For the fourth time in five NCAA Tournaments, Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks were eliminated in the Round of 32, this time in a blowout loss to Gonzaga. After the game, he was blunt on what the last month has been like for him.
Speaking to reporters after the 89-68 loss, Self admitted that he’s been thinking about next season for about a month now.
“For the last month, I’ve been thinking about next season to be honest,” Self said, via Bryan Fischer of Fox Sports.
It’s a rather stunning admission for a coach to make, as a statement like that usually insinuates that they weren’t giving their all in the games they were actually playing.
Then again, a statement like that would also explain how and why the Jayhawks lost five of their last seven games, dropping from No. 7 to No. 17 while losing to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tournament and only barely beating Samford in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Self has to thank his lucky stars that his Jayhawks won the 2022 NCAA Tournament because if they hadn’t there would probably be all kinds of questions about where his head is at with this program.
Self has never gone back-to-back seasons without winning at least a share of the Big 12 title since taking over the Jayhawks in 2003. But aside from their 2021-22 title season and their 2019-20 season that was upended by the pandemic, the last six seasons have not been as excellent as fans have gotten used to.
Better luck next year.