Tag: bill self

Bill Self’s admission of looking forward to next season while Kansas was still alive was unfair to this year’s team

Bill Self could have kept this to himself.

Bill Self put his foot in his mouth Saturday after Kansas was eliminated from the second round of the NCAA tournament with a blowout loss to Gonzaga. During his postgame press conference, Self was asked if he was already looking forward to next season and the head coach responded by admitting he was looking ahead even before the tournament started.

“For the last month I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest,” Self said. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the team he was still coaching just a few moments earlier.

College basketball fans dragged Self for what sounded like an admission of giving up on a season that ended with a top-25 AP ranking and 4-seed in the tournament, disappointing only by Kansas’ own high standards. Sure, the Jayhawks had four losses in their previous five games before the tourney started, including the last two by a combined 50 points, but March is for miracles and a deep Kansas run would have hardly counted as such.

What Self said isn’t actually the problem, though, and shouldn’t be interpreted as him quitting on the season. In fact, him acknowledging he can do better to improve the roster is actually a statement of accountability — an admission of his own failure to put together a team he could believe in this year. Where he went wrong is that he said it out loud. Self should have kept this to himself.

“We could have done a much better job as a staff putting more guys out there that we could play,” Self said. “And so that’s something that I’ve thought about for a long time.”

Every coach is concerned with how they can improve their teams from year to year, and that doesn’t start and end in the offseason. Holes on a roster are never more evident than during the grind of a regular season. Self admitting as much shouldn’t be taken as him giving up, rather it’s a peek into the mind of someone obsessed with winning. There’s no way to prove Self wasn’t giving 100 percent while manning the sidelines for this year’s team, but if anyone deserves the benefit of doubt, it’s a two-time champion and third active career wins leader.

Because a team isn’t good enough doesn’t mean it needs to be said, though. Self admitting his team was short on “firepower” and lacked the depth to overcome injuries didn’t accomplish anything but throw his current players under the bus. Maybe he did it to absolve himself of a sub-par coaching job, or maybe he lacked the awareness to know how it would come across. But it was completely unnecessary and below any coach, particularly one already held in high regards.

Bill Self spoke out about Kevin McCullar Jr. after the Kansas star faced criticism for sitting out March Madness

Self defended his senior star.

The No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks will have a tough road ahead of them in the men’s NCAA tournament after head coach Bill Self announced upon arriving to Salt Lake City that leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. will miss the entire tournament. McCullar had been battling a bone bruise in his knee since January and had been in and out the lineup for months.

But shortly after that announcement, McCullar faced criticism for missing the tourney given Self’s own implication that doctors had cleared the Kansas senior to play. Here’s the clip from Tuesday:

Self said at the time that though McCullar hadn’t injured his knee worse, the pain had not subsided to the point where he can play. So, they decided to shut him down for the entire tournament regardless of any potential tourney run for the Jayhawks. The reaction to those comments and similar remarks from players drew a negative response from Kansas and college basketball fans.

A few hours before Kansas’ game against Samford, Self took to Twitter and spoke out on the situation. He wanted to make it clear that McCullar did not quit on the team and that it was a decision Kansas and the team doctors made.

Self added that McCullar would act as an assistant coach during the tournament. Kansas is expected to have star center Hunter Dickinson available for the game after he suffered a dislocated shoulder against Houston.

Oklahoma runs out of gas in the second half as they fall to No. 6 Kansas 67-57

No. 25 Oklahoma falls 67-57 against No. 6 Kansas as the Jayhawks sweep the season series.

No. 25 Oklahoma entered Saturday with a chance to earn their third win against a top-25 opponent. Instead, they came up short as Bill Self and his sixth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks completed the season sweep of the Oklahoma Sooners 67-57.

Oklahoma entered the day with severe doubt that two trusted rotation members would play. [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] twisted his ankle in the second half of the Sooners’ 79-62 loss at Baylor on Tuesday after leading the team in scoring with 17 points.

[autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] IV injured his knee against Oklahoma State last Saturday and didn’t even travel for OU’s game vs. the Bears.

Soares tested his ankle pregame but ended up not playing, and he and Hugley were sorely missed.

Oklahoma started Javian McCollum, Milos Uzan, Otega Oweh, Sam Godwin, and Jalen Moore. They raced out to a double-digit first-half lead behind hot shooting and terrific defense on Kansas forward Kevin McCullar Jr., who was returning from an injury. Jalon Moore led the way with 13 of his team-high 17 points. Milos Uzan was aggressive and added 8 points, while McCollum contributed six.

Kansas pushed back towards the end of the half to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 5 at the break. OU entered the locker room up 34-29 after an excellent all-around first half minus 3/8 free throw shooting in the first half.

The second half started, and Kansas began to find themselves.

Kansa and OU played a close game with the game tied on a number of occasions before Hunter Dickinson found McCullar for a three-pointer that gave KU its first lead since 5-4. Kansas would go on a 14-4 run and would not look back.

Oklahoma continued to fight, but their first-half shooting cooled dramatically as they shot 3 of 19 from the field in the second half. The Sooners’ inability to stop Kansas in the half-court, specifically Hunter Dickinson, doomed the them despite having a five-point halftime lead.

Javian McCollum was 3 of 6 from three and finished with 15 points.

Hunter Dickinson posted a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double to set the tone for the Jayhawks. Freshman Johnny Furphy added 15 points on 5/8 shooting with three makes from distance to help his team.

For Oklahoma, the Sooners will have the week off and not play until next Saturday when they make their final Big 12 visit to Stillwater in basketball to wrap up the Bedlam season series.

Kansas will host Texas next Saturday back home in Allen Fieldhouse.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Kansas coach Bill Self reacts to Sixers’ Joel Embiid scoring 70 points

Kansas coach Bill Self gives his reaction to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid dropping 70 points.

Word of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid scoring 70 points spread quickly across the basketball world. The Sixers have had some amazing players pass through the City of Brotherly Love, so the fact that Embiid has the franchise record for points is an amazing accomplishment.

Before Embiid became a legitimate superstar in the league, the big fella played his college hoops at Kansas University. He played one season of college ball under the guidance of coach Bill Self, and Self was doing an interview with Scott Van Pelt of ESPN when he learned about Embiid scoring 70 points.

Self had this to say about Embiid:

Hey guys, he learned everything in the eight months he was here in Lawrence, Kansas. Everything!

In his one season at Kansas, Embiid averaged 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds which led to him being the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft. The big fella has had to overcome a number of injuries and significant adversity in his career, but the reigning league MVP is doing some incredible stuff on the basketball court.

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Photos from the Phog: Sooners 2nd half extends drought inside Allen Fieldhouse

After trailing by one at the half, the Sooners couldn’t stay with the Jayhawks, extending their drought inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The Oklahoma Sooners trailed at halftime by one point on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks. In a place the Sooners haven’t won since 1993, OU was off to a good start.

However, Bill Self and the Jayhawks made adjustments in the second half to take away the things that were working for the Sooners. In the end, the Jayhawks pulled away in the second half for a 78-66 win.

The Sooners dropped to 1-2 in Big 12 play and are 0-2 on the road. In both losses to TCU and Kansas, the Sooners weren’t really competitive in the second half.

Javian McCollum, who had 12 points in the first half, was held to five in the second on 1 of 3 shooting and was 0 for 2 from three.

Oklahoma has to figure out a way to win on the road. They’ve been really good at home, but in games against North Carolina, TCU, and now Kansas have struggled in the second half.

Here’s a look at the best photos from Oklahoma’s loss to Kansas.

No. 9 Sooners fall on the road to TCU Horned Frogs 80-71

Recap of No. 9 Oklahoma’s loss in their second Big 12 conference game. The Sooners lost 80-71 to TCU.

