Since the beginning of the season, the University of Kansas basketball team broke their end-of-practice huddles by chanting "Big 12 Champs" in unison. That daily ritual became a reality on Saturday afternoon as the second-ranked Jayhawks defeated Texas Tech, 67-58, inside Allen Fieldhouse to clinch at least a share of the program's 12th-straight Big 12 Conference regular season title.
Kansas has won an NCAA-leading 59 conference regular-season titles, including 16 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are now one shy of UCLA's 13-straight Pac-10 regular season titles, won under hall-of-fame coach John Wooden from 1967-79. In the 20-year history of the Big 12, Kansas has won a regular-season or tournament title in 17 of those years.
Sophomore guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, and junior floor general Frank Mason III added 16 points with three 3-pointers to lead the Jayhawks.
Junior forward Landen Lucas gave the Jayhawks an early spark by scoring KU's first five points, including making his first three free throws.
The Kansas defense forced a shot clock violation on Texas Tech's first possession and held the Red Raiders scoreless until the 17:31 mark of the first half. Mason made a wide-open 3-pointer from a reverse pass from Devonte' Graham to give KU an early 8-0 lead.
Both teams went into a scoring slump midway through the first half. Senior forward Jamari Traylorended an 0-for-8 KU shooting drought with a layup in the paint, and-1, at the 11:34 mark.
With Tech down by two, 16-14, and nipping at KU's heels, Mykhailiuk came off the bench to drain his first 3-pointer of the day and swing KU's lead to 19-14. Mykhailiuk proceeded to make three 3-pointer in the final five minutes of the first half, including one at the buzzer, to give KU a 37-29 lead.
Kansas started the second half on a 12-0 run, holding the Raiders scoreless from the 19:47 mark to the 12:46 mark of the second half.
The run to start the second half allowed KU to take its largest lead of the game -- 20 points with 10:19 remaining.
Texas Tech, winners of five-straight games coming into Allen Fieldhouse, ran off a quick 14-2 run to make one final push, but Mykhailiuk had another answer: hitting two 3-pointers within two minutes to help the Jayhawks stay composed and secure the program's 12th-straight Big 12 title.
Junior forward Landen Lucas flushed home a dunk and Mason made two free throws with 40 seconds remaining to secure the 67-58 victory for the Jayhawks.
NCAA DIVISION I CONSECUTIVE CONFERENCE REGULAR-SEASON TITLES
# - Team, Conference (Seasons)
13 – UCLA, Pac-10 (1967-79)
12 – KANSAS, Big 12 (2005-16)
11 – Gonzaga, West Coast (2001-11)
10 – Connecticut, Yankee (1951-60)
10 – UNLV, Big West (1983-92)
KANSAS BIG 12 TITLES
1997 – regular season / tournament
1998 – regular season / tournament
1999 – tournament
2002 – regular season
2003 – regular season
2005 – regular season (tie with Oklahoma)
2006 – regular season (tie with Texas) / tournament
2007 – regular season / tournament
2008 – regular season (tie with Texas) / tournament
2009 – regular season
2010 – regular season / tournament
2011 – regular season / tournament
2012 – regular season
2013 – regular season (tie with K-State) / tournament
2014 – regular season
2015 – regular season
2016 – regular season (clinched at least a tie)