Self says KU regulars won’t rest for regular-season finale at Oklahoma

It is not in Bill Self’s nature to tap the brake pedal or let off the throttle, even when common sense could dictate a brief rest, or when three Kansas regulars could sit out a regular-season finale that could mean little in the big picture.

No. 9 Kansas will travel to face No. 15 Oklahoma at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Jayhawks will do so with Cliff Alexander sidelined with an NCAA issue, leading scorer Perry Ellis out with a sprained right knee, and sophomore guard Wayne Selden hobbled by an ankle sprain. Kansas has already claimed outright ownership of an 11th straight Big 12 title, and the Jayhawks seem more or less locked into a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament — though that status could conceivably change in the next week.

Self, though, says he will not treat Saturday’s game as any sort of exhibition, resting his regulars for the March stretch run. Still, Kansas could find itself employing some new-look lineups with Ellis and Alexander out — and the status of Selden in question.

“I think that we could probably not want to treat it that way and turn out treating it that way,” Self said of resting regulars. “Just because, depending on Wayne’s situation (and) Kelly (Oubre) hadn’t played a ton of minutes — there won’t be anybody that’s played a ton of minutes other than Frank. But I’m not going to do that with Frank.

“Frank wants to play. If we want to give him some time off, he can rest on Sunday and Monday.”

For now, Self is bracing for a road test with just three available frontcourt players — Jamari Traylor, Landen Lucas and Hunter Mickelson. And that reality had Self pondering everything from a four-guard lineup to attacking Oklahoma with a four-out, one-in scheme.

“Who knows what our team will be going down there,” Self said on Thursday. “So maybe we’ll try to tweak some things and have some fun with it, to be honest.”

From a big-picture sense, a loss on Saturday would not be devastating. Even if the Jayhawks were fully healthy, the Sooners would likely be favored on their home floor. For Kansas, the next week will largely be about positioning itself for a strong seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve accomplished one of our goals,” Mickelson said. “But we’ve got a couple more on the table.”

The Jayhawks’ seed resume is strong. As of Friday, Kansas was ranked No. 2 in the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), behind undefeated Kentucky. The Jayhawks possess 11 victories against the top 50, tied for the most in the country, and their strength of schedule is rated No. 1. In most seasons, that resume may be worthy of a No. 1 seed. This year, that prospect appears unlikely. No. 1 Kentucky appears locked into the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, while Virginia (28-1), Duke (27-3), Wisconsin (27-3) and Villanova (28-2) all appear ahead of KU in the race for the three remaining No. 1 seeds.

“I don’t know that we can really help ourself (in seeding),” Self said. “I think we can hurt ourself. I don’t know if we were to run the table (and) win out — I don’t know if that gets us to a (one seed). I would think there would have to be a lot of things to happen for other teams for that to happen.”

Self, though, believes the Jayhawks have a strong case for a No. 2 seed. And as the NCAA Tournament approaches, perhaps the most important goal will be avoiding the No. 2 seed opposite No. 1 Kentucky in the Midwest Region. A solid performance at the Big 12 Tournament could position the Jayhawks as a strong No. 2, which could help Kansas land outside Kentucky’s region.

“I do believe that if we play well from this point forward, we postured ourself to be a (two-seed) without question,” Self said. “And then depending if things don’t go well, then could we fall a line or two? Absolutely. So I’m not looking at it — I really hadn’t looked at it like that.”

For the moment, a bevy of questions hangs over Kansas as it enters its regular-season finale. Will Ellis’ knee strain limit him in March? Will Alexander ever return to action? Will the Jayhawks be rested for a grueling Big 12 tournament?

For now, though, the questions can wait. The Jayhawks are more concerned with finding a way to win on Saturday.

“We want to win,” Lucas said. “We’re not going there looking at the game any different. It’s just the ‘next man up’ mentality.”

This story was originally published March 6, 2015 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Self says KU regulars won’t rest for regular-season finale at Oklahoma."