Why Bill Self’s grade for Kansas basketball in non-conference play fell short of an A+

[ad_1]

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball’s non-conference slate featured some high-profile wins.

In a matter of days, in November, the Jayhawks beat UNC at home and Michigan State in a neutral-site game in Atlanta. Later that month, KU went to Las Vegas for a neutral-site game against Duke and won that, too. Beating NC State in December at home meant Kansas can boast of a trio of wins against high-major teams from the state of North Carolina.

But postgame Dec. 22, after a home win against Brown that concluded non-conference play, Jayhawks forward KJ Adams and coach Bill Self both outlined the good and the bad about where the team stands before the start of Big 12 Conference play. Adams highlighted what Self told the team after beating Brown, that if not for a certain stretch of days Self’s grade for their overall non-conference performance would have been an A+. That stretch, back-to-back defeats at Creighton and Missouri in December, necessitated a lower grade.

RELATED: Kansas basketball vs West Virginia: Best prices of available seats for Big 12 opener

“We had five really crap days, and we got what we deserved, but overall, I don’t know, probably B- overall,” Self explained. “It’s a hard schedule and a B-, but we had five crap days. If you could drop two tests, if you took the right class where you could drop your worst two tests, then we would’ve probably had a pretty good semester. But not all professors allow that.”

Zeke Mayo has proven to be a bright spot for No. 7 Kansas (9-2), as the transfer guard has thrived alongside the Jayhawks’ veteran trio of Adams, center Hunter Dickinson and guard Dajuan Harris Jr. So, too, has a forward in Flory Bidunga, as he’s shown he can be trusted with a role in his first year in college. There’s more room for growth for KU, though, in multiple areas that go beyond individual players, as the team attempts to settle on an identity that can propel it to a Big 12 title.

Self noted after beating Brown he thought his team was…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-bill-self-grade-kansas-140548295.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-27 14:05:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.