Wednesday night was a pivotal moment in Oklahoma’s season. While it didn’t go Oklahoma’s way, the Sooners got that first road game experience. Wednesday became the second time Oklahoma has tasted defeat all year as the TCU Horned Frogs upset the Sooners 80-71.

Oklahoma entered the game off their first win in Big 12 play after beating a tough Iowa State team at home on Saturday. That same Iowa State team turned right around and beat previously unbeaten Houston on Tuesday evening.

Oklahoma has played many games on neutral courts, but the Sooners’ trip to Fort Worth was anything but inviting.

Porter Moser’s team opened the game trading baskets with TCU before the Frogs pushed out to a 27-22 lead midway through the first half. The Sooners were paced early by [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] and [autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag]. Godwin had seven first-half points. Uzan filled the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds, and six assists in the first 20 minutes.

Foul trouble and missed shots disrupted Oklahoma’s offensive rhythm in the first half, but the Sooners hung around enough to get into the locker room down 40-34.

Jameer Nelson Jr. and Emmanuel Miller paced the Horned Frogs’ scoring efforts in the first half. Nelson had nine of his 13 in the first half, while Emmanuel Miller poured in 10 of his 27 during the first 20 minutes.

Oklahoma’s 11 fouls and 12 turnovers were the story before the break.

[autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] came out fighting as he knocked in back-to-back threes to tie the game at 40 immediately after halftime.

From there, things began to get dicey for Oklahoma. The fouls continued to pile up, and the Frogs never looked back.

The Horned Frogs answered with seven unanswered points and began to run away from the Sooners, pushing the lead to as many as 17 points late in the game. The Sooners fought back to make the score more respectable, but the proof was in the pudding. TCU seized control of the game in the final 20 minutes.

Cold-shooting couldn’t mitigate Oklahoma’s foul trouble. Le’tre Darthard was 0-6 from three, and Rivaldo Soares was 0-3 from behind the arch. The Sooners shot just 28 percent as a team from three, which will never get it done in high-major basketball.

Milkos Uzan flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, ten assists, and seven boards. John Hugley scored 14 off the bench, and Javian McCollum ended with 17 points to lead all Sooners in scoring.

It won’t get any easier for Oklahoma. They won’t be shell-shocked by a road atmosphere come Saturday as they make a trip to Lawrence, Kan., to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas lost to Big 12 newcomer UCF just before the Oklahoma and TCU game tipped off. Both teams will be desperate to get off the mat and not have to stew for the next week amid a two-game losing streak.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Bill Self’s locker room celebration after Kansas’ comeback win at Indiana will get you hyped

A March-worthy celebration in December

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self often talks about how much value there is in winning ugly games — the games where the shots aren’t falling, the Jayhawks get into foul trouble early and the star players aren’t putting up numbers.

The games teams steal thanks to grit and a little luck. A game like Saturday in Bloomington, where the No. 2 Jayhawks trailed Indiana by 13 in the second half only to stun the home crowd with a 75-71 Kansas victory.

A game where Dajuan Harris played all 40 minutes, Kevin McCullar started the second half with with three fouls and Hunter Dickinson was jeered so badly he later quipped he could save a baby in Bloomington and Indiana fans would still boo him.

After beating the Hoosiers Saturday, Self showed just how much he loves winning those games, too — with an epic locker room celebration that feels more apt for March than December.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C07UwGgAO8L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

“It was just a hell of a team win,” Self said afterwards. “It was a great environment. What a place to play.”

Kansas already has wins over Kentucky and UConn this year, so while it’s easy to say the Blue Blood programs should play more non-conference games against each other, it’s also understandable that it may not be in the best interest of their team records.

Especially when a ho-hum game in December can get a Hall of Fame head coach as fired up as Self was on Saturday.

