KU’s current status as a No. 1 seed ‘doesn’t mean anything,’ Bill Self maintains
With a month remaining in the regular season, Kansas’ No. 3-ranked basketball team has emerged as a strong candidate for a No. 1 seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
In fact, on Saturday, the Jayhawks (20-3, 9-1 Big 12) were awarded the top seed in the Midwest Regional (and overall No. 2 seed behind Baylor) by the tournament’s selection committee, which for the second straight season revealed its top 16 teams on CBS as the season enters the homestretch.
Baylor was awarded the No. 1 seed in the South Region and overall No. 1 seed, the projections made as if the season ended Saturday. Other No. 1 seeds went to Gonzaga in the West Regional and San Diego State in the East.
In the Midwest Region projections, Dayton was the No. 2 seed, Florida State 3 and Michigan State 4. Other No. 2 seeds were Duke, Dayton, Louisville and West Virginia.
“That doesn’t mean anything (but) I’d say from our analytics and resumé and stuff we probably deserve that,” KU coach Bill Self said of a No. 1 seed Saturday after a 60-46 victory over TCU (13-10, 4-6) in Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
“We’ve played the hardest schedule (of any team in the country).. Lose one game you drop. Win two you move up. But I do think at this point we deserve that,” he added.
Self said, “as they should be,” when informed Baylor was the overall No. 1 seed.
Impressive streak
KU won its 20th game of the 2019-20 season Saturday. The Jayhawks have now won 20 or more games for 31 straight seasons beginning in 1989-90.
KU is tied for consecutive 20-win seasons with North Carolina which won a minimum of 20 games for 31 straight seasons from 1971-2001.
“I don’t know anything about that (but) that’s pretty good,” Self said. “How many years? Thirty one in a row? The last time we haven’t won 20 was Roy’s (Williams) first year. We won 19 (against 12 losses during a season KU was prohibited from playing in the NCAA Tournament because of probation).
“All of Larry’s years we won above 20,” Self added of former KU coach Larry Brown, whose Jayhawk teams won 22, 26, 35, 25 and 27 games from 1984 to ’88.
“That record could easily be 36, 37 (consecutive years). It’s great. The consistency the program has had over time is pretty remarkable,” Self stated.
Self did note that “20-win seasons now don’t mean the same as 20-win seasons in the 80s. You play more games now. Still it’s a remarkable accomplishment. It says we’ve had some really good players more than anything else.”
Dotson fares well in Fort Worth
KU sophomore point guard Devon Dotson has two double doubles in his college career, both at TCU.
He had 18 points and 11 assists in Saturday’s victory over the Horned Frogs. Last year at TCU he had 25 points and 10 rebounds in KU’s 82-77 overtime victory.
“I don’t know if it’s about the place, but each and every game I try to come out and get the win,” Dotson said.
Dotson’s 11 assists were a career-high and the most by a Jayhawk since Devonte’ Graham had 13 assists against West Virginia in the finals of the Big 12 tournament on March 10, 2018.
Of Saturday’s victory in which KU saw a 15-point second half lead dip to four, Dotson said: “The guys did a great job of finishing and a great job of defending. They (Horned Frogs) made a run at the end. We executed on defense the last three minutes and got the win.”
KU forced four straight TCU turnovers after the Horned Frogs cut KU’s lead to four points with seven minutes left. Marcus Garrett’s steal led to a Dotson bucket and free throw that opened a 12-0 run that put KU back in command. KU allowed two field goals the final seven minutes and outscored TCU, 16-6.
“We locked in and guarded. That was the biggest difference in the game, that stretch,” Self said.
Next game is Wednesday
KU will meet West Virginia at 6 p.m. Central time Wednesday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. Kansas is 13-5 all-time against WVU, which includes a 60-53 win in this season’s first meeting on Jan. 4 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 2-5 versus West Virginia in meetings in Morgantown, but have just one win at WVU Coliseum since 2013.
