Kansas Jayhawks Basketball: Five Things You Didn’t Know

Dec 22, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Fans storm the court after the Temple Owls defeat the Kansas Jayhawks at the Wells Fargo Center. Temple beat Kansas 77-52. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Losing by 25-plus points is something new to Kansas and its fans.

Before getting demolished by Kentucky (32) and Temple (25) in non-conference play, a Bill Self-led Jayhawk team had only “accomplished” the feat once during his 12-year tenure — a 25-point loss in 2006 at Texas.

While losing by that manner is nothing to celebrate, it sure would be interesting to look back on should the Jayhawks end up winning the championship.

Sure, Kentucky is the favorite, but after the undefeated Wildcats, KU has as good of a chance as any to win the title.

If they do, believe it or not, they would be the second-consecutive team to lose by at least 25 points during the regular season, and go on to win the National Championship.

The 2014 champs, Connecticut, were blown out March 8 of last year, 81-48, at Louisville. The Huskies would go on to win eight of their final nine games, losing only to Louisville once again, including six in a row when it mattered most.

It is the only time it has happened since the NCAA went to the current 64-team (not counting play-in teams) tournament format in 1985.

In fact, the closest it even came to happening was in 2001-02 when Maryland lost by 21 to Duke, but beat KU in the Final Four on the way to its only national title.

There is a long way to go still in the season, but after winning 10 of 11 since the Temple debacle, the Jayhawks have clearly put the loss behind them.

Next: Mason is Nearing KU History