Fans and players of the Kansas Jayhawks basketball program will remember Friday night with a great deal of fondness.
For starters, Kansas advanced in the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t a pretty victory for the Jayhawks, like the win over Creighton in the previous round. But Kansas was good enough to defeat Providence 66-61 to advance to the Elite Eight.
This was not an easy game by any stretch. So, when it was over, it drew a relieved reaction from the Jayhawks and their fans.
Jayhawks. Never a doubt #Elite8 pic.twitter.com/8tgHTfZIvj
— Coach Mickunas (@LithuanianMoney) March 26, 2022
Of course, even for a blueblood program like Kansas, making the Elite Eight is a big deal. But there was one other element to this win that made it even more special.
It was also the 2,354th victory for the Kansas men’s basketball team in the history of the program. That’s the most in NCAA history.
This isn’t the first time the Jayhawks have held this distinction. But while this feels like a record that could go back-and-forth between Kansas and Kentucky, history shows us that it’s not that easy.
Kansas leads for the first time since 1960. #kubball
— NCAA All-Time Wins (@NCAAalltimeWins) March 26, 2022
With that, Kansas earned itself a lot of praise and congratulations.
The University of Kansas just became the all-time winningest college basketball program in history! Wow, congrats JayHawks!
— 33 & 3 (@TheVille33and3) March 26, 2022
Kansas gets the win, takes over #1 on the all-time wins list, and I lost about 10 years on my life.
— Rock Chalk Podcast (@RockChalkPod) March 26, 2022
That is the trade you have to make sometimes as a sports fan. In the moment, it can be pure stress. The fun of cheering for the team is often felt more in hindsight. But as the numbers tell us, Kansas fans have gotten to experience that more than most over the years.