WRITER: Matt Tait

Bill Self saw potential for Ochai Agbaji to have award-worthy year -- and he's on his way

Last summer, when Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji was debating between leaving early or returning to Lawrence for his senior season, KU coach Bill Self sat down with Agbaji and his family and painted a picture of what the talented guard’s immediate future could look like. “He had a lot to say about, if I came back this season, what it was going to look like, what he sees me being. That was a good visualization ...

Former Jayhawk Silvio De Sousa headed back to the NCAA Tournament after 4 long years

Former Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since helping the 2017-18 Jayhawks reach the Final Four as a freshman. Now in his fifth season of eligibility, De Sousa’s new team, Chattanooga, punched its NCAA Tournament ticket on Monday night in dramatic fashion. An overtime buzzer-beater from well-beyond 3-point range gave the Mocs a one-point win over ...

Top-seeded KU men to play K-State or West Virginia in quarterfinals of Big 12 tourney

The brackets are set for next week's Big 12 men's and women's basketball tournaments, running simultaneously in Kansas City, Missouri. The KU men are the top seed in their bracket and they'll face the winner of Wednesday's 8-9 game between Kansas State and West Virginia at 2 p.m. Thursday at T-Mobile Center. This year's men's event has just nine teams because Oklahoma State is ineligible to participate in ...

Big 12 coaches name Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji conference player of the year

For years, Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has said the Big 12’s player of the year honor should go to the best player on the best team. On Sunday, Self’s conference counterparts demonstrated they were in agreement when they named Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji the 2022 Big 12 Player of the Year. “So often, postseason accolades come from not only individual success but primarily from the team’s success ...

A few of the highlights and memorable moments from KU's 2022 Senior Night speeches

Saturday evening at Allen Fieldhouse, sandwiched between all kinds of funny and warm and fuzzy moments during the six senior speeches by the Kansas basketball team were two noteworthy declarations by KU coach Bill Self. The first was one he has some control over. The second was a prediction that likely will come true as soon as Sunday. “When we recruited Och, we thought he had a chance to be good,” ...

The Trophy Returns: No. 6 Kansas wins share of Big 12 regular-season title with gritty OT win vs. No. 21 Texas

It took 45 minutes for Kansas to win and about 45 seconds to kick off the celebration. And what a celebration it was. After a grueling, exhausting and physical battle with No. 21 Texas, it was the 6th-ranked Jayhawks who were left standing with a new batch of Big 12 championship hats and T-Shirts for their collection. KU’s 70-63 overtime win over Texas on Saturday, in the final game of the regular ...