Why the Kansas Jayhawks view Saturday’s game vs. OSU as the start of a brand new season
In Bill Self’s world the calendar has flipped from late February back to December and the beginning of a brand new men’s conference basketball season.
That how the 22nd-year Kansas men’s basketball coach views the stakes as his Jayhawks, losers of two straight, play host to Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
“You’re 0-for-0,” Self said. “The new season happens to start tomorrow for us, as opposed to Dec. 31 when West Virginia beat us (in KU’s Big 12 opener).”
Saturday’s game between KU and the Cowboys is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m., live on CBS.
“The new season starts tomorrow,” Self reiterated ahead of the Big 12 showdown against his alma mater. “If that isn’t something that can resonate with guys, then I don’t know what can, but I think that’s actually something that resonates with me because if we finish strong these last five games, we’ll put ourselves in a position to have momentum going into the Big 12 tournament.
“And if we play well (in the Big 12 tourney), the postseason tournament. There are no guarantees of any of that happening. But I do believe I like our chances — if, in fact, we can actually have fresh minds and a fresh start.”
Officially, the Jayhawks, who have lost five of their last eight, are 17-9 (8-7 Big 12) OSU is 13-13, 5-10.
After Saturday, KU heads to Colorado on Monday, followed by games against Texas Tech, Arizona and Houston to close out the regular season ahead of the conference tourney at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
“We had a talk about team chemistry, team bonding,” KU freshman forward Flory Bidunga said. “I think we all buy into it. Obviously (at) 0-0 the work just starts. We’re looking forward to that.”
Self said this team is better equipped for the remainder of the season than his 2023-24 squad.
“Last year at this time, the team was toward the finish line with injuries,” Self said. “This group … we’ve got Shak (Moore, senior guard) beat up (foot injury has him questionable for Saturday). But other than that, we’re actually relatively healthy ...”
Self reminded reporters that center Hunter Dickinson last season had a shoulder injury and then-senior guard Kevin McCullar missed the entire 2024 postseason with an knee injury.
“We had no chance going to the Big 12 tournament last year,” Self said. “You’ve got Hunter out. You got Kevin out. You’re just trying to put a team out there that that can be competitive,” Self said. We were gassed (in second-round NCAA Tourney loss to Gonzaga).
“Not an excuse. That’s just the way it was, because we didn’t have any depth. This year, at least, knock on wood, we’re as healthy as we’ve been.”
Saturday’s foe, Oklahoma State, ended a two-game losing streak with a 104-95 win over UCF on Wednesday in Stillwater. Oklahoma State, led by first-year coach Steve Lutz, is 2-7 in true road games, including 0-7 in Big 12 road contests.
OSU averages 73.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with a plus-2.3 rebound margin. The Pokes lead the Big 12 in bench points (31.9 per game, ranking 12th nationally), free throws attempted (24.7, 11th) and free throws made (17.9, 10th).
Former KU guard Bryce Thompson, a senior, and senior Chi Chi Avery lead the Cowboys in scoring at 12.1 points per game each. Thompson has made 26 3-pointers and is hitting 80% (72 of 90) of his free throws.
“What we’ll see tomorrow is probably as quick and as athletic and as fast playing team as we played all year long,” Self said. “I know Steve wants to shoot the ball quick, and he wants to pressure, and they’re going to play up the line and they’re going to force you to make plays.
“There’s a lot of things that they do very well. They have been inconsistent. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn, just like we’ve been inconsistent. But when they’ve been good, they’ve been good, and they were really good the other night, and Bryce was great.
“They got some really nice pieces, and they’re extremely quick on the perimeter, probably as quick as anybody in our league. Obviously we need to be turned up and ready to go. They put pressure on you all the time.”
