What Bill Self Said After Kansas’ Exhibition Win Over Pittsburg State

Kansas kicked off its preseason last night with an 18-point win over Division II opponent Pittsburg State. While there were some ugly moments as there are in every exhibition, it was the first look Jayhawk fans received at many of the key newcomers.

Overall, head coach Bill Self didn’t come away very impressed with his team’s performance. He knows there are still a lot of areas in which his squad must improve.

“I thought for the first 17 minutes or so, I thought we played pretty well and looked pretty athletic and stuff,” Self said in his postgame presser. “But we tried to play 13 guys equal minutes tonight. That’s not going to happen; that number is going to go to 10. I do think that there were times we looked pretty good, but we shot it miserably, shot our free throws poorly.”

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Perhaps the biggest concern of the offseason was the big man situation and who would start at center. Charleston transfer Christian Reeves may have put those questions to bed in his Kansas debut.

The towering 7-foot center finished the night with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, adding four blocks in just 12 minutes of action. Self believes he was the most effective player on the floor in the victory.

“I thought he was our best player,” Self stated about Reeves.” I just didn’t want to put him in, just because he hadn’t been out there. After he got tight, probably after he started the second half. I thought his night was good enough, that he could be done.”

Reeves, who spent the majority of the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery, was cleared for contact earlier this month and looks to be in great game shape. Right now, he has a clear edge over Paul Mbiya to start at the five when the campaign opens.

Kansas Jayhawks fans put their hands up during a free throw against Pittsburg State Gorillas during the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Oct. 16, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Publish date : 2026-10-17 22:38:00

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