March Madness 2025: After Kansas’ first opening-round loss since 2006, what changes does Bill Self have to make?

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How much does Kansas need a reboot?

That’s the question heading into the 2025-26 season after the No. 7 Jayhawks were bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round by No. 10 Arkansas on Thursday. Despite a late second-half surge by KU, the Razorbacks held the Jayhawks at bay for a 79-72 win. Arkansas’ victory snapped a 17-year streak of first-round NCAA tournament wins for Kansas dating back to the 2006 season.

In that span, Kansas has won two national titles and been to four Final Fours. Bill Self has established himself as a Hall of Fame coach as his team had 10 No. 1 seeds in those 17 seasons.

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The second of those national titles came at the end of the 2021-2022 season, when KU beat North Carolina 72-69. Four of Kansas’ five starters scored in double figures. All five of those starters spent their entire careers at Kansas.

College basketball has changed a lot since then. A lot. Just before that season, players officially earned the right to earn name, image and likeness deals in 2021 along with the ability to transfer freely. And they’ve evolved significantly since then.

Since that national title, Kansas hasn’t made the second weekend of an NCAA tournament. Two years ago, the No. 1 Jayhawks lost to Arkansas — a team coached by Eric Musselman, not John Calipari — by a point in the second round. Last year, KU got blown out by No. 5 Gonzaga as a No. 4 seed with Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar sidelined for the postseason.

The NCAA tournament loss can be overblown. But those defeats combined with Kansas’ sliding seed make it worth wondering just what changes the Jayhawks have to make going forward to get back to the top of college basketball. After dominating the Big 12 for much of the 2000s, Kansas has finished sixth over the past two seasons.

Following the loss Thursday night, Self said he felt his team had a competitive roster, but not one that was worth comparing to the best…

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Author : Nick Bromberg

Publish date : 2025-03-21 02:57:00

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