# 2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

The 2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas Jayhawks for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2006–07. The team was led by Bill Self in his fourth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Jayhawks' won the regular season championship with fourteen conference wins—the third straight season in which the team has claimed a share of the championship. In postseason play the team defeated its conference opponents to claim its second straight title. In the NCAA Division I tournament, the Jayhawks were defeated in the Elite Eight.

## Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Darrell Arthur PF | Dallas, Texas | South Oak Cliff HS | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | May 9, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Sherron Collins PG | Chicago | Crane Technical Prep Common HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 16, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Brady Morningstar SG | Lawrence, Kansas | The New Hampton School (New Hampton, New Hampshire) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Oct 4, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8 Rivals: 12 ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Kansas 2006 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "2006 Kansas Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009. "2006 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 11, 2009. ||||||

## Season Synopsis

After returning every key player from the 2006 team that shared the Big 12 regular season title with the Texas Longhorns and defeated Texas for the conference tournament title, the Jayhawks expected to repeat as Big 12 champs and contend for the national title in 2006–07. ESPN's Andy Katz had ranked the Jayhawks as the second best team in the nation for the preseason, while Dick Vitale had the Jayhawks ranked third. The starting lineup included Russell Robinson (guard), Mario Chalmers (guard), Brandon Rush (small forward), Julian Wright (power/small forward), and Sasha Kaun (Center). Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins were the nucleus of Bill Self's recruiting class for the 06–07 season and provided valuable minutes coming off the bench. Some key returnees included Darnell Jackson and Jeremy Case.
One early-season casualty was C.J. Giles. He was suspended in early November for failure to attend practices, for poor showing in the classroom, and because of unpaid child support. He was to have been reinstated for the Winston-Salem State game, but another incident involving charges of assault and battery against his ex-girlfriend left Bill Self with no choice but to dismiss the troubled center from the team. Giles transferred to play for the Oregon State Beavers. His problems, however, persisted to a degree that he was dismissed from OSU in January 2008.
Following the victory over #1 ranked and defending National Champion Florida in Las Vegas, athletic director Lew Perkins announced that he had extended Coach Bill Self's contract through 2011.
Until February 3, no team from the Big 12 South division had ever beaten Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse since the conference's formation in the 1996 offseason. That streak came to an end when Texas A&M came from 11 down to beat KU 69–66; this also marked the first time ever that the Aggies had beaten the Jayhawks. As it turned out, that would be the last time until 2011 that anyone would beat the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse, as KU would go on to post a school and conference record 69-game homecourt winning streak.
There were two streaks that remained intact. Kansas extended its streak of consecutive home wins against Colorado to 24 with a 97–74 victory on January 27, 2007. KU also maintained the 24-game on-the-road win streak against Kansas State in Manhattan with a 71–62 victory in Bramlage Coliseum on February 19, 2007. KU won the final five games with KSU in Ahearn Fieldhouse and the first 19 meetings in Bramlage through 2007.
Kansas won the 2007 regular season Big 12 championship, finishing in first place with a 14–2 record in conference play. In doing so, they clinched their third straight regular season title and their first outright Big 12 title since 2003, having settled for ties with Oklahoma and Texas the previous two seasons. They came from down 16 against Texas to win 90–86, leading by as many as 10 at one point and holding on for the four-point win. The title is the Jayhawks' 50th all-time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1907–08. It is also KU's fifth outright Big 12 championship and seventh overall.
The outright title gave Kansas the top seed for the Big 12 Tournament and a bye for the preliminary rounds of play. In the quarterfinal, KU faced ninth-seed Oklahoma and prevailed 64–47. In the semifinal, KU faced fourth-seed Kansas State and prevailed 67–61. Finally, in the title game, KU defeated Texas 88–84 in overtime to win the Big 12 Tournament. They pulled off an even bigger comeback than in the regular-season meeting, coming from down 22 to win. The 22-point comeback is the biggest in KU history, eclipsing the 19-point comeback in an 85–70 win over UCLA in 1995.
Kansas earned the top seed for the West Region of the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In subregional action at the United Center in Chicago, KU defeated Niagara 107–67 and Kentucky 88–76.
In the Sweet 16, KU escaped a tough defensive stance from Southern Illinois, winning 61–58 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The victory sent KU to the Elite Eight against the second-seeded UCLA Bruins, but they lost 68–55, their largest margin of defeat all season. KU has never won a game against UCLA in NCAA Tournament play, losing all five meetings. The loss also left Bill Self at 0–4 all-time in Elite Eight games, having lost with Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas (twice), a problem he eliminated the following season.
Kansas finished the season 33–5, winning the Big 12 regular-season and postseason championships, reaching the Elite Eight, and achieving the seventh 30-win season in school history.
On April 9, 2007, sophomore forward Julian Wright announced that he would forgo his junior and senior seasons, hire an agent (therefore forfeiting his amateur status and college eligibility), and enter his name into the NBA draft. Teammate and fellow sophomore Brandon Rush had originally chosen to follow suit, announcing on April 26, 2007 his plan of entering his name into the NBA draft, but decided to not hire an agent (therefore allowing him to return to KU if he decided to withdraw his name from the draft). However, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a pickup game of basketball, Rush changed his mind and decided to return for his junior season at KU. Rush's surgery was successful; and, as it turned out the following season, the injury was a blessing in disguise for Rush and the Jayhawks.

