2017–18 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team


The 2017–18 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 120th basketball season. The Jayhawks, were members of the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. They were led by 15th year Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self.

2017–18 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
Big 12 tournament champions (Vacated)
Big 12 regular season champions (Vacated)
Hoop Hall Miami Invitational champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four (Vacated)
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 4
Record16–8, 15 wins vacated (2–5 Big 12, 11 wins vacated)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAllen Fieldhouse
Seasons
2017–18 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Kansas 13 5   .722 31 8   .795
No. 14 Texas Tech 11 7   .611 27 10   .730
No. 15 West Virginia 11 7   .611 26 11   .703
Kansas State 10 8   .556 25 12   .676
TCU 9 9   .500 21 12   .636
Baylor 8 10   .444 19 15   .559
Texas 8 10   .444 19 15   .559
Oklahoma State 8 10   .444 21 15   .583
Oklahoma 8 10   .444 18 14   .563
Iowa State 4 14   .222 13 18   .419
2018 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll [1]

On October 22, the Jayhawks renewed their rivalry against Missouri in an exhibition game for charity. The proceeds of the game went to four different charities for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria relief funds. It was the first time the teams played since Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC.[2]

The Jayhawks entered the season ranked 4th, their 162nd consecutive poll they have been ranked in. During the season, they extended the streak to, as of the poll released on March 12, 2018, 180 consecutive polls. The last game KU played as unranked team was a 66–61 win over Colorado on January 31, 2009.[3] With their 74–72 win over Texas Tech on February 24, 2018, the Jayhawks clinched their NCAA record 14th consecutive Big 12 regular season championship.[4] The season marked the first time the Jayhawks have ever been swept in the regular season by an opponent under Bill Self, ending what was a streak of 103 home and home series without a sweep dating back to 2001. The Jayhawks lost to Self's alma mater Oklahoma State twice.[5] With 3:49 left in the 2nd half of their Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinal game against Oklahoma State, red-shirt sophomore guard Malik Newman made a 3-point shot. That 3 point was the Jayhawks school record 319th made 3 point shot in the season, breaking a record the Jayhawks set the previous season.[6]

They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. There they defeated Penn, Seton Hall, Clemson, and Duke to advance to the Final Four. In the Final Four, they lost to No. 1 seed from the East region and eventual National Champions, Villanova.

Senior guard Devonte' Graham was named a Consensus First Team All-American. He was the 23rd different player to be named a Consensus First Team All-American and the 30th overall selection in Kansas history. It was also the 2nd consecutive year Kansas had a Consensus First Team All-American.[7]

In 2023, 15 of the Jayhawks wins, their regular season Conference Championship, their Big 12 Tournament Championship, their tournament appearance, and Final Four appearance, were all vacated for recruiting violations. Specifically games Silvio De Sousa played in were vacated; the first game he played was the home victory over Kansas State.[8] The vacated NCAA Tournament appearance caused their NCAA record of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances to end at 28 with their 2017 appearance being the final official appearance in the streak.

Roster and coaching staff changes

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Coaching staff changes

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The Jayhawks did not experience any changes to their coaching staff.

Graduation

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Name Position
Frank Mason III G
Landen Lucas F
Tyler Self G

Early draft entrants

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Hired agent

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Name Position Class
Josh Jackson[9] F Freshman

Did not initially hire agent

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Starting with the 2016 NBA draft, if a player declares for the draft, but does not hire an agent, it allows the player to return to their school even after participating in the NBA Draft Combine, as long as they withdraw from the draft no later than 10 days after the end of the combine. For the 2017 draft, the final withdrawal date to retain NCAA eligibility was May 24.

Name Position Class Returned/
Entered draft
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk[10] Guard Junior Returned[11]

Transfers

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Incoming

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Name Year Position Old school
Charlie Moore Freshman G California[12]
Sam Cunliffe* Freshman G Arizona State[13]
K. J. Lawson RS Freshman F/G Memphis[14]
Dedric Lawson Sophomore F/G Memphis[14]

*Sam Cunliffe transferred during the 2016–17 season and was eligible to play in December 2017, one year after he transferred.

