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LAWRENCE — As Kansas basketball coach Bill Self thought about his team’s Big 12 Conference tournament loss against Arizona, and its regular season win against the Wildcats, he acknowledged there might have been a difference in KU’s mindset.
Self mused that, in the Jayhawks’ win, they played with more desperation. It was, of course, senior day inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Looking at the loss, although they competed, Self didn’t think they played with as much desperation. He added there wasn’t as much reckless abandon, either.
Regardless, though, as Self reflected on the defeat against Arizona on Thursday his mind also turned toward the upcoming NCAA tournament. On Sunday, Kansas (21-12) will learn which seed it will receive for this chapter of March Madness. And while Self didn’t think KU helped itself with the Arizona loss, and he wasn’t sure which seed his Jayhawks would end up with, he did volunteer a guess on where they would be placed.
RELATED: Kansas basketball bracketology: Jayhawks projections for March Madness, NCAA tournament
“There’s still games to be played,” Self said, “but I would say that six, seven line, probably.”
Self would have rather kept playing in the Big 12 tournament, which would see Arizona lose in the final against Houston, but he did admit the couple days of rest could turn out to be an advantage for the week that followed. He said after losing against Arizona in the quarterfinals the Jayhawks were a tired team, and one that was relying heavily on four of their starters. If Kansas ended up being a No. 7 seed it will need that rest, because if if advances to the round of 32 there’s a good chance it will play against a No. 2 seed for a chance to reach the Sweet 16.
Overcoming the inconsistent play of recent weeks will also be a task for the Jayhawks to accomplish, but Self said he isn’t at a point where he’s concerned about what he’ll get from his team game-to-game. He did highlight that while they’ve been scoring a lot of points in recent games, they aren’t defending at the level they’ve proven to be capable of this season. Whatever matchup Kansas receives for the round of 64 could prove to be a significant test for that.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Bill Self gives his guess for Kansas basketball's NCAA tournament seed
Continue reading...
Self mused that, in the Jayhawks’ win, they played with more desperation. It was, of course, senior day inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Looking at the loss, although they competed, Self didn’t think they played with as much desperation. He added there wasn’t as much reckless abandon, either.
Regardless, though, as Self reflected on the defeat against Arizona on Thursday his mind also turned toward the upcoming NCAA tournament. On Sunday, Kansas (21-12) will learn which seed it will receive for this chapter of March Madness. And while Self didn’t think KU helped itself with the Arizona loss, and he wasn’t sure which seed his Jayhawks would end up with, he did volunteer a guess on where they would be placed.
RELATED: Kansas basketball bracketology: Jayhawks projections for March Madness, NCAA tournament
“There’s still games to be played,” Self said, “but I would say that six, seven line, probably.”
Self would have rather kept playing in the Big 12 tournament, which would see Arizona lose in the final against Houston, but he did admit the couple days of rest could turn out to be an advantage for the week that followed. He said after losing against Arizona in the quarterfinals the Jayhawks were a tired team, and one that was relying heavily on four of their starters. If Kansas ended up being a No. 7 seed it will need that rest, because if if advances to the round of 32 there’s a good chance it will play against a No. 2 seed for a chance to reach the Sweet 16.
Overcoming the inconsistent play of recent weeks will also be a task for the Jayhawks to accomplish, but Self said he isn’t at a point where he’s concerned about what he’ll get from his team game-to-game. He did highlight that while they’ve been scoring a lot of points in recent games, they aren’t defending at the level they’ve proven to be capable of this season. Whatever matchup Kansas receives for the round of 64 could prove to be a significant test for that.
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Bill Self gives his guess for Kansas basketball's NCAA tournament seed
Continue reading...
