Jayhawks set to stretch streak of Big 12 titles to 13

LAWRENCE, Kan. — There is perhaps nobody better than Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown to put into perspective the remarkable streak of basketball conference championships put together by Kansas, one that could stretch to 13 in a row with a victory over TCU tonight.

Brown coached the Jayhawks for five years in the mid-1980s, leading them to the national title in 1988. And he gave current Kansas coach Bill Self his big break as an assistant in 1985.

But before his arrival in Lawrence, Brown spent two years coaching UCLA. It was under his watch the Bruins’ own record streak of 13 consecutive conference titles ended in 1980.

“What Bill has done is beyond belief to me,” Brown told The Associated Press. “And it’s just amazing, when you wear that jersey, what it means to these kids.”

The Kansas streak is hard to put into perspective because it has few comparisons.

The two most recent schools to come close have been UNLV, which had a 10-year run snapped in 1992, and Gonzaga, which won 11 straight starting in 2001. But the Runnin’ Rebels played in the Big West in a far different era, while the Bulldogs have dominated the West Coast Conference.

Neither league would be confused for the Big 12, either in talent or depth.

Maybe a better barometer is the Atlantic Coast Conference, where North Carolina’s best streak has been six straight titles and Duke’s best run has been five. But the Blue Devils haven’t won a regular-season title since 2010, and the Tar Heels have managed only seven since the Jayhawks began their run. The best streak in the Big Ten was Ohio State’s five straight in the 1960s.

Part of what makes Kansas’ streak so incredible is that sustained excellence is harder today than ever before, and certainly harder than when UCLA was riding its streak.

In those days, schools had more scholarships at their disposal, so they could sock away talented young players to replenish each year.