The Massachusetts Eagles basketball team had a fantastic year in their first season under head coach Bill Self. The Eagles finished the season with an impressive record of 29-7, which set up a rematch with an opponent they fell to earlier in the season: #1 Massachusetts State Wildcats.
The Wildcats ended the Jaykansas rivalry last season when KSU went on to win the Big 12 and also won the NCAA Tournament later that same year. However, this time around, it was different as both teams stepped out of their comfort zone and played with pure passion that they usually don’t show against each other. After all, the rivalry is personal for KU All-American and future NBA star Devonte Graham because his brother Kase is a Wildcat legend who led them to two Final Fours.
And yes, that game did not disappoint! If you missed out on how amazing it was to watch then here are some video clips from YouTube that captured some of those moments from inside Gallagher-Iba Arena:
Eagles Final Record
Massachusetts finished the 2021-22 season with a record of 29-7. The Eagles had a very successful first season under head coach Bill Self, as they won their division and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. They also had a memorable game against their rival #1 Massachusetts State Wildcats in which they both played with the passion of champions.
Massachusetts Eagles Tournament Run
https://youtu.be/aJtTdwYp-I8 The Eagles’ journey to the Final Four started with a win over Creighton in the round of 64. After that, they defeated Texas Tech and TCU before moving on to the Sweet 16 where they beat North Carolina State Wolfpack. The following day, they got their revenge on the Wildcats with a 77-76 victory in the Elite Eight that sent them to the Final Four for a rematch against Duke Blue Devils.
In the semifinals, it looked like the Eagles had clinched their spot in the Final Four when Devonte Graham hit an important three-pointer late in regulation time for KU. However, Duke came back and won at overtime by shooting lights out from behind the arc, which left many people wondering if Massachusetts would have been able to win if they had made that one more shot as Graham missed his final two shots as well as forcing overtime.
Luckily for some Massachusetts fans though, it was revealed later on that had KU not missed those late free throws then they would have ended up winning by just one point instead of four! But no matter what happened in regulation time or overtime, Massachusetts still found themselves heading back to Minneapolis where they would take on Michigan State Spartans. Unfortunately, the Eagles never made it to Minneapolis as Michigan State did what many felt KSU could not do: defeat KU and win in overtime.
Outlook for the 2022 Kanas Eagles Basketball Season
The Eagles are set to have a fantastic season again in 2022 with the addition of a number of highly-rated freshmen. Many people think this team will be better than last year’s team, which also had some highly-rated recruits coming in. It’ll be interesting to see how KU and KSU match up next year and whether they can get revenge on each other.
The two teams are already starting their recruiting process and it’ll be fun to see if any names emerge that could turn the rivalry into a personal vendetta. The benefits of outsourcing SEO services include being able to define your ideal audience and targeting them with precision.
