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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017
TOP 10 MOMENTS OF KANSAS BASKETBALL'S 2016-17 SEASON
Coach Bill Self smiles with junior Devonte' Graham after defeating West Virginia 84-80 in overtime on Feb. 13.
Missy Minear/KANSAN
A memorable 2016-17 season for the Kansas Jayhawks ended before one of its greatest leaders in senior guard Frank Mason III could take the program to its 15th Final Four in school history. However, the Jayhawks still accomplished a lot in a season filled with great memories. Here are the top 10 moments of the season from the Kansan's men's basketball beat writers:
▶ SKYLAR ROLSTAD, BRIAN MINI & JORDAN WOLF @KansanSports
10. Josh Jackson posterizes a UAB player at Sprint Center
Early in the season, onlookers knew about the freshman guard Josh Jackson's athletic ability, but his dunk against UAB made highlight reels across the country.
Kansas easily dispatched UAB, but this game will be remembered as one of, if not the best, posterizing dunk of the season by any Jayhawk. Jackson scored two of his 22 points on a one-handed dunk over UAB's Tosin Mehinti.
The slam heard across the country got the Sprint Center on its feet and proved to Kansas fans that Jackson was, in fact, the real deal.
9. Tyler Self's three pointer caps blowout NCAA tournament win over UC Davis
An explosive Kansas performance in a Round of 64 win over UC Davis gave Kansas senior walk-on Tyler Self, coach Bill Self's son, a chance to get back on the court.
"I didn't know if I was going to play again this season, to be honest," Self said after the game.
As Self nailed a three that brought the Jayhawks to 100 points in the 100-62 win over UC Davis in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Kansas bench went wild. Senior guard Frank Mason III jumped onto the shoulders of junior guard Svi Mykhailiuk in celebration.
The win sent the Jayhawks on their way to a blowout win over Michigan State in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then to Kansas City for another overwhelming win over Purdue.
8. Kansas surges in second half to claim win at Rupp Arena
It's not easy to win on the road, especially when it's against Kentucky. Kentucky started the game strong, but it was the second half that turned in Kansas' favor.
Kansas found itself down five points at half-time, but between Mason's 21 points and Jackson's 20 points, the Jayhawks were able to force turnovers and outplay two of the top guards in the country in Kentucky's Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox.
Kansas was clearly a top team in the country, but this second half proved that it could compete with any team. This was one of Kansas' four wins over teams ranked in the top five, but it stood out for a win against a fellow blueblood.
7. Bill Self's 600th career win
The Allen Fieldhouse video board congratulated Self by showing him videos of former players congratulating him - everyone from 2002-05 Illinois guard Deron Williams to 2008 national champion Mario Chalmers. Self received messages from former assistant coaches and players from all of his coaching stops, including Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois.
Bill Self's team wrapped up a routine 105-62 win over UMKC on Dec. 6, but it was memorable because Self reached a milestone only some of the greatest coaches ever have.
"When you coach at a place like here at Kansas you should win a lot of games," Self said after the game. "So that's not as significant. But to see all those other fellas [Self's former players], that's what makes
it special."
Self became the ninth-fastest coach to reach 600 wins in his career. Mason powered the Jayhawks to the win on the night with 30 points.
6. Frank Mason III dives over courtside table, steals pass against Kansas State
Kansas' Feb. 6 matchup against in-state rival Kansas State was the second matchup between the two on the season, and while it didn't feature a game-winning shot, it still had its exciting moments.
With one minute remaining in the game, a K-State pass looked to be heading out-of-bounds. That is until Mason stepped in. Running full speed across the floor, Mason saved the ball behind him, leaping over the first-row media table and crashing into a row of chairs. He disappeared from the camera's view, before springing back onto the court and intercepting a Wildcats pass.
The Jayhawks already had their share of NCAA tournament fun in the first weekend, but in their Sweet Sixteen matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers, the exciting plays did not stop coming.
