall record, and 16–2 in Big 12 play.

Pre–season

Departures

The Jayhawks lost graduating seniors Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, and Mario Little. Juniors and twin brothers Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, plus freshman Josh Selby, departed early to enter the 2011 NBA Draft. On June 23, Markieff and Marcus were drafted #13 and #14, respectively, in the first round of the draft, while Selby went in the second. Royce Woolridge also announced on April 16, 2011 his intent to transfer to another school for the following year, signing with Washington State.

Recruiting

On October 12, 2010, 4-star point guard Naadir Tharpe signed a letter of intent to join the Jayhawks as a freshman for the 2011–12 season. The 6-foot prep all-star chose Kansas over offers from Oklahoma, Minnesota, Boston College, Marquette, NC State, UNLV and others. He was previously committed to Providence. On January 24, 2011, combo-guard Christian Garrett joined the team as a walk-on. He was also recruited by NC State, Auburn, Alabama, and others. On April 3, 2011, 5-star shooting guard Ben McLemore from St. Louis, Missouri, verbally committed to Kansas after the Next All-American Classic High-School All-Star Game, over offers from Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas, Purdue, and others. On April 10, 2011, Canadian forward Braeden Anderson committed to the Jayhawks over Kentucky, Arizona, Memphis, and Missouri. Jamari Traylor joined in May, while June saw the additions of Kevin Young and Merv Lindsay.

Eligibility

Three of Kansas' six recruits were declared ineligible for the 2011–12 season. Braeden Anderson was not approved to play by the Big 12 Conference due to their policy on partial qualifiers. Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor were also declared ineligible but were able to practice with the team during the spring semester, and would be eligible to play in the 2012–13 season.

Class of 2011

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ben McLemore SG	St. Louis, Missouri	Christian Life Center Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Apr 3, 2011
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Naadir Tharpe PG	Worcester, MA	Brewster Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Oct 12, 2010
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 93
Jamari Traylor PF	Chicago, Illinois	IMG Academy (FL)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	May 18, 2011
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 89
Mervyn Lindsay SF	Moreno Valley, California	Canyon Springs HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 23, 2011
	Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings:     Scout: 28     Rivals: 28      ESPN: 22

Transfers

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kevin Young PF	Perris, California	Perris HS / Loyola Marymount University	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 16, 2011
	Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A

Roster

2011–12 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Home town F 0 Thomas Robinson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 237 lb (108 kg) Jr Washington, DC G 1 Naadir Tharpe 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Worcester, MA G 2 Conner Teahan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Leawood, KS F 4 Justin Wesley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Fort Worth, TX C 5 Jeff Withey 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr San Diego, CA G 10 Tyshawn Taylor 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Hoboken, NJ G 15 Elijah Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr North Las Vegas, NV G 20 Niko Roberts 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Huntington, NY G 21 Christian Garrett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Los Angeles, CA F 22 Merv Lindsay 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Moreno Valley, CA G 23 Ben McLemore (I) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr St. Louis, MO G 24 Travis Releford 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) RS Jr Shawnee Mission, KSlink=y G 25 Jordan Juenemann 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Hays, KS F 31 Jamari Traylor (I) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Chicago, IL F 40 Kevin Young 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Perris, CA	Head coach Bill Self (Oklahoma State) Assistant coach(es) Danny Manning (Kansas) Joe Dooley (George Washington) Kurtis Townsend (Western Kentucky) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2011-06-20

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2	Bench 3
C	Jeff Withey	Justin Wesley
PF	Thomas Robinson	Kevin Young		Christian Garrett
SF	Travis Releford			Merv Lindsay
SG	Elijah Johnson	Conner Teahan		Jordan Juenemann
PG	Tyshawn Taylor	Naadir Tharpe		Niko Roberts