Outgoing

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Name Year Position New school
Evan Maxwell[15] RS Sophomore C Indiana Wesleyan
Carlton Bragg Jr.[16] Junior F Arizona State[17]
Dwight Coleby[18] RS Senior F Western Kentucky[19]

Recruiting class

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Kansas recruit Billy Preston at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Billy Preston
F
Los Angeles, California Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Nov 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 93
Silvio De Sousa*
F
Luanda, Angola IMG Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 242 lb (110 kg) Aug 27, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 89
Marcus Garrett
G
Dallas, Texas Skyline High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 1, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 85
Overall recruiting rankings:     Scout: 14     Rivals: 10      ESPN: 24 

*Originally was recruited as a part of Kansas' 2018 recruiting class, however, De Sousa reclassified to 2017 and received approval from the NCAA to begin playing on January 13.[20]

Walk-ons

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Name Position Class
James Sosinski F RS* Sophomore

*Sosinski red-shirted on the Jayhawks football team and was invited to walk on by Bill Self. Following the season, he will have two years of eligibility remaining with the football and basketball team.[21]

Left team during the season

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Name Position Class Reason
Billy Preston F Freshman Signed with Bosnian
pro team KK Igokea[22]

NCAA Corruption scandal, FBI Probe

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On February 23, 2018, Kansas was announced as one of 27 schools that had players being investigated by the FBI's probe into corruption in college basketball which began with an investigation of Louisville and their former head coach Rick Pitino. Kansas' involvement was specifically a former player being named in Christian Dawkins' expense reports for seeking thousands of dollars of reimbursements for expenses incurred from recruits’ families. Former player Josh Jackson's mother reportedly received a $2,700 payment, which was listed in the report. Also named in the report were fellow Kansas Division I team Wichita State, Big 12 members Iowa State and Texas, as well as perennial power house programs Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Michigan State.[23]

Roster

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2017–18 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Marcus Garrett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Dallas, TX
F 1 Dedric Lawson   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 236 lb (107 kg) Jr Memphis, TN
G 2 LaGerald Vick 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Memphis, TN
G 3 Sam Cunliffe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Seattle, WA
G 4 Devonte' Graham 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Raleigh, NC
G 5 Charlie Moore   5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Chicago, IL
G 10 Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Cherkasy, Ukraine
G 12 Chris Teahan (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Kansas City, MO
F 13 K. J. Lawson   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Memphis, TN
G 14 Malik Newman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Jackson, MS
G 21 Clay Young (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Lansing, KS
F 22 Silvio De Sousa 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Luanda, Angola
C 35 Udoka Azubuike 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 280 lb (127 kg) So Delta, Nigeria
F 44 Mitch Lightfoot 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Gilbert, AZ
F 55 James Sosinski (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS So Chandler, AZ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: April 6, 2017

Schedule and results

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All wins beginning with the home game against Kansas State are officially vacated. The original results are listed in the table.