From there, Kansas would go on to win 74-71. As the game came to a close, the K-State students chanted "overrated" at the Jayhawks, to which Mason simply pointed up and said "scoreboard." It was his last game in Bramlage Coliseum, and may have been his sweetest win there.
5. Lagerald Vick steals the show with 360 dunk against Purdue
With just over 12 minutes remaining in the game, and Kansas leading
by seven, sophomore guard Lagerald Vick intercepted a Boilermakers pass and headed down the floor unchallenged. He approached the basket from the side, gathering himself with long strides before skying up and throwing down an acrobatic 360-degree slam. The Jayhawks' lead was now nine, and Vick's dunk energized and carried them to what ended as a 32-point blowout.
Vick showed flashes of his incredible athleticism throughout his first two years but had yet to have much of a defining play. With this play, however, Vick made sure that everyone in the country knew his name.
4. Lucas, Mason and Self bid farewell to Allen Fieldhouse
A tearful Mason left the floor for the last time as a player in a senior-night win over Oklahoma. Jayhawks fans also said goodbye to two other players who defined the program: guard Tyler Self and center Landen Lucas.
In his senior speech, Lucas told stories of his improvement as a player and valuable starter for two seasons. Bill Self said this season that Lucas' hard work kept proving irreplaceable as the team tried recruiting higher-rated players.
Mason brought his son to see his first game at Allen Fieldhouse, along with his mother and father. Mason's father, Frank Mason Jr., was overcome with emotion when his son was recognized before the game.
Bill Self introduced Mason to fans as the "toughest player I've ever coached" and "the National Player of the Year."
As for coach Self's "favorite Jayhawk," Tyler Self
thanked the fans for helping him become a man. Coach Self told fans about how his son decided to play for the Jayhawks and how he helped the team during five years with the program.
3. Svi Mykhailiuk captures win over K-State with walk-off bucket
Kansas' second win over K-State was close down the stretch, but that wasn't anything new. That's because the first meeting between the two teams had all the drama that was needed.
With the ball in Mykhailiuk's hands with a chance to win the game, the junior took a few extra, unregulated steps on his way to the basket for the game-winning layup.
The missed travel garnered lots of national attention between criticism, memes and celebrations. This win was just the second conference game of the season, and set the stage for an exciting Big 12 season.
2. Frank Mason III beats Duke with game-winning jumper
Kansas opened the season with a loss, but followed it with one of its most exciting wins of the season on Nov.15 against Duke.
With the game tied at 75 and under five seconds remaining, Mason pulled up from the foul line, hitting the shot and giving the Jayhawks a two-point lead with 1.8 seconds left. Duke didn't have any timeouts and missed its half-court heave. Kansas won, 77-75.
It was an unbelievably exciting start to the year for the Jayhawks, after a disappointing first game. The shot also served as the start to an incredible senior campaign for Mason, who earned the title of Big 12 Player of the Year, and is the favorite for National Player of the Year awards. He scored 21 points and dished out five assists, almost identical to his season averages of 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game.
1. Kansas' 14-point comeback in under three minutes against West Virginia
Kansas fans waited for the Jayhawks' scoring run all night on Feb. 13 against West Virginia, and it never came.
Until the clock read 2:58, Kansas faced the second home loss in a row. Then it didn't happen.
The Jayhawks rallied in the final minutes to force overtime. In the extra period, the miracle had already been worked and the Jayhawks won 84-80.
"I think it's the most remarkable win I've ever been a part of, and we've had some great ones here, but we've never come from 14 down with two and a half minutes left against the ninth-ranked team in the country," Bill Self said after the game.
Some fans left the Fieldhouse early and missed out as Kansas recovered from one of its worst regulation performances of the season. Overtime was a different story. The Jayhawks outscored the Mountaineers 13-9 in the overtime period.
Kansas only led for six and half minutes during the entire game. Mason scored 24 points, and added four rebounds and five assists to lead the Jayhawks to the comeback win.
Edited by Sean Collins
.