Bill Self says ‘biggest two games of the year’ are next for KU Jayhawks. Here’s why
Somewhere along the line — as Kansas men’s basketball lost five of seven and recently fell out of the rankings altogether — one has to think that coach Bill Self did some soul-searching.
There had to be suggestions everywhere. Dear friends who mean well and think they know basketball. Old coaching buddies who always are quick to offer some advice.
Self’s team was reeling, and somewhere in the realm of possibility was a logical tweak that could take this Jayhawks team to a higher ceiling than it had experienced thus far.
So here’s the funny thing following KU’s 78-66 home victory over No. 23 Oklahoma State on Monday night — I have an inkling that, after all that reflection, Self picked a specific path.
And it was this: The coach needed to go back to some of his old-school ways.
A few of those seemed evident from the opening tip Monday.
Self was going after his players hard. He screamed constantly from the sideline, urging players to get back on defense or to stop making bone-headed plays offensively. He made quick substitutions for mistakes and — to put it kindly — was riding players’ backsides most of the night.
It ran counter to some of the strategic plays he’s tried earlier. Self hasn’t always been as animated on the bench this season, and he’s also often defended his players against criticism, speaking openly about the enormous challenges they’ve faced while trying to play through a pandemic.
That was all before Saturday’s loss to West Virginia, though, which seemed to light a new flame. Self appeared to ditch the Mr. Nice Guy act, rattling his players’ cages more often than he had been.
As a result, KU mostly played hard ... but seemingly very tight as well.
The Jayhawks, for a second straight game, couldn’t make point-blank layups. They too often sailed passes out of bounds, then later would hand the ball to Oklahoma State on more occasions than Self wanted to recall.
By the end ... KU grinded. It put together good possessions defensively. It never let Oklahoma State get comfortable.
And when it was over — though no one had felt like they’d seen a great product — Self was walking away with the type of 12-point, punch-you-in-the-mouth victory he’s loved ever since his days coaching in the Big Ten.
There have been other throwback signs as well. Self has notably circled back to some of his old playbook lately, especially while dialing up his famous-in-coaching-circles “2 game” series in an effort to revive sets that have proven successful before.
Perhaps there was no greater indication of Self going back to his roots, though, than him talking after the game about KU’s upcoming contests against Iowa State on Thursday and Saturday.
“This is the biggest two games of the year, as far as I’m concerned,” Self said afterward.
It might seem like an eyebrow-raising comment at first, but only until hearing the rest of what Self says.
“That 48 hours will probably determine how high we finish in the league, for the most part,” Self said. “We can put ourselves — although fans won’t think it’s favorable — but you’ve got a chance if you play well to put yourself in a situation to remain within striking distance of second place, and that would be a great goal for this team, to finish second in this league. So we’ve still got a lot to play for.”
This is fascinating, because it’s a different stance than Self took just two weeks ago.
On Jan. 23, after his team’s third straight loss, Self talked about how the focus needed to be “to make sure we get good enough that we can put ourselves in position to have a storybook ending. I think that would be more important anyway. That’s where we’re at. That’s what I’m going to try to emphasize.” In short, he was looking more toward big-picture solutions to best help his team’s ceiling for the NCAA Tournament.
That thought process, though, runs counter to Monday’s comments. Jockeying for position in the Big 12 standings? Doing everything possible to simply improve that record game-by-game while not worrying as much about what lies ahead in the future?
All of that rings familiar to Self’s worldview when competing with everything he had to win league championships.
“I think it’s probably the two biggest games on our schedule thus far, without question,” Self said of the Iowa State games. “We’re 7-5 in the league, and second place is, what, 7-4 or 6-3? So we’re not out of second place by any stretch, but you’ve got to play well from this point forward.”
No matter the carrot Self chooses to motivate, he seems especially mindful of this: KU could certainly benefit by building confidence over the next three games.
The team’s psyche, to put it kindly, has been fragile throughout. Players want to do the right things, but they also have seemed weighed down by a combination of expectations and a lack of overall success.
This is something that could be flipped quickly. KU gets Iowa State — 132nd in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings — twice in a row before traveling to Kansas State next week, providing the team three chances at double-digit victories if it plays well.
The Jayhawks cleared an important hurdle Monday. They pushed through turnovers and nerves and poor shooting to still take down Oklahoma State. They took care of the toughest leg of an upcoming four-game stretch.
Self also sensed this did wonders for his players’ self-esteem, saying it could serve as a sort of “monkey-off-the-back” moment for a roster that needed something positive to happen.
Now, the coach has turned his attention to the next few days. Though consecutive contests against a 2-11 school doesn’t sound enthralling, Self has committed himself to making both a big deal.
It’s from a familiar blueprint. Self has often put his past teams through the fire, believing the tough love would eventually pay off with increased toughness in the season’s most important moments.
If nothing else, this is a change from before.
And much closer to the Self of the last 18 seasons than the one of the last 18 days.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
