By far the biggest surprise of the NCAA Tournament was North Carolina getting into it. But there’s a close second in terms of crazy decisions that has Kansas head coach Bill Self downright “shocked.”
Speaking to reporters this week, Self addressed the NCAA Selection Committee’s decision to put them in a bracket that sends them to Providence, Rhode Island for their first two rounds rather than nearby Wichita, Kansas. He found the decision particularly shocking due to the decision to send ACC power Louisville to nearby Lexington, Kentucky, which gives them a potentially massive edge in their first two rounds.
“You know, I haven’t studied that,” Bill Self said. “I was kind of surprised Missouri got sent to Wichita, considering Texas Tech is going to have to play them in then if both teams win, if the higher seeds win. You’re telling me that Louisville is sent to Lexington? And if they win they’ve got Auburn and Auburn’s got to play Louisville in Lexington? That shocks me.”
Self made it clear that he’s not exactly worried or concerned over his team’s inability to play in nearby Wichita. He feels that the team got what it deserved as far as seeding and venues go. Nevertheless, he’s still “shocked” over Louisville getting to play in Lexington.
“I like Bruce Pearl a lot but I’m not really thinking about that particular game at this particular time. We didn’t deserve to be playing in Wichita. So, there’s absolutely no thought that that would ever happen, that it would ever actually occur,” Self said. “But I am shocked it did happen that way in Lexington.”
Kansas enter the tournament as the 7-seed in the West region. They take on John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks this Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET. The game will be played on CBS.
Related: Bill Self Releases Update On Kansas’ NCAA Tournament Status