Program history
Kansas
in the tournament.
Kansas appears in 54 tournaments in this archive, between 1940 and 2026, with an all-time record of 117–49. 4 of them ended with the net coming down: 1952, 1988, 2008 and 2022.
It has also lost the title game 6 times: 1940, 1953, 1957, 1991, 2003 and 2012.
In its opening game it is 18–6. 19 of its 34 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 1981, when a 7th seed beat the 2nd-seeded Arizona State 88–71. The reverse happened in 2005: as a 3rd seed it lost to the 14th-seeded Bucknell 64–63.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 36, from 1990 to 2026. Its longest absence ran 10 years, between 1942 and 1952. It has met North Carolina 7 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 1st seed and as low as an 8th.
- 54 Appearances
- 117–49 All-time record
- 4 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | — | 19–6 | Phog Allen | Big Six | Runner-up |
| 1942 | — | 17–5 | Phog Allen | Big Six | opening round |
| 1952 | — | 28–3 | Phog Allen | Big 7 | Champion |
| 1953 | — | 19–6 | Phog Allen | Big 7 | Runner Up |
| 1957 | — | 24–3 | Dick Harp | Big 7 | Runner Up |
| 1960 | — | 19–9 | Dick Harp | Big 8 | Regional Runner-up |
| 1966 | — | 23–4 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Regional Runner-up |
| 1967 | — | 23–4 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Regional third place |
| 1971 | — | 27–3 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Fourth Place |
| 1974 | — | 23–7 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Fourth Place |
| 1975 | — | 19–8 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1978 | 3 | 24–5 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1981 | 7 | 24–8 | Ted Owens | Big Eight Conference | Round of 16 |
| 1984 | 5 | 22–10 | Larry Brown | Big Eight Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1985 | 3 | 26–8 | Larry Brown | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Auburn, 64–66 |
| 1986 | 1 | 35–4 | Larry Brown | Big Eight Conference | lost in the National semifinals to Duke, 67–71 |
| 1987 | 5 | 25–11 | Larry Brown | Big 8 Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Georgetown, 57–70 |
| 1988 | 6 | 27–11 | Larry Brown | Big 8 Conference | champion |
| 1990 | 2 | 30–5 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Second Round to UCLA, 70–71 |
| 1991 | 3 | 27–8 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the National championship game to Duke, 65–72 |
| 1992 | 1 | 27–5 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Round 2 to UTEP, 60–66 |
| 1993 | 2 | 29–7 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the National semifinals to North Carolina, 68–78 |
| 1994 | 4 | 27–8 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Purdue, 78–83 |
| 1995 | 1 | 25–6 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Virginia, 58–67 |
| 1996 | 2 | 29–5 | Roy Williams | Big Eight Conference | lost in the Regional Final to Syracuse, 57–60 |
| 1997 | 1 | 34–2 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Regional Semifinal to Arizona, 82–85 |
| 1998 | 1 | 35–4 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Rhode Island, 75–80 |
| 1999 | 6 | 23–10 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Kentucky, 88–92 (OT) |
| 2000 | 8 | 24–10 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Duke, 64–69 |
| 2001 | 4 | 26–7 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Regional Semifinal to Illinois, 64–80 |
| 2002 | 1 | 33–4 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to Maryland, 88–97 |
| 2003 | 2 | 30–8 | Roy Williams | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Championship to Syracuse, 78–81 |
| 2004 | 4 | 24–9 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Regional Final to Georgia Tech, 71–79 (OT) |
| 2005 | 3 | 23–7 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Bucknell, 63–64 |
| 2006 | 4 | 25–8 | Bill Self (3rd Season) | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Bradley, 73–77 |
| 2007 | 1 | 33–5 | Bill Self (4th Season) | Big 12 Conference | lost in the Regional Final to UCLA, 55–68 |
| 2008 | 1 | 37–3 | Bill Self (5th Season) | Big 12 Conference | won the national championship game (75–68 vs Memphis) |
| 2009 | 3 | 27–8 | Bill Self (6th Season) | Big 12 | lost in the regional semifinal to Michigan State, 62–67 |
| 2010 | 1 | 33–3 | Bill Self | Big 12 | lost in the round of 32 to Northern Iowa, 67–69 |
| 2011 | 1 | 35–3 | Bill Self | Big 12 | lost in the regional final to VCU, 61–71 |
| 2012 | 2 | 32–7 | Bill Self (9th Season) | Big 12 | lost in the championship game to Kentucky, 59–67 |
| 2013 | 1 | 31–6 | Bill Self (10th Season) | Big 12 | lost in the regional semifinal to Michigan, 85–87 (OT) |
| 2014 | 2 | 25–10 | Bill Self | Big 12 | lost in the round of 32 to Stanford, 57–60 |
| 2015 | 2 | 27–9 | Bill Self | Big 12 | lost in the round of 32 to Wichita State, 65–78 |
| 2016 | 1 | 33–5 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional final to Villanova, 59–64 |
| 2017 | 1 | 31–5 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the regional final to Oregon, 60–74 |
| 2018 | 1 | 16–8 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the national semifinal to Villanova, 79–95 |
| 2019 | 4 | 26–10 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Auburn, 75–89 |
| 2021 | 3 | 21–9 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to USC, 51–85 |
| 2022 | 1 | 34–6 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | won the national championship game (72–69 vs North Carolina) |
| 2023 | 1 | 28–8 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Arkansas, 71–72 |
| 2024 | 4 | 23–11 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Gonzaga, 68–89 |
| 2025 | 7 | 21–13 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Arkansas, 72–79 |
| 2026 | 4 | 24–11 | Bill Self | Big 12 Conference | lost in the round of 32 to St. John's, 65–67 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 18–6 |
| Round of 64 | 39–5 |
| Round of 32 | 17–12 |
| Round of 8 | 13–6 |
| Semifinal | 27–14 |
| Final | 3–6 |
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