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Italy exhibition trip
August 2, 2017*
11:30 am
vs. A.S. Stella Azzurra W 90–56 
 16  Newman   4  4 tied   9  Graham  Honey Sports City 
Rome, Italy
August 3, 2017*
11:30 am
vs. Players Group W 92–61 
 15  Azubuike   12  Garrett   5  Graham  Honey Sports City 
Rome, Italy
August 5, 2017*
12:00 pm
vs. Players Group W 99–71 
 18  Vick   7  Preston   6  2 tied  Palasport Enrico Somaschini 
Milan, Italy
August 6, 2017*
12:00 pm
vs. Italy All Star A2 W 118–74 
 32  Newman   9  K.J. Lawson   10  Graham  Palasport Enrico Somaschini (500)
Milan, Italy
Exhibition
October 22, 2017*
3:00 pm, PPV
vs. Missouri
Showdown for Relief
Border War
W 93–87 
 25  Graham   10  Graham   5  2 tied  Sprint Center (18,951)
Kansas City, MO
October 31, 2017*
7:00 pm, Jayhawk TV
Pittsburg State W 100–54 
 19  Newman   14  Azubuike   5  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, Jayhawk TV
No. 4 Fort Hays State W 86–57 
 27  Graham   9  Azubuike   8  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
Regular season
November 10, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 4 Tennessee State W 92–56  1–0
 23  Vick   10  Garrett   12  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 14, 2017*
8:30 pm, ESPN
No. 4 vs. No. 7 Kentucky
Champions Classic
W 65–61  2–0
 17  Mykhailiuk   8  Azubuike   5  2 tied  United Center (21,684)
Chicago, IL
November 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, Jayhawk TV
No. 4 South Dakota State W 98–64  3–0
 27  Mykhailiuk   7  2 tied   11  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, Jayhawk TV
No. 3 Texas Southern
Hoophall Miami Invitational campus game
W 114–71  4–0
 21  Mykhailiuk   11  Garrett   11  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 24, 2017*
7:00 pm, Jayhawk TV
No. 3 Oakland
Hoophall Miami Invitational campus game
W 102–59  5–0
 21  Azubuike   10  Azubuike   7  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
November 28, 2017*
7:00 pm, Jayhawk TV
No. 2 Toledo
Hoophall Miami Invitational campus game
W 96–58  6–0
 35  Graham   7  Garrett   5  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
December 2, 2017*
4:30 pm, ESPN
No. 2 vs. Syracuse
Hoophall Miami Invitational
W 76–60  7–0
 35  Graham   9  Azubuike   7  Vick  American Airlines Arena (8,426)
Miami, FL
December 6, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 2 Washington
Jayhawk Shootout
L 65–74  7–1
 28  Vick   9  Azubuike   7  Vick  Sprint Center (17,106)
Kansas City, MO
December 10, 2017*
1:00 pm, ESPN
No. 2 No. 16 Arizona State L 85–95  7–2
 25  Vick   9  Azubuike   8  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
December 16, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 13 at Nebraska
Shelter Insurance Showcase
W 73–72  8–2
 26  Azubuike   10  Azubuike   8  Graham  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,596)
Lincoln, NE
December 18, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 14 Omaha W 109–64  9–2
 26  Mykhailiuk   12  Azubuike   8  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
December 21, 2017*
10:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 14 vs. Stanford
Sacramento Showcase
W 75–54  10–2
 22  Azubuike   7  3 tied   6  Graham  Golden 1 Center (7,880)
Sacramento, CA
December 29, 2017
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 at Texas W 92–86  11–2
(1–0)
 23  Graham   13  Azubuike   8  Graham  Frank Erwin Center (15,802)
Austin, TX
January 2, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 10 No. 18 Texas Tech L 73–85  11–3
(1–1)
 27  Graham   7  Azubuike   6  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 6, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN2
No. 10 at No. 16 TCU W 88–84  12–3
(2–1)
 28  Graham   7  Lightfott   6  2 tied  Schollmaier Arena (6,800)
Fort Worth, TX
January 9, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 12 Iowa State W 83–78  13–3
(3–1)
 27  Newman   8  Newman   9  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 13, 2018
11:00 am, ESPN
No. 12 Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown
W 73–72  14–3
(4–1)
 23  Graham   8  Azubuike   5  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 15, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 10 at No. 6 West Virginia W 71–66  15–3
(5–1)
 17  Mykhailiuk   9  Azubuike   6  Graham  WVU Coliseum (14,115)
Morgantown, WV
January 20, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN
No. 10 Baylor W 70–67  16–3
(6–1)
 24  Newman   8  Graham   7  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 23, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 at No. 12 Oklahoma L 80–85  16–4
(6–2)
 24  Mykhailiuk   7  Graham   9  Graham  Lloyd Noble Center (11,886)
Norman, OK
January 27, 2018*
3:30 pm, ESPN
No. 5 Texas A&M
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 79–68  17–4
 24  Mykhailiuk   7  Newman   7  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
January 29, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7 at Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown
W 70–56  18–4
(7–2)
 22  Mykhailiuk   10  Newman   11  Graham  Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
Manhattan, KS
February 3, 2018
11:00 am, CBS
No. 7 Oklahoma State L 79–84  18–5
(7–3)
 20  Azubuike   5  2 tied   8  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
February 6, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 10 TCU W 71–64  19–5
(8–3)
 24  Graham   11  Azubuike   5  2 tied  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
February 10, 2018
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 10 at Baylor L 64–80  19–6
(8–4)
 23  Graham   4  3 tied   5  Newman  Ferrell Center (10,284)
Waco, TX
February 13, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 13 at Iowa State W 83–77  20–6
(9–4)
 19  Azubuike   6  2 tied   5  Graham  Hilton Coliseum (14,384)
Ames, IA
February 17, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN
No. 13 No. 20 West Virginia W 77–69  21–6
(10–4)
 21  Azubuike   8  Graham   7  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
February 19, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 8 Oklahoma W 104–74  22–6
(11–4)
 23  Graham   8  Azubuike   7  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
February 24, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN
No. 8 at No. 6 Texas Tech W 74–72  23–6
(12–4)
 26  Graham   7  Azubuike   4  2 tied  United Supermarkets Arena (15,098)
Lubbock, TX
February 26, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 Texas W 80–70  24–6
(13–4)
 20  Azubuike   8  Azubuike   11  Graham  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
March 3, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 6 at Oklahoma State L 64–82  24–7
(13–5)
 15  Graham   7  Azubuike   8  Graham  Gallagher-Iba Arena (12,482)
Stillwater, OK
Big 12 Tournament
March 8, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN2
(1) No. 9 vs. (8) Oklahoma State
Quarterfinals
W 82–68  25–7
 30  Newman   6  2 tied   9  Graham  Sprint Center (17,903)
Kansas City, MO
March 9, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
(1) No. 9 vs. (4) Kansas State
Semifinals
W 83–67  26–7
 22  Newman   11  De Sousa   8  Graham  Sprint Center (18,223)
Kansas City, MO
March 10, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN
(1) No. 9 vs. (3) No. 18 West Virginia
Championship
W 81–70  27–7
 20  Newman   10  De Sousa   13  Graham  Sprint Center (17,718)
Kansas City, MO
NCAA Tournament
March 15, 2018*
1:00 pm, TBS
(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (16 MW) Penn
First Round
W 76–60  28–7
 29  Graham   11  Lightfoot   6  Graham  Intrust Bank Arena (14,390)
Wichita, KS
March 17, 2018*
6:10 pm, TBS
(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (8 MW) Seton Hall
Second Round
W 83–79  29–7
 28  Newman   7  Azubuike   9  Graham  Intrust Bank Arena (14,385)
Wichita, KS
March 23, 2018*
6:07 pm, CBS
(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (5 MW) No. 20 Clemson
Sweet Sixteen
W 80–76  30–7
 17  Newman   11  Azubuike   4  2 tied  CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,399)
Omaha, NE
March 25, 2018*
4:05 pm, CBS
(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (2 MW) No. 9 Duke
Elite Eight
W 85–81 OT 31–7
 32  Newman   10  2 tied   6  Graham  CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,579)
Omaha, NE
March 31, 2018*
7:49 pm, TBS
(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (1 E) No. 2 Villanova
Final Four
L 79–95  31–8
 23  Graham   8  Newman   3  2 tied  Alamodome (68,257)
San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest E=East.
All times are in Central Time.