Jason Sudeikis reminds Bill Self he still has eligibility left while draining threes at Allen Fieldhouse

Barbecue sauce

Jason Sudeikis may have helped teach Americans more about the English Premier League than anyone since David Beckham, but like any good child of Kansas, basketball is still life.

The Jayhawks fan was back in Lawrence this week ahead of Friday’s showdown between No. 4 UConn and No. Kansas and had a chance to show off his stroke for head coach Bill Self at Allen Fieldhouse. And it still looks pretty dang smooth. Even Self had to give him credit.

Sudeikis only had to see a few go down before reminding Self that he still has two years of NCAA eligibility left.

Prior to his career in comedy, Sudeikis was on a basketball scholarship at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. He’s also gone one-on-one with LeBron James, but that didn’t turn out to well for him.

The Jayhawks, meanwhile, are shooting 35.7 behind the arc to start the year so it’s not like adding Sudeikis as a walk-on is the worst idea.

Shaka Smart had to be held back as benches cleared during a skirmish with Bill Self at Maui Invitational

This was INTENSE.

Tensions were high between No. 4 Marquette head coach Shaka Smart and No. 1 Kansas head coach Bill Self during the 2023 Maui Invitational Semifinals.

During the first half, Kansas senior Kevin McCullar hit a 3-point shot and, as the two teams went into a break for a media timeout, it wasn’t long before both benches cleared.

While it wasn’t initially clear what caused the skirmish, the two teams were eventually separated and both of the coaches were issued off-setting technical fouls. NCAA referee Roger Ayers then huddled with Self and Smart in an effort to de-escalate the conflict.

But the two sides remained heated and ESPN clearly captured Self saying the word “unbelievable” after the interaction.

After the game, which Marquette won 73-59, Smart offered his take on what happened during his exchange with McCullar (via KansasCity.com):

“He played at Texas Tech and he always has brought an edge that is different. He’s always enjoyed having a dialogue with me. He probably does that with all coaches. That kind of started the little dust-up. Their bench got involved. Our bench got involved. At the end of the day it really had very little to do with the game.”

Self, meanwhile, didn’t want to talk about the incident after the game but he told reporters that he doubted Smart provided an accurate summary.

For what it is worth: The two coaches and their teams have not seen eye-to-eye for more than a decade. Back in 2011, VCU (then coached by Smart) faced Kansas in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. Before the game, Marcus and Markieff Morris had an altercation with VCU in the tunnel.

Smart was later hired by Texas, and for many years, he and Self battled for recruits and conference titles in the Big 12. Three of Smart’s highest-ranked wins have come against Self and Kansas, per ESPN.

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College basketball fans were in disbelief after Kansas and Bill Self avoided any serious NCAA punishment

It took years for the NCAA to come to this …

The Kansas Jayhawks basketball program waited years for their NCAA case to reach a resolution, and that day finally came on Wednesday with Bill Self evading the harsh punishments that many around the game expected to see.

Six years ago, an FBI investigation into corruption at some of college basketball’s top men’s programs led to schools like Arizona, Oklahoma State, LSU, Auburn, Louisville and Kansas coming under intense NCAA scrutiny. Among those cases, the NCAA charged Kansas with five Level I violations for corrupt recruiting practices with Adidas and a lack of institutional control.

The charges concerned three players – Billy Preston, Silvio De Sousa and Zion Williamson. Only one of which (De Sousa) appeared in a game for Kansas. Rather than arguing the case through the NCAA, Kansas went through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) in hopes of a more lenient punishment.

Those hopes were realized on Wednesday.

The most serious of the penalties had Kansas vacating 15 wins from the 2017-18 season and taking down a 2018 Final Four banner as De Sousa was part of that team in the second half of the season. That would also drop Kansas back to second in the all-time wins list behind Kentucky. Kansas was also hit with three years of probation.

But given how Kansas could have been looking at postseason bans or a show-cause for Self, the lenient nature of the penalties had plenty of college hoops fans shocked.