Bill Self Admits Samford is a Tough Draw for Kansas
While Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks were in no danger of missing the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the team is not immune to tough draws.
Kansas head coach Bill Self spoke on the Jayhawks’ matchup against No. 13 Samford and expressed some concerns about the opening round.
“What have we labored with the most this year? It’s teams that shoot a ton of 3s, and then we have a hard time making up the difference,” Self told KUSports’ Henry Greenstein.
To Self’s credit, the matchup does play in favor of the Bulldogs when it comes to three-point shooting. Samford is shooting 39.32% from three, which ranks seventh in the nation behind Kentucky, Purdue, Dayton, UNC Greensboro, Northwestern, and Colorado. On the flip side, Kansas has struggled to defend the three this season and is surrendering 33.2% from three, which ranks 152nd in the country.
While Self and the Jayhawks have dealt with tough draws numerous times throughout Bill Self’s post-season career, Kansas enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament in somewhat unfamiliar territory.
“I’ve never had two All-Americans both be out at the same time, but I know that we should be much better this week than we have been,” Self mentioned.
Self and the Jayhawks have been dealing with injuries to both of their star players this season, Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar. Dickinson dislocated his shoulder during the final game of the season, while McCullar has been day-to-day with a lingering knee issue. Self did speak on the progression of Dickinson to members of the media on Sunday, saying, “He’s doing great. He’s actually practiced the last two days non-contact. We’ve done a lot of dry stuff so that way he can be out there.”
Self and the Jayhawks tip off in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19th, in Salt Lake City against the No. 13 Samford Bulldogs.