Source: [24]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP4 (1)4 (2)3221314111012105710138694Not released
Coaches3322 (1)2 (1)12131110121057101386933

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

Post-season awards

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Bill Self
  • Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year
Devonte Graham
  • Big 12 Player of the Year
  • 1st Team All-Big 12
  • Consensus 1st Team All-American[7]
  • NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional team[25]
Malik Newman
  • Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
  • Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
  • Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player[26]
  • NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player[25]
  • NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional team[25]
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
  • 2nd Team All-Big 12
Udoka Azubuike
  • 3rd Team All-Big 12
LaGerald Vick
  • Honorable Mention All-Big 12
Clay Young
  • Academic All-Big 12[27]

Primary source unless otherwise noted:[28]

References

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  1. ^ "2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 26–30. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Kansas and Missouri Men's Basketball Come Together, Hope to Raise $1 Million for Disaster Relief Efforts". KUAthletics.com. October 13, 2017.
  3. ^ "Virginia just misses making AP's college basketball preseason poll". NBCSports.com.
  4. ^ "Kansas tops Texas Tech for record 14th straight league title". ESPN.com.
  5. ^ "Smith, Solomon lead Okla. State to big win over No. 6 Kansas". ESPN.com.
  6. ^ "Newman's career day lifts Kansas over Cowboys in Big 12s". ESPN.com.
  7. ^ a b "Graham named Associated Press All-America First Team". KUAthletics.com. March 27, 2018.
  8. ^ "Kansas basketball on probation as violations downgraded". ESPN.com. October 11, 2023.
  9. ^ "KU's Josh Jackson signs with agent, to enter NBA Draft". KansasCity.com.
  10. ^ "Mykhailiuk to enter NBA Draft without an agent". KUAthletics.com.
  11. ^ "Svi Mykhailiuk announces return to KU basketball for senior season". CJOnline.com.
  12. ^ "Collins helps convince Cal transfer Charlie Moore to pick KU". KansasCity.com.
  13. ^ "Former Arizona State player Sam Cunliffe to transfer to Kansas". KansasCity.com.
  14. ^ a b "Dedric, K.J. Lawson to transfer to Kansas from Memphis". ESPN.com.
  15. ^ "KU transfer Evan Maxwell leaving the program". KUSports.com.
  16. ^ "Carlton Bragg Jr. leaving Kansas". KUSports.com.
  17. ^ "Kansas transfer Carlton Bragg commits to Arizona State". ESPN.com.
  18. ^ "KU grad Dwight Coleby elects to transfer". kuathletics.com.
  19. ^ "Former KU forward Dwight Coleby chooses Western Kentucky as transfer destination". The Kansas City Star.
  20. ^ "Kansas freshman Silvio De Sousa cleared for competition by NCAA". CBSSports.com.
  21. ^ "With Billy Preston still sidelined, Bill Self turns to Kansas tight end to help practice squad". ESPN.com.
  22. ^ "Kansas freshman Billy Preston signs with European team BC Igokea". ESPN.com.
  23. ^ "Report: FBI probe into NCAA corruption identifies possible violations by basketball powers". ESPN.com.
  24. ^ "University of Kansas Athletics". University of Kansas.
  25. ^ a b c @marchmadness (March 25, 2018). "Midwest Region All-Tournament Team" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "Jayhawks fly past West Virginia to claim Big 12 Championship title, 81-70". KUAthletics.com.
  27. ^ "Postseason honors roll in for Kansas men's hoops". KUAthletics.com.
  28. ^ "All-Big 12 MBB Awards" (PDF). Big12Sports.com.