Kansas wins its 14th straight Big 12 crown

Kansas coach Bill Self has signed some of the nation’s top-rated players during his tenure in Lawrence, allowing him to restock the roster instead of rebuilding.

Signing one-and-done players comes with a price: Constant roster turnover.

It hasn’t mattered to Self and the Jayhawks. No matter who they have on the floor, they find a way to win the Big 12 title.

The count is 14 straight after a Feb. 24 win over No. 6 Texas Tech clinched at least a share of the title, leaving No. 8 Kansas alone for longest streak in NCAA history. The Jayhawks had been tied with UCLA, which won 13 straight Pac10 titles from 1967-79.

“I feel like this year was the year that everybody thought we were going to lose it,” said Kansas guard Devonte Graham, who scored 26 points against the red Raiders.

“As a team, we’ve just been battling, staying positive with each other, going through the grind. And now we made history.”

Kansas was picked to win the Big 12 title in the preseason, but doubts arose after the Jayhawks lost nonconference games against Washington and Arizona State.

Kansas (23-6, 12-4) still appeared to vulnerable after losing to the Big 12’s two Oklahoma schools in a span of four games.

The Jayhawks, like they always seem to, found a way to play their best when they needed to, winning four straight games to earn another title. Kansas can take it outright with a win against Texas on Monday.

“We picked the best time to be our best the last couple of weeks,” Self said. “To play with little depth and to play so small and to not be a physical team at all, to see how these guys hung in there and competed, I’m amazed.”

Texas Tech picked a tough time to start struggling.

The Red Raiders (22-7, 10-6) reached their highest ranking as a program at No. 6 on Monday, but lost both games since. Those followed a loss to Baylor, when leading scorer Keenan Evans injured a toe. He appears to still be bothered by the foot, scoring in single digits the past three straight games, including six against Kansas.

Even with the slide, Self has been impressed with the job coach Chris Beard has done this season.

“Chris has done as good a job as anybody in the country,” Self said. “He should be mentioned for national coach of the year.”