## Roster

| Name | # | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown |
| Darrell Arthur | 00 | Power forward | 6–9 | 230 | Freshman | Dallas, Texas |
| Brennan Bechard | 11 | Point guard | 6–0 | 183 | Sophomore | Lawrence, Kansas |
| Jeremy Case | 10 | Point guard | 6–1 | 182 | Junior | McAlester, Oklahoma |
| Mario Chalmers | 15 | Point guard | 6–1 | 195 | Sophomore | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Sherron Collins | 4 | Point guard | 5–11 | 200 | Freshman | Chicago, Illinois |
| Darnell Jackson | 32 | Power forward | 6–8 | 250 | Junior | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Sasha Kaun | 24 | Center | 6–11 | 245 | Junior | Tomsk, Russia |
| Matt Kleinmann | 54 | Center | 6–10 | 247 | Sophomore | Overland Park, Kansas |
| Brady Morningstar | 12 | Shooting guard | 6–3 | 185 | Freshman | Lawrence, Kansas |
| Russell Robinson | 3 | Point guard | 6–1 | 200 | Junior | New York City, New York |
| Brandon Rush | 25 | Shooting guard | 6–6 | 210 | Sophomore | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Rodrick Stewart | 5 | Shooting guard | 6–4 | 205 | Junior | Seattle, Washington |
| Brad Witherspoon | 40 | Point guard | 6–1 | 180 | Junior | Humboldt, Kansas |
| Julian Wright | 30 | Small forward | 6–8 | 225 | Sophomore | Chicago Heights, Illinois |

