110 YEARS OF KANSAS BASKETBALL
Russell Robinson played solid in a game against Iowa State in January 2008. Robinson was a senior guard during the 2007-2008 basketball season.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
KANSAS RIDES HIGH IN 2008 SEASON Jayhawks have hopes of NCAA title
BY MARK DENT
Scott Yingling's camping group arrived at Allen Fieldhouse almost 12 hours before the start of "Late Night in the Phog" so they could earn the second place in line.
The long wait didn't bother Yingling, a 2007 graduate from Atlanta. He's been to every Late Night since 1999, but he had to see this
"You have to be able to say you're here for Late Night the year we win it all," Yingling said. "We will win it all this year."
one.
Four months after Late Night marked the beginning of the season, Yingling's prediction remains a possibility. Kansas' season has been full of highlights, and the best may still be yet to come.
The season started off as planned. Kansas blew out several weak opponents and just kept getting better as Brandon Rush recovered from his ACL injury and began playing in November.
The only surprise may have been Darnell Jackson. Jackson is one of the biggest reasons Kansas is having success. Jackson was the second-leading scorer and top rebounder on the team through
January.
After moving on from personal issues of the past, Jackson has also become the team's leader.
"It's a win-win," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "Darnell can bring up the mood in any room."
With Jackson leading the way, the Jayhawks won their first 20 games. Undefeated talk swirled around the program and Kansas rose to No. 2 in the
2004-2005: They weren't supposed to go out like this. No way. But it happened. Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Michael Lee and Aaron Miles, one of Kansas' most successful classes, ended their careers with a shocking first round NCAA Tournament loss to Bucknell. It was one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The loss culminated a season that turned sour after a 20-1 start.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN