Looking back at KU basketball’s milestone victories

It’s easy to gloss over a victory as historically significant as all-time win No. 2,200 when you consider the fact that the most experienced players on the current roster who delivered it only have been around for an average of less than 100 of those and the coach leading the way only 400.

But just because two of the players wearing KU uniforms today have been a part of just 14 of those 2,200 victories does not mean that the win — 85-68 over Texas Tech at Allen Fieldhouse — was not a major milestone to the thousands and thousands of KU fans who have screamed, yelled, cheered and rejoiced about more than half of those wins during their lifetimes.

Give the current Jayhawks credit for both recognizing the significance of Saturday’s 2,200th win and for having the respect to realize it’s not in any way about them and only them. And give senior point guard Frank Mason III major credit for offering the following four words as his final comment on the matter: “there’s more to come.”

Talk about a guy who gets it. Sure, being a part of win No. 2,200 was nice and likely will be something these guys look back on — many years from now — as one of the many, many cool parts of their Kansas careers.

But the objective today, as it has been year in and year out, week in and week out, for as long as anyone can remember is to find a way to bring more victories not celebrate wins gone by.

Bill Self now has been around for four milestone victories and if he’s still the Kansas coach when the Jayhawks reach win No. 2,300, he’ll tie Phog Allen and Roy Williams as the head coaches to deliver the most milestone wins in Kansas history.

With that in mind, here’s a quick look back at the major milestone wins, from 1 to 2,200, that Kansas basketball has achieved in the past 118 years.

Win Date Site Coach Opponent
1 Feb. 10, 1899 Lawrence James Naismith 31-6 vs. Topeka YMCA
100 Jan. 15, 1910 St. Louis W.O. Hamilton 34-13 vs. Washington (Mo.)
200 Jan. 24, 1917 Lawrence W.O. Hamilton 27-19 vs. Kansas State
300 Feb. 9, 1925 Lawrence Phog Allen 33-18 vs. Iowa State
400 Jan. 2, 1933 Lawrence Phog Allen 34-28 vs. Stanford
500 Jan. 18, 1939 Lawrence Phog Allen 37-32 vs. Missouri
600 Jan. 30, 1945 Lawrence Phog Allen 39-36 vs. Kansas State
700 Dec. 29, 1951 Kansas City, Mo. Phog Allen 75-65 vs. Missouri
800 March 15, 1957 Dallas Dick Harp 73-65 vs. SMU
900 Dec. 1, 1964 Fayetteville, Ark. Ted Owens 65-60 vs. Arkansas
1,000 Feb. 3, 1969 Lawrence Ted Owens 64-48 vs. Oklahoma State
1,100 Jan. 25, 1975 Lawrence Ted Owens 71-60 vs. Oklahoma State
1,200 Dec. 1, 1980 Lawrence Ted Owens 81-67 vs. Pepperdine
1,300 Dec. 3, 1985 Lawrence Larry Brown 86-71 vs. SIU-Edwardsville
1,400 Feb. 25, 1989 Lawrence Roy Williams 111-83 vs. Colorado
1,500 Jan. 16, 1993 Louisville, Ky Roy Williams 98-77 vs. Louisville
1,600 Nov. 27, 1996 Maui, Hawaii Roy Williams 80-63 vs. Virginia
1,700 Jan. 8, 2000 Boulder, Colo. Roy Williams 84-69 vs. Colorado
1,800 March 29, 2003 Anaheim, Calif. Roy Williams 78-75 vs. Arizona
1,900 March 3, 2007 Lawrence Bill Self 90-86 vs. Texas
2,000 March 11, 2010 Kansas City, Mo. Bill Self 80-68 vs. Texas Tech
2,100 March 24, 2013 Kansas City, Mo. Bill Self 70-58 vs. North Carolina
2,200 Jan. 7, 2017 Lawrence Bill Self 85-68 vs. Texas Tech