10 years of Big 12 supremacy: 2011
KUsports.com graphic by Janella Williams
KUsports.com graphic by Janella Williams
From the time of Big 12 divisions, through realignment and the subtraction/addition of teams and a new 10-team format, one thing has remained constant in the conference for the past decade: Kansas University’s men’s basketball team has always finished in first place.
All week long, we’ll be looking back at KU’s 10 consecutive Big 12 championships by highlighting the top players and moments of each conference schedule, from 2005 to today.
Our five-day blog series will feature two seasons daily, Monday through Friday, so check back each day for more.
2011
Big 12 record: 14-2
Top 5 scorers:
Marcus Morris (jr., F), 17.2 points, 7.6 rebounds
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas forward Marcus Morris floats a bucket past the Oklahoma State defense during the first half on Monday, Feb. 21, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Markieff Morris (jr., F), 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas forward Markieff Morris delivers a dunk before Texas A&M forward Ray Turner during the second half on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Tyrel Reed (sr., G), 9.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas guard Tyrel Reed pulls up for a shot over Missouri guard Marcus Denmon during the first half on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Tyshawn Taylor (jr., G), 9.3 points, 4.6 assists
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor salutes after a three-pointer against Colorado during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Josh Selby (fr., G), 7.9 points, 2.2 assists
photo by: Kevin Anderson
Kansas guard Josh Selby (32) shoots against Oklahoma State during the second half Monday, Feb. 21, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.
3 memorable moments
No. 1 — Uplifting experience: Robinson heroic vs. ‘Cats
• Grief-stricken, Thomas Robinson returned to the Kansas lineup three days after his mother, Lisa, was buried. The backup power forward struggled early on before finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds in a 90-66 rout of Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I played tonight because I cannot sit
around too long. I knew my mother
wouldn’t want me to sit around crying
about it forever.”— Thomas Robinson
No. 2 — Seventh heaven: Jayhawks beat Missouri, claim league title outright
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas players Josh Selby, Thomas Robinson, Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris (22) collide in celebration on the court after defeating Missouri 70-66 and clinching the outright Big 12 conference championship Saturday, March 5, 2011 at Mizzou Arena.
• Marcus Morris went for 21 points and 10 rebounds as Kansas closed out the regular season with a 70-66 win at rival Missouri, snapping a 17-game home court win streak for the Tigers and clinching KU’s seventh straight Big 12 title outright in the process.
“We think of it as, a lot of teams
can’t win one (title), so to get to
two all the way to seven, that’s a big
deal, especially when you have some
legendary coaches telling you that’s a
big deal. It speaks for itself. It’s
Kansas. We do some impossible stuff
here.”— Elijah Johnson
No. 3 — Fitting tribute: KU basketball pays ‘respect’ to Lisa Robinson in win over Colorado
• The initials “L.R.” were worn on KU’s jerseys as the Jayhawks honored Lisa Robinson, the mother of forward Thomas Robinson, just days after she died unexpectedly. Marcus Morris paid tribute to his friend’s mother by tapping the initials before every free throw, and hit two late to help Kansas win, 82-78, at Colorado.
“Me, Kieff and T. Rob were sitting in
the room. He got a voicemail from his
sister. She said to call him, and it
was serious. He called back. He said
he didn’t want any more bad news (his
grandmother died in December and his
grandfather a couple of Sundays
earlier). She told him. He dropped
down in tears. He felt he lost a big
piece of everything in his life.”— Marcus Morris, on Thomas Robinson
learning his mother, Lisa, had died
2011 BIG 12 STANDINGS
Kansas, 14-2
Texas, 13-3
Texas A&M, 10-6
Kansas State, 10-6
Missouri, 8-8
Colorado, 8-8
Nebraska, 7-9
Baylor, 7-9
Oklahoma State, 6-10
Oklahoma, 5-11
Texas Tech, 5-11
Iowa State, 3-13
10 years of Big 12 supremacy
Thursday: 2011 and 2012
Friday: 2013 and 2014