Schedule

Date Time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
11/01/11* 7:00 PM, Jayhawk Network	#13	Pittsburg State	W 84–55	–	21 – Teahan	12 – Withey	8 – Tharpe	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
11/08/11* 7:00 PM, Jayhawk Network	#13	Fort Hays State	W 101–52	–	22 – Robinson	12 – Robinson	7 – Tharpe	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
Regular season
11/11/11* 7:00 PM, Jayhawk Network	#13	Towson Maui Invitational Opening Round	W 100–54	1–0	18 – Robinson	11 – Robinson	8 – Johnson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
11/15/11* 8:00 PM, ESPN	#13	vs. #2 Kentucky Champions Classic	L 65–75	1–1	22 – Taylor	15 – Robinson	4 – Johnson	Madison Square Garden (19,979) New York, NY
11/21/11* 11:50 PM, ESPN2	#14	vs. Georgetown Maui Invitational First Round	W 67–63	2–1	20 – Robinson	12 – Robinson	5 – Johnson	Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI
11/22/11* 9:30, ESPN	#14	vs. UCLA Maui Invitational	W 72–56	3–1	23 – Johnson	10 – Robinson	6 – Taylor	Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI
11/23/11* 10:00 PM, ESPN	#14	vs. #6 Duke Maui Invitational	L 61–68	3–2	17 – Taylor	18 – Robinson	4 – Taylor	Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI
11/30/11* 7:00 PM, Jayhawk Network	#15	Florida Atlantic	W 77–54	4–2	19 – Robinson	21 – Robinson	4 – Releford	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
12/03/11* 4:15 PM, ESPN2	#15	South Florida	W 70–42	5–2	24 – Taylor	8 – Robinson	5 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
12/06/11* 8:00 PM, ESPNU	#13	Long Beach State	W 88–80	6–2	26 – Robinson	13 – Withey	5 – Johnson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
12/10/11* 2:15 PM, ESPN	#13	#2 Ohio State	W 78–67	7–2	21 – Robinson	7 – (2 tied)	13 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
12/19/11* 8:00 PM, ESPNU	#13	vs. Davidson M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout	L 74–80	7–3	21 – Robinson	18 – Robinson	7 – Taylor	Sprint Center (18,757) Kansas City, MO
12/22/11* 10:00 PM, FSN	#13	at USC	W 63–47	8–3	13 – Teahan	9 – (2 tied)	4 – Johnson	Galen Center (6,431) Los Angeles, CA
12/29/11* 7:00 PM, Jayhawk Network	#17	Howard	W 89–34	9–3	13 – (2 tied)	7 – Robinson	5 – (2 tied)	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
12/31/11* 7:00 PM, ESPNU	#17	North Dakota	W 84–58	10–3	30 – Robinson	21 – Robinson	7 – Johnson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
1/04/12 7:00 PM, Big 12	#14	#23 Kansas State Sunflower Showdown	W 67–49	11–3 (1–0)	16 – Releford	14 – Robinson	5 – Johnson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
1/07/12 1:00 PM, ESPNU	#14	at Oklahoma	W 72–61	12–3 (2–0)	28 – Releford	9 – Robinson	6 – Taylor	Lloyd Noble Center (11,268) Norman, OK
1/11/12 8:00 PM, ESPNU	#10	at Texas Tech	W 81–46	13–3 (3–0)	19 – Robinson	12 – Robinson	5 – Taylor	United Spirit Arena (7,454) Lubbock, TX
1/14/12 3:00 PM, Big 12	#10	Iowa State	W 82–73	14–3 (4–0)	28 – Taylor	14 – Robinson	6 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
1/16/12 8:30 PM, ESPN	#7	#3 Baylor	W 92–74	15–3 (5–0)	28 – Taylor	14 – Robinson	6 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
1/21/12 3:00 PM, CBS	#7	at Texas	W 69–66	16–3 (6–0)	22 – Taylor	9 – Robinson	4 – Taylor	Frank Erwin Center (16,734) Austin, TX
1/23/12 8:00 PM, ESPN	#5	Texas A&M	W 64–54	17–3 (7–0)	18 – Robinson	10 – Robinson	4 – Releford	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
1/28/12 1:00 PM, ESPN	#5	at Iowa State	L 64-72	17–4 (7–1)	16 – Taylor	7 – Robinson	10 – Taylor	Hilton Coliseum (14,376) Ames, IA
2/01/12 8:00 PM, ESPNU	#8	Oklahoma	W 84–62	18–4 (8–1)	21 – Taylor	17 – Robinson	6 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
2/04/12 8:00 PM, ESPN	#8	at #4 Missouri Border War	L 71–74	18–5 (8–2)	25 – Robinson	13 – Robinson	4 – Johnson	Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO
2/08/12 8:00 PM, ESPN2	#7	at #6 Baylor	W 68–54	19–5 (9–2)	25 – Withey	11 – Robinson	5 – Johnson	Ferrell Center (10,334) Waco, TX
2/11/12 3:00 PM, Big 12	#7	Oklahoma State	W 81–66	20–5 (10–2)	24 – Robinson	20 – Withey	6 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
2/13/12 8:00 PM, ESPN	#4	at Kansas State Sunflower Showdown	W 59–53	21–5 (11–2)	20 – Taylor	11 – Withey	5 – (2 Tied)	Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, KS
2/18/12 7:00 PM, Big 12	#4	Texas Tech	W 83–50	22–5 (12–2)	16 – Robinson	8 – (2 tied)	5 – Robinson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
2/22/12 8:00 PM, ESPN2	#4	at Texas A&M	W 66–58	23–5 (13–2)	21 – Johnson	13 – Robinson	4 – (2 tied)	Reed Arena (6,868) College Station, TX
2/25/12 3:00 PM, CBS	#4	#3 Missouri Border War	W 87–86 OT	24–5 (14–2)	28 – Robinson	12 – Robinson	8 – Johnson	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
2/27/12 8:00 PM, ESPN	#3	at Oklahoma State	W 70–58	25–5 (15–2)	27 – Taylor	11 – Robinson	6 – Johnson	Gallagher-Iba Arena (10,552) Stillwater, OK
3/03/12 8:00 PM, ESPN	#3	Texas	W 73–63	26–5 (16–2)	27 – Robinson	14 – Robinson	4 – Taylor	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament
03/08/12 2:00 pm, ESPN2	#3	vs. Texas A&M Quarterfinals	W 83–66	27–5	26 – Johnson	10 – Robinson	4 – (3 tied)	Sprint Center (18,972) Kansas City, MO
03/09/12 6:30 pm, Big 12 Network/ESPNU	#3	vs. #12 Baylor Semifinals	L 72–81	27–6	20 – Taylor	9 – Robinson	3 – Taylor	Sprint Center (18,972) Kansas City, MO
2012 NCAA Tournament
03/16/12* 9:18 pm, truTV	#6 (2)	vs. (15) Detroit Second Round	W 65–50	28–6	16 – Robinson	13 – Robinson	2 – 4 tied	CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,015) Omaha, NE
03/18/12* 7:40 pm, TNT	#6 (2)	vs. (10) Purdue Third Round	W 63–60	29–6	18 – Johnson	13 – Robinson	4 – Taylor	CenturyLink Center Omaha (16,998) Omaha, NE
03/23/12* 9:35 pm, TBS	#6 (2)	vs. (11) North Carolina State Sweet Sixteen	W 60–57	30–6	18 – Robinson	15 – Robinson	5 – Taylor	Edward Jones Dome (23,964) St. Louis, MO
03/25/12* 4:05 pm, CBS	#6 (2)	vs. 4 (1) North Carolina Elite Eight	W 80–67	31–6	22 – Taylor	9 – Robinson	5 – 2 tied	Edward Jones Dome (23,565) St. Louis, MO
03/31/12* 7:49 pm, CBS	#6 (2)	vs. 7 (2) Ohio State Final Four	W 64–62	32–6	19 – Robinson	10 – Johnson	8 – Taylor	Mercedes-Benz Superdome (73,361) New Orleans, LA
04/02/2012* 9:23 pm, CBS	#6 (2)	vs. 1 (1) Kentucky National Championship	L 59–67	32–7	19 – Taylor	17 – Robinson	3 – Taylor	Mercedes-Benz Superdome (70,913) New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Final
AP	13	12	14	15	13	12	12	17	14	10	7	5	8	7	4	4	3	3	6
Coaches	13	11	14	14	13	12	11	18	15	10	7	5	8	10	5	5	4	3	6	2

Awards

Bill Self

• Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year (Shared with Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg)
• Naismith College Coach of the Year
• Sporting News National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year
• Adolph Rupp Cup

Thomas Robinson

• 1st Team All-American (Sporting News, USBWA, NABC, ESPN.com, AP, John R. Wooden)
• ESPN.com National Player of the Year
• Big 12 Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Big 12
• Sporting News Big 12 Player of the Year
• Associated Press Big 12 Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Big 12
• 4x Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week (November 28, December 12, January 2, February 27)

Tyshawn Taylor

• 1st Team All-Big 12
• Associated Press 1st Team All-Big 12
• 2x Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week (January 16, March 4)
• Sporting News 3rd Team All-American
• USBWA 3rd Team All-American
• NABC All-District 8 First Team
• Associated Press 3rd Team All-American

Jeff Withey

• Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
• Big 12 All-Defensive Team and 3rd Team All-Big 12
• Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week (February 13)

Travis Releford

• Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week (January 9)