KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the title popped up on CBS’ Choice Present 20 years in the past, Jeff Hawkins nonetheless remembers what he did not know.
“It says ‘Bucknell’,” Hawkins, a former Kansas backup guard, remembered. “We have been nearly like, ‘Who the hell is Bucknell?’ I by no means heard of a Bucknell. What’s that? Is that the mascot?”
Hawkins and Kansas would quickly discover out in probably the most painful approach attainable. Twenty years in the past this month No. 14 seed Bucknell beat third-seeded Kansas 64-63 in one of many greatest upsets in NCAA Event historical past.
Do not be dismayed should you do not do not forget that late-night opening spherical sport in Oklahoma Metropolis. In 2005, the present Jayhawks who will play Arkansas in the primary spherical of the NCAA Event, have been in diapers.
March Insanity® is healthier with mates, particularly while you beat them! Get your bracket swimming pools prepared now and invite your pals, household and colleagues to play.
Since that point Kansas’ Invoice Self received two nationwide championships, was awarded a lifetime contract and entered the Naismith Corridor of Fame whereas nonetheless an energetic coach. However on that evening a school hoops blue blood entered. It exited bleeding.
When Bucknell’s Chris McNaughton banked within the winner with 10.5 seconds left, jaws have been dropping from Lawrence to Nuremberg, Germany, McNaughton’s hometown. They have been celebrating this system’s first NCAA Event win in tiny Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. residence of the 179-year previous liberal arts college with an enrollment of 4,000.
There are at all times causes for an upset however for this slice of faculty basketball royalty there have been no excuses. Kansas, a program that had come off a pair of Remaining Fours and an Elite Eight, misplaced a first-round NCAA Event sport for the primary time since 1978.
However as we ease into one other March, Bucknell over Kansas is a shining instance why we love this time of yr a lot. It is not that something can occur. Cinderellas are the lifeblood of the match itself.
It is how they occur. That is that story …
Jayhawks did not take the Bison significantly
“We simply neglected these guys,” Hawkins, at present head coach at Pembroke Hill Excessive College 40 miles from his alma mater, mentioned not too long ago. “We did not respect them. We thought since we had ‘Kansas’ throughout our chests, that is no less than going to get us to the Candy 16 or no less than the second spherical.”
This specific upset wasn’t precisely No. 1 seed Virginia dropping to No. 16 seed Maryland-Baltimore County in 2018 or Fairleigh-Dickinson changing into the second No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 when it shocked Purdue two years in the past. And even Saint Peter’s beating Kentucky three years in the past.
March Insanity legend Tobin Anderson, two years faraway from 16-over-1 win, fired by new college Iona in stunner
David Cobb
It is that when upsets do happen, warning indicators are sometimes ignored. Unexpected circumstances emerge. Two groups make the headlines – one in every of them for all of the fallacious causes.
That yr Bucknell was a collegiate Hoosiers.
Oh, and for these Jayhawks who did not know. The Bucknell mascot is the Bison. That truth must be tattooed within the Kansas psyche by now.
A program that took down that season’s preseason No. 1, did it with 4 scholarship gamers. Bucknell’s academically-inclined Patriot League was within the technique of integrating athletic scholarships into the school expertise. Coach Pat Flannery began solely two of his full rides.
That created an issue. His two greatest gamers weren’t on scholarship – Patriot League Participant of the Yr Charles Lee and Bucknell corridor of famer and two-time captain Kevin Bettencourt.
“I am positive the children discuss over a beer. You knew who was getting what,” Flannery mentioned. “I had fantastic dad and mom saying, ‘Coach, we’re paying $30,000-$40,000 a yr and also you’re giving scholarships [to others].”
Getty Photos
The lede from my sport story that evening laid it out:
“Kansas thought it might flip a change come match time. All the nice ones do when accidents, meaningless convention tournaments and tedious common seasons get in the way in which of what actually counts.
One thing flipped all proper – possibly James Naismith in his grave.”
Too harsh? You be the decide. Kansas misplaced to a group whose coach was so pressured with nervousness, Flannery left the bench from time to time in his profession due to a response to his medication.
“It consumed me…,” Flannery mentioned of the calls for of his job. “Then they put me on this Paxil to attempt to calm [me] down. It takes the water [anxiety] and makes it not boil till you are accomplished with it — after which it boils.”
Bucknell was taking part in its first match sport since 1989. Kansas was taking part in in its 107th match sport all time. Kansas misplaced to a group whose model was so unknown a Bucknell assistant paid the Northern Iowa band that evening on the Ford Middle to play the Bison combat track. The Panthers bought $150 to purchase pizza and free T-shirts. The combat track was faxed into the band that morning.
Early exit for preseason No. 1
That was Self’s second yr at Kansas. He had a trio that was supposed to guide the Jayhawks to the promised land – put up Wayne Simien together with guards Aaron Miles and Keith Langford have been all of their final season.
