KU notes: Self shrugs as Jayhawks slot in at No. 4 in AP preseason poll

It would be fair to say that Kansas coach Bill Self does not think much of preseason rankings. The mean little, he says, they guarantee nothing. On Monday afternoon, his Jayhawks slotted in at No. 4 in the preseason Associated Press poll, one spot ahead of their No. 5 ranking in the preseason coaches poll, which was released on Oct. 15.

Kansas garnered five first-place votes and came in behind No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Maryland. Not that Self, entering his 13th season at Kansas, cared too much.

“I like whatever,” Self said. “Whatever they said is great.”

After finishing 27-9 last season and claiming an 11th straight Big 12 title, the Jayhawks are a projected Final Four contender once again, thanks for a deep roster and a wealth of returning players. Power forward Perry Ellis returns for his senior season, while junior guards Frank Mason and Wayne Selden have received a host of preseason accolades. A deep and versatile bench supplements the front-line players, and two freshmen big guys — Cheick Diallo and Carlton Bragg — are poised to make an impact in the paint.

For the moment, the Jayhawks are still waiting on the status of Diallo, who has not been cleared academically, but that fact did not deter the Associated Press voting bloc.

“We still have a lot to prove,” Self said. “That is nice, but I don't think it means anything.”

Self says Selden still recovering

Self said Monday that Wayne Selden, a third-year starter on the wing, is still recovering from a preseason ankle injury. Selden has not missed much practice time during the preseason, but he has not been 100 percent either, battling through the nagging ailment.

“He hasn't taken any days off,” Self said. “He just doesn't look quite as explosive to me. But he would tell you it's fine and a 100 percent.”

Selden suffered the injury in early October. Kansas’ medical staff advised him to keep practicing, Self said, and for the moment, Selden is still trying to regain the athleticism that marked his play during the Jayhawks’ trip to the World University Games last summer.

“I don't think he quite had the explosion this preseason as what he would have or what he did this summer,” Self said.

Exhibition game set for Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

The Jayhawks will open their exhibition schedule at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Pittsburg, thanks in part to Eric Hosmer, Wade Davis and the Kansas City Royals. If the World Series would have stretched to a Game 6, KU officials were prepared to move the game against Pittsburg State to Thursday night. The Royals closed out the World Series on Sunday night in New York, meaning the game will be played on Wednesday as scheduled.

Self, who attended Games 1 and 2 at Kauffman Stadium and has taken to referring to the Royals in the first person, said Monday that he watched every pitch on Sunday night, including the heart-stopping ninth-inning comeback in a 7-2 victory.

“You knew,” Self said, “that if you got — if we got to our bullpen and their bullpen and the score was tied, you knew that the advantage was to us.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 10:44 PM with the headline "KU notes: Self shrugs as Jayhawks slot in at No. 4 in AP preseason poll."