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| November 2* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 3 | Washburn exhibition | W 99–69 | 1–0 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| November 7* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 3 | Emporia State exhibition | W 90–55 | 2–0 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 11* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 3 | Northern Arizona | W 91–57 | 1–0 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| November 15* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 3 | Oral Roberts | L 71–78 | 1–1 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| November 19* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 3 | Towson Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational | W 87–61 | 2–1 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| November 21* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 10 | Tennessee State Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational | W 89–54 | 3–1 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| November 24* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 10 | vs. Ball State Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational | W 64–46 | 4–1 | Orleans Arena (8,500) Las Vegas |
| November 25* 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 10 | vs. No. 1 Florida Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational | W 82–80 $^{OT}$ | 5–1 | Orleans Arena (8,500) Las Vegas |
| November 28* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 5 | Dartmouth | W 83–32 | 6–1 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| December 2* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 5 | at DePaul | L 57–64 | 6–2 | Allstate Arena (16,922) Rosemont, Illinois |
| December 4* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | USC | W 72–62 | 7–2 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| December 9* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | vs. Toledo American Century Investments Shootout | W 68–58 | 8–2 | Kemper Arena (16,488) Kansas City, Missouri |
| December 19* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 11 | Winston-Salem State | W 94–43 | 9–2 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| December 23* 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 11 | Boston College | W 84–66 | 10–2 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| December 28* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 9 | Detroit Mercy | W 63–43 | 11–2 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| December 30* 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 9 | Rhode Island | W 80–69 | 12–2 | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| January 7* 3:30 p.m., CBS | No. 9 | at South Carolina | W 70–54 | 13–2 | Colonial Center (14,713) Columbia, South Carolina |
| January 10 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | No. 9 Oklahoma State | W 87–57 | 14–2 (1–0) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| January 13 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | at Iowa State | W 68–64 $^{OT}$ | 15–2 (2–0) | Hilton Coliseum (13,226) Ames, Iowa |
| January 15 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | Missouri | W 80–77 | 16–2 (3–0) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| January 20 3:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at Texas Tech | L 64–69 | 16–3 (3–1) | United Spirit Arena (11,469) Lubbock, Texas |
| January 24 7:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 8 | at Baylor | W 82–56 | 17–3 (4–1) | Ferrell Center (8,102) Waco, Texas |
| January 27 12:30 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+ | No. 8 | Colorado | W 97–74 | 18–3 (5–1) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| January 29 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 8 | at Nebraska | W 76–56 | 19–3 (6–1) | Bob Devaney Sports Center (12,262) Lincoln, Nebraska |
| February 3 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | No. 10 Texas A&M | L 66–69 | 19–4 (6–2) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| February 7 8:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+ | No. 9 | Kansas State | W 97–70 | 20–4 (7–2) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| February 10 2:30 p.m., ABC | No. 9 | at Missouri | W 92–74 | 21–4 (8–2) | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, Missouri |
| February 14 8:00 p.m., KU-ESPN+ | No. 9 | at Colorado | W 75–46 | 22–4 (9–2) | Coors Events Center (6,608) Boulder, Colorado |
| February 17 3:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+ | No. 9 | Nebraska | W 92–39 | 23–4 (10–2) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| February 19 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 9 | at Kansas State | W 71–62 | 24–4 (11–2) | Bramlage Coliseum (13,340) Manhattan, Kansas |
| February 24 5:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | Iowa State | W 89–52 | 25–4 (12–2) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| February 26 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | at Oklahoma | W 67–65 | 26–4 (13–2) | Lloyd Noble Center (11,192) Norman, Oklahoma |
| March 3 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 3 | No. 15 Texas | W 90–86 | 27–4 (14–2) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, Kansas |
| Big 12 tournament ||||||
| March 9 11:30 a.m., BIG 12-ESPN+ ESPNU | No. 2 | vs. Oklahoma Quarterfinals | W 64–47 | 28–4 | Ford Center (18,879) Oklahoma City |
| March 10 1:00 p.m., BIG 12-ESPN+ /ESPN2 | No. 2 | vs. Kansas State Semifinals | W 67–61 | 29–4 | Ford Center (18,879) Oklahoma City |
| March 11 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | vs. No. 15 Texas Championship | W 88–84 $^{OT}$ | 30–4 | Ford Center (18,879) Oklahoma City |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 16 6:10 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1) | vs. (16) Niagara First Round | W 107–67 | 31–4 | United Center (19,274) Chicago |
| March 18 4:05 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1) | vs. (8) Kentucky Second Round | W 88–76 | 32–4 | United Center (20,916) Chicago |
| March 22 6:10 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1) | vs. No. 14 (4) Southern Illinois Sweet Sixteen | W 61–58 | 33–4 | HP Pavilion (18,049) San Jose, California |
| March 24 6:05 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1) | vs. No. 7 (2) UCLA Elite Eight | L 55–68 | 33–5 | HP Pavilion (18,102) San Jose, California |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||

## Awards
### Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year

    Mario Chalmers (Sophomore, Guard)

### Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week

    Julian Wright (Sophomore, Forward), November 27 and March 5 (co-winner)

### All-Big 12 First Team

    Brandon Rush (Sophomore, Guard)
    Julian Wright

### Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team

    Brandon Rush
    Julian Wright