Kansas rode Danny Manning to the second championship in school history as the star willed the Jayhawks to the title game and then was instrumental in beating the favored Oklahoma Sooners and Stacey King 83-79 for Larry Brown's first title as coach. Manning would run away with Most Outstanding Player honors.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the third consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 17 to April 4, 1988 with the Final Four being played in the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri - the 10th time the championship game would be played in Kansas City.
Kansas A No. 6 Seed In Midwest
Larry Brown's Kansas team struggled throughout the season and was given a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Regional. In the first round, Kansas knocked off Xavier 85-72. The Jayhawks then registered a 61-58 victory over Murray State, which had beaten No. 3 seed NC State. Kansas also avoided No. 2 seed Pitt in the Sweet Sixteen as Vanderbilt pulled the upset. Brown's men would get by Vandy 77-64. And then in the Elite Eight, the opponent was in-state rival Kansas State, which upset top-seeded Purdue. And Manning was too much for Kansas State in a 71-58 win for Kansas, which was returning to the Final Four after losing to Duke in the 1986 semis.
Kansas Main Surprise In K.C.
Kansas was the only surprise team in Kansas City as Arizona advanced as the No. 1 seed in the West and Oklahoma as the top seed in the Southeast. Duke was making its sixth Final Four appearance as a No. 2 seed after knocking off top seeded Temple 63-53 as Temple's star Mark Macon scored just 13 points in the East final.
Manning Gets Revenge On Duke
After Danny Manning scored just four points in the 1986 semifinal against Duke, Manning would get his revenge on the Blue Devils in the 1988 national semis. He was a one-man wrecking ball in collecting 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and six blocks in a 66-59 win over Duke. In the other semifinal, Billy Tubbs' Oklahoma was too much for Arizona in grabbing an 86-78 win to reach the final.
Manning Dominates Again
Manning continued his amazing run in the final against Oklahoma, which led 65-60 with 12 minutes left but hit just two baskets over the next 11 minutes in trailing 78-73. By the time it was over, Kansas ended up shooting 63 percent from the field and Manning collected 31 points, 18 rebounds and five steals in an 83-79 victory.
Big Eight Showdown
The matchup of Big Eight teams was the third and most recent national championship game to feature two schools from the same conference.
Record Number Of Losses
Kansas finished the season with a 27-11 record, which set a mark for the most losses for a champion.
Brown In Second Title Game With Second Team
And by winning the title, Larry Brown, who would leave after the season to coach the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, joined Frank McGuire (1952 St. John's, 1957 North Carolina) as the only coaches to bring two teams to the title game. Brown advanced to the 1980 final with UCLA.
