Is KU basketball vs. No. 2 Iowa State a must-win? How Bill Self described it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas faces No. 2 Iowa State in a pivotal Big 12 test to stop slide.
- KU defense has slipped in conference play, allowing 89 ppg and poor 3PT defense.
- Bill Self urges urgency, cites mid-January reset; Baylor game follows ISU.
Bill Self didn’t refer to Tuesday night’s Big 12 basketball battle against undefeated and No. 2 ranked Iowa State as a must win during Monday’s news conference at Allen Fieldhouse.
However, Self, Kansas’ 23rd-year coach, did say “probably” when asked by a media member if the contest was “more important” than most.
Tipoff for the game between the Cyclones (16-0, 3-0) and unranked Jayhawks (11-5, 1-2) is 8 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse with a live telecast on ESPN.
ISU, tied for first in the Big 12 standings with Arizona, BYU and Houston, is off to the best start in school history. KU, tied for ninth in the conference with Oklahoma State, TCU and Arizona, is trying to avoid its first 1-3 start in league play since the 1987-88 NCAA title season.
“We’re playing a great team,” Self said. “... Yes, we’re playing a terrific team, and probably the best team that TJ (Otzelberger, fifth year ISU coach) has had, and he’s had some really good ones.
“Absolutely to that point we need to get back on the right track, but understanding it’s also mid-January. You don’t want to stress that this game is actually bigger than what it actually is even though we all realize it’s a big game in large part because we haven’t played well since league play started.”
Self said he’s talked with the players about having time to turn things around. KU enters the game 11-5 overall.
“We talked about the difference in a college football playoff and an NCAA basketball playoff. We talked about all that yesterday as a matter of fact,” Self said. “Whether or not they totally grasp it and understand, it is the reality in which we live in that basketball is different than obviously the way football is set up. Even though football is better than the way it used to be.”
It seems certain that if KU is to seriously challenge the Cyclones, the team will have to improve its defense. The Jayhawks have allowed 89 points per game in three Big 12 outings, which ranks 13th of 16 teams.
KU, which ranked top-3 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense prior to Christmas, now ranks 13th in the league in conference games (39.3%). KU has dropped to ninth overall in the country in that category at 27.9%.
Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic leads the country in 3-point percentage at 55%.
“I don’t think our intensity, our making others play bad, getting them out of comfort zones (has been evident in league play),” Self said. “A lot of times, your defense can look better than what it is when other teams miss shots and balls bounce your way. And sometimes your defense looks worse than what it actually is.
“Huff (Honor, WVU guard) made three (3-pointers) off of really hard shots, but that’s what he does. We can’t be surprised by that. But the biggest thing is that I don’t think our physicality and being able to … just like them backing us down on the post multiple times there whenever they made their (22-2) run, we didn’t put up much resistance, which I think is certainly an (element). ... We have to play stronger, but we also have to be tougher.”
West Virginia went 11-of-26 from 3 in Saturday’s 86-75 win over KU in Morgantown.
“I don’t think it’s as much guys getting to different spots. Like the other day, they made four 3s in the first half that we actually wanted them to take,” Self said. “And then Huff threw in one or two more — by scouting and percentages that’s probably the percentage play — and they made us pay for doing that.
“A lot of that stuff is on us. I will say, the best defensive teams probably have the mindset, ‘We’re not going to let anybody score or get off good looks, regardless of percentages.’ And we probably didn’t do a good job with that the other day. But just take it for what it’s worth. We were up four at halftime, and they played lights out with guys scoring the ball in ways that they hadn’t been scoring the ball. So give them credit on that in the second half. They just played better than us.”
Asked about the mood of the team entering the ISU game, Self said: “I actually was very encouraged Sunday. And from the little bit I’ve talked to the guys today, I’m encouraged. We’ll see how it works, but yesterday was a good day. We did meet yesterday. We watched tape and we walked over what we need to walk over. But as far as a full-on practice and everything, we hadn’t done that yet since our game. So that’ll be today.”
After Iowa State, KU will take on Baylor in a rare Friday night game at Allen Fieldhouse. Tipoff will be 7 p.m. with the game to be broadcast on FOX.
This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 3:35 PM.
