Congratulations are in order for the Kansas University men’s basketball team for delivering to the United States the gold medal that has eluded it for a decade in the World University Games.

The Jayhawks — plus Nic Moore of SMU and Julian DeBose of Central Florida — represented the United States at the games in Gwangju, South Korea. They practiced for two weeks, traveled across the globe, adjusted to a time zone 14 hours ahead of Kansas and played by international rules different from those used by the NCAA. The Jayhawks’ schedule? Eight games in 10 days.

Yet, despite the challenges, the team found a way to go 8-0 — beating Turkey, Brazil, Chile, Serbia and Switzerland in pool play before downing Lithuania, Russia and Germany in the medal round in a span of 62 hours Friday through Monday. The gold medal came after a thrilling 84-77 win over Germany in double overtime. The game ended about 9:30 a.m. central time Monday, delaying the start of the workweek for most of Lawrence.

The gold medal is no small feat. USA Basketball had failed to earn any medal in three of the past four World University Games. USA finished ninth in 2013, fifth in 2011 and ninth in 2007. The team won bronze in 2009 when a group of college all stars coached by Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan lost to Russia in the semifinals before beating Israel to claim third.

The last time Team USA won gold was in 2005, when Villanova’s Jay Wright coached a group of all stars lead by Duke’s Shelden Williams to a win over Ukraine in the finals.

This year’s formula for the Games was to send an actual college team — Kansas — to the games. Moore and DeBose were added to fill out the roster after injuries to Jayhawks Brannen Greene and Devonte Graham. Otherwise, the team looked very similar to the one Kansas will field when the season tips off in a few months. Veterans Frank Mason, Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis looked in mid-season form in leading the Jayhawks in Korea, while Hunter Mickelson, who saw few minutes in his first season at Kansas, was a nice surprise the past two weeks. The games also gave Kansas fans their first look at highly touted freshmen Carlton Bragg and LeGerald Vick.

No doubt the gold medal will heighten expectations for the coming season. The extra practice and games theoretically provide the Jayhawks, who welcome back one of the most experienced rosters in college basketball, an advantage.

But before we start talking about the 2016 Final Four, it’s appropriate to take a few moments to recognize this unique Kansas team on the worthy achievement of winning gold in Korea. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!