Des Moines, Iowa — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self was not on the sideline for Thursday’s 96-68 NCAA Tournament-opening win by the top-seeded Jayhawks over No. 16 Howard.
Instead, Self watched the game at the team hotel while assistant coach Norm Roberts continued to handle head coaching duties for the Jayhawks in his absence.
Shortly before Thursday’s tipoff, Self joined radio play-by-play broadcaster Brian Hanni for his normal pregame breakdown and offered an update on his condition.
“I’m doing better,” the KU coach said. “I’m feeling stronger and everything. I don’t think I’m at the point where I could be very good for our team if I was out there.”
Self said he had enjoyed being back with the team after last week’s absence, but that he had been doing a lot more “sitting and watching practice more so than being on the court,” during his time in Des Moines.
Self said his recovery was “taking longer than I hoped it would to get me back to the point where I can be out there every day,” and that he hoped his availability for Saturday’s second-round game would be “a different story.”
Self also joined color analyst Greg Gurley for a pregame television breakdown and Gurley said on the radio broadcast that he thought Self was “doing so much better and he’s close. It’s just a matter of listening to his body.”
Self, who was released from the hospital last Sunday after a five-day stay following a stent procedure that kept him away from last week’s Big 12 tournament, made the trip to Des Moines with his family and traveled separately from the rest of the team.
Upon the team’s arrival at their downtown Des Moines hotel on Tuesday, Roberts classified Self’s status for the tournament as “day to day” and added that Self was doing well. The day-to-day tag stuck with Self throughout the week and Kansas officials have not wavered in their stance that Self is being continually monitored and evaluated while hoping to return to action as soon as possible.
Thursday’s official announcement from KU about Self’s absence, which came about three hours before tipoff, noted that Self “continues to progress well from a recent health issue.”
The Jayhawks are 7-1 in eight games without Self this season — four for a university-imposed suspension to open the season, three more at the Big 12 tournament last week and Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener.
For the last four of those, Self played a role in helping the Roberts and the Jayhawks get ready for game time.
“It hasn’t been any different than it is every day,” he told Hanni of his staff’s preparation. “I’m watching as much tape as I ever have. Norm and the staff, they’re doing their normal great job.”
Two of KU’s on-court leaders also said Thursday that they had stepped their game up in Self’s absence.
“My voice is very important, just trying to preach out everything that he does, and understanding that if he can’t say something it’s up to me to step up and say it for him,” Wilson told Hanni.
Added point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. in the locker room after Thursday’s win: “I’ve got to have coach’s back when he’s not here. I’ve got his back, though.”
McCullar feels good in return
While top-seeded Kansas was forced to play without head coach Bill Self for the fourth consecutive game during Thursday’s 96-68 victory over No. 16 Howard, the Jayhawks did get some good news in the full return of senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr.
McCullar had missed the Big 12 title game loss to Texas with back spasms. But he was out there in his regular starting role on Thursday and played 25 minutes in his return.
“It felt good to be back out there,” McCullar said. “It felt normal. It was a fast-paced game so it was kind of good to get up and down and test out (my back) a little bit.”
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Box score: Kansas 96, Howard 68
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McCullar, who finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, said he trusted that his back was fine because of how he felt the past few days.
“I pushed myself in practice, to kind of test it out,” McCullar said. “So I knew I could go out there and compete today.”
Asked how it felt to have McCullar back on the floor with him, KU junior Jalen Wilson did not hestitate to answer.
“Great. Great,” Wilson said. “He filled the stat sheet up all around, doing things that Kevin does. He’s the all-around guy that we need. He’s our glue guy. It was great to have him out there. He looked great today.”
Another milestone for J-Wil
Wilson’s 20-point game on Thursday pushed him past 700 points for the season (703 and counting), making him just the 11th player in Kansas basketball history to reach that mark.
Told of the achievement in the locker room after the game, Wilson flashed a look of shock on his face.
“Oh. I didn’t even know,” he said. “I’m just blessed, man. It’s been a terrific year, and to be in the position we are now as a 1 seed, having the opportunity to cut down nets again is special. I’m just trying to win each game and continue to make history as we go.”
Asked how many more points he had in him before the end of the road and if he might be able to reach 800, Wilson smiled and said, “We’ve got five more games so whatever that takes.”
The most recent Jayhawk to reach 700 points was Dedric Lawson during the 2018-19 season. He hit the number exactly. Wilson’s total moved him past Nick Collison’s total of 702 during the 2002-03 season for ninth place all-time on KU’s single-season scoring list.
This and that…
KU now leads the all-time series with Howard, 3-0, including a 2-0 mark in NCAA Tournament games… The Jayhawks are now 116-48 all-time in the NCAA Tournament… The Jayhawks have now won 16 consecutive first-round NCAA Tournament games and 37 of the last 39, dating back to 1981… Kansas’ win on Thursday moved the Jayhawks to 6-2 in neutral-site games this season… KU is now 26-0 this season when leading at halftime… Kansas’ 96 points were the most by the program in an NCAA Tournament game since scoring 98 in a Sweet 16 win over Purdue in 2017… Dajuan Harris Jr.’s seven assists on Thursday moved him past Aaron Miles and into 10th place on KU’s single-season assists list, with 219. Harris also moved into 16th place on KU’s career steals list on Thursday… Among the notable names in the crowd at Thursday’s game was Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States of America, who graduated from Howard University in 1986.
