Bill Self on Kansas: ‘We Gotta Get Our Swag Back’
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas coach Bill Self got something unexpected this week in Kansas City — rest.
Normally, Kansas is playing through at least Thursday of the Big 12 Tournament. On Wednesday, their 20-point loss to Cincinnati gave the Jayhawks what amounts to at least an eight-day break before their first round NCAA Tournament game.
The Jayhawks will find out their draw on Sunday. Until then, Self has some goals, one of which is hard to quantify.
“We gotta get our swag back, you know?” Self said on Wednesday.
For Self, that means improving the team’s 3-point shooting, which is among the worst in the Big 12 and the country. Self said that the Jayhawks hadn’t shot the 3-pointer well since the second game of the season. That sounds a bit hyperbolic until you look at the team’s overall percentage — 32.9% — and you realize it’s not.
Only Cincinnati, UCF, and Kansas State have shot it worse for the season.
Lately, that 3-point shooting seems to have gotten worse. In the last six weeks, per The Athletic’s CJ Moore, the only team that has shot worse from the 3-point line than Kansas is North Carolina A&T.
The poor shooting permeated the Jayhawks’ loss to Cincinnati — and not just the 3-pointer.
“Guys are aiming the ball instead of shooting it, and I haven’t asked these guys this, but we had four starters combine 8 for 39 tonight,” Self said. “It’s like they’re shooting at the fair, you know, where the balls can’t actually fit through the goals.”
Of primary importance for Self is to get center Hunter Dickinson and forward Kevin McCullar Jr. ready for the NCAA Tournament. Dickinson separated his shoulder against Houston on Saturday in the regular-season finale and Self said he could not have played on Wednesday.
He also sat McCullar with a bone bruise in his knee, which he re-aggravated against Kansas State last week. Self said that under different circumstances, McCullar could have played. But once he knew Dickinson couldn’t go, it was an easy decision to sit McCullar, too.
Both should be ready to go for the NCAA Tournament, Self said. The question is, how long will their run be? Self remains confident.
“We have struggled of late,” Self said. “But we haven’t been whole yet either. I mean, gosh dang it, if we can get whole we can play with anybody. We’ve proven that.”
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