That evening all of them performed their final faculty sport.
Langford – bothered by the flu and a sprained ankle – shot 1 for 7. Miles missed all 5 of his pictures in 32 minutes of play. Simien truly had have a look at the game-winning shot as time ran out.
“It felt good, it regarded good,” Simien mentioned that evening. “The cross was good – Christian Laettner-style — with out the factors.”
Getty
Hawkins that evening made the Jayhawks’ solely three – the one one he took. His teammates missed 10 others. That, for a group that averaged 6.6 3-pointers per sport was within the higher 20% nationally in that class.
Wanting again, Flannery concluded his group wasn’t awed in opposition to Kansas. This system had been compelled to play a sequence of “assure video games” simply to steadiness the athletic funds. That season the Bison misplaced by seven at Iowa State then beat St. Joseph’s and Pitt.
“There was some – I’d say confidence,” Flannery mentioned. “I at all times felt like going into these video games and also you tip the ball off and you’ve got some measurement and officers see you might have some measurement you’ll be able to grasp round.
“I will not say you understand you are going to go in there and beat Kansas within the NCAAs. However it’s one thing we ready for. We weren’t intimidated.”
The following season the Bison have been even higher, profitable 27 in 2005-2006 – beating Syracuse and DePaul within the common season earlier than defeating Arkansas within the match. Flannery left teaching following the 2007-2008 season, by no means to return.
However that evening for the primary time in six years a No. 3 beat a No. 14 within the match. For maybe the primary ever, Self shared a scouting report with an opponent. What distinction did it make after the loss? Self and Kansas had no use for the scout on (assumed) second-round opponent Wisconsin. He gave it to Flannery.
“They knew which hand the child wiped [with],” an amazed Flannery mentioned of Kansas’ breakdown of the Badgers. “It was so totally different than something we had ever accomplished.”
2025 March Insanity bracket picks: NCAA Event Cinderella groups to contemplate when filling out your bracket
David Cobb
Two days later Wisconsin defeated Bucknell 71-62 within the second spherical and the story – like so many match upsets – rapidly light from view.
Nicely, form of. The Bucknell loss would start a run of match losses by Kansas to lesser applications nicknamed by detractors, “The Killer Bs.” That might be Bucknell adopted by Bradley in 2006.
That Bucknell sport additionally marked the continued sluggish transition from Roy Williams to Self. It is onerous to consider right this moment however there was angst among the many followers and the gamers that Williams’ up-tempo fashion can be altered.
“We in all probability had six performs on the time [under Williams]. Lots of it was freelance,” Hawkins mentioned. “We had over 20 performs with Coach Self. As soon as we began getting shifting, we began believing in coach …
“We want we might have purchased in much more. We have been so used to these ‘Roy Boy’ days. We thought there was not one other approach that was totally different than Roy’s success.”
Any consideration of that defeat should additionally point out that 2005 additionally began a run of 14 consecutive Large 12 titles for Self. (Shared with Oklahoma in ’05). The present Jayhawks have misplaced this system’s most convention video games (9) since 1983, the identical yr a gutty sophomore guard named Invoice Self led Oklahoma State to the Large Eight Event title.
These Jayhawks, like these Jayhawks, come into the convention match slumping. Kansas misplaced six of the final 9 20 years in the past. KU comes into this NCAA Event 9-9 since mid-January.
However should you suppose issues have been unhealthy again then, think about this: It appears nearly unconscionable that Kansas is a pondering man’s choose to be a darkish horse this week. That is how far fortunes have declined – no less than for now.
2025 NCAA Event bracket: Rating each group taking part in in March Insanity from No. 1 to 68
Matt Norlander
Present situations are thought of a drought that received a nationwide championship a mere three years in the past. Kansas hasn’t received the Large 12 common season since 2023. The final postseason match title was 2022. It did not even make the semifinals of the Large 12 Event this season.
That is additionally a reminder of how historical past generally comes full circle. Flannery and his spouse have been flown out to Los Angeles that yr to simply accept an ESPY for “Finest Upset.” The Bucknell seniors from 2005 pooled their cash – all the class, not the basketball group – and commissioned a mural of the upset that exists on campus to today.
Kansas’ Aaron Miles is a New Orleans Pelicans assistant. Bucknell’s Charles Lee is the pinnacle coach of the Charlotte Hornets. Flannery is Penn State’s basketball basic supervisor, about to retire in Could.
Hawkins has a son at Pembroke Hill – a 6-foot-3 guard named Mavrick. He’s being recruited by Bucknell – particularly by Flannery’s son Jesse, an assistant.
“If my son went to Bucknell and performed Kansas and I needed to put on a Bucknell shirt that might really feel slightly bizarre,” Hawkins mentioned.