UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, April 2, 1993
5B
Kansas in 10th Final Four
'Hawks have been in the tournament since its beginning
By Mark Button
Kansan sportswriter
Former Kansas basketball coach Phog Allen had a vision.
The NCAA lost money with the 1939 tournament, and coaches across the nation, as well as the NCAA, were skeptical about holding another one.
In 1939, the first year for the NCAA college basketball tournament, Allen believed that the tournament could be the most celebrated events in all of sports.
If not for Allen, the 1939 tournament could have been the first and last championship tournament.
Dick Hart, Allen's successor as coach of the Jayhawks and a member of the basketball team from 1938-1940, said that Allen knew that the tournament, if organized properly, could generate a large amount of money for the NCAA and the schools that participated.
The NCAA tournament committee agreed to trust Allen, and the 1940 NCAA tournament was held in Kansas City, Mo.
"Doc (Allen) guaranteed the NCAA a profit if they held the (140) tournament in Kansas City." Harp said. "So he had two major goals: he wanted to win it very badly, and he wanted to establish the ground rules to what might be the future of the Final Four."
Harp, who was a senior guard on the 40team, made the game-winning basketball against Oklahoma State in a regional playoff, securing the Jayhawks' position in the eight-team NCAA tournament.
Kansas defeated Rice 50-44 in the first round, advancing the team to its first Final Four appearance.
Southern California, which had won the National Invitational Tournament that year, was the Jayhawks' opponent. Kansas defeated the Trojans 43-42.
Indiana, who defeated Duquesne in the other semifinal, played Kansas for the 1940 National Championship.
"We went into the game thinking we were prepared," Harp said. "But they ran all the time. We didn't get back on defense, and that was the difference in the game."
Indiana's fast break led to a 60-42 blowout.
Allen's vision of the tournament started to come to life at that point. By the time Kansas would participate in its next Final Four in 1952, the field of teams for the post-season tournament had doubled from eight to 16.
Kansas faced Santa Clara in the first game of the '52 Final Four, winning 74-55. Allen then captured his long awaited national title, posting an 80-63 victory against St. John's.
"That was the happiest time I ever had," said Harp, who had graduated and become Allen's assistant. "I wanted that game for Doc."
The Jayhawks returned to the Final Four the next year, defeating Washington 79-53 in the semifinals and losing to Indiana again in the finals 69-88.
After succeeding Allen as the Jayhawks' coach, Harp guided Kansas to the 1957 First Four in his first season. Kansas defeated San Francisco 80-56 in the semifinal. Harp said it was the best game the team played that year.
However, the '57 Final Four would be remembered for Kansas' triple-overtime loss to North Carolina 54-53 in the championship game.
It would be 14 years before Kansas would appear in the Final Four again, with the tournament budding into a 25-team field.
Junior forward Isaac "Bud" Stallworth helped lead the 1971 dayhawks into the Final Four. Coached by Ted Owens, Kansas compiled a 25-1 overall record, with 22 of the victories in succession. Owens' team went 14-0 in Big Eight Conference play, a feat that has never been repeated by any conference team.
Although the 1971 "Hawks were arguably one of the best teams in Kansas history, their opponent in the semifinals was UCLA. Under Coach John Wooden, the Brins had claimed six of the last seven national titles.
"It came down to a couple of plays in the second half," Stallworth said. "A one point lead turned into a five point deficit. And that was the game."
Kansas lost 08-60 and also lost the consolation game to Western Kentucky 77-75.
Three years later, the Jayhawks made their sixth showing in the Final Four. The results mirrored those of the 71 appearance.
Kansas lost to Marquette in the semifinals 64-51 and to UCLA in the third-place game 78-61.
The 1986 Jayhawks, coached by Larry Brown, were the next Kansas representatives in the Final Four.
'Hawks biggest non-conference rivals.
In 1988, Kansas entered the NCAA Tournament with 11 defeats. However, led by All-American senior center Danny Manning, the Jayhawks advanced once again to the Final Four, which was held in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas lost in the semifinal 71-67 to Duke, which was becoming one of the
Although Kansas had lost its last six games in Final Four competition, and in the semifinals it was facing Duke, which had already beaten the Jayhawks that year, Jeff Gueldner said the pressure was on the other teams.
"We had nothing to lose," said Gueldner, a sophomore guard on the 1988 team. "They were the ones that felt the pressure. They felt that 'Oh my God, this team was not supposed to be here. We can't let them win.'"
Kansas shocked the nation as they defeated Duke 66-59 and went on to claim the national championship, beating Big Eight rival Oklahoma, 83-79.
Maddox, a reserve forward on the '88 team, was a senior starter on the 1991 team.
"I was just a sophomore," Gueldner said. "I thought. "This is great, but I'll get another chance some other day." And now I realize what a special time it was."
Gueldner did not get another chance, but Mike Maddox did.
The 1991 Jayhawks were coached by North Carolina graduate Roy Williams. Their semifinal opponent in the Final Four was North Carolina, coached by Kansas graduate Dean Smith. Williams served as an assistant for Smith for 10 years.
The game ended with the student defeating the teacher, and Kansas topping North Carolina 79-73.
"It wasn't our night against Duke." Maddox said. "But getting to the Final Four and playing for the championship is a great accomplishment."
However, Duke spoiled Kansas' hopes of capturing its third championship, defeating the Jayhawks 72-65.
This year marks the 10th appearance by Kansas in the NCAA Final Four. With a 64 team tournament and almost every region of the country represented, it seems that Allen's vision has been realized.
"The NCAA's are a major thing now." Harp said. "It's probably bigger than the Super Bowl. You get very little suspense out of the Super Bowl, but you get a great deal out of the 64-team tournament. It's a great event for athletics."
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