After a 40-minute battle that clearly showed that West Virginia, despite its record, can hang with the best teams in the country, both KU coach Bill Self and WVU coach Bob Huggins said with conviction that the Mountaineers belong in the NCAA Tournament.
“You guys watched them play today,” Self began after 3rd-ranked KU’s 76-74 win at Allen Fieldhouse. “Does that look like an NCAA Tournament team to you? The answer is an emphatic yes. They’re really good.”
Huggins agreed and said his team’s tough schedule, which, of course includes the Big 12 gaunlet, but also non-conference games against the likes of Purdue, Xavier, Auburn, Florida and Pittsburgh, was more than enough proof that his team deserves an NCAA Tournament bid.
The bracket will be revealed on March 12, and the Mountaineers still have games at Iowa State and at home against Kansas State, not to mention in the Big 12 tournament, to add to their resumé.
“We have far and away the best strength of schedule in the country,” Huggins said after the loss to Kansas. “And if that doesn’t mean something to the committee, shame on them. I told our guys I don’t think we have anything to worry about, and I will blast (the selection committee’s) ass as far and long as I can if they don’t let these guys in the tournament.”
Kansas guard Joe Yesufu was able to play during Saturday’s game with the Mountaineers and showed no ill effects of the illness that hit him earlier this week.
Self said Thursday that he did not expect Yesufu to practice on Thursday but he was hopeful he would practice Friday and play on Saturday.
Yesufu went through pregame warm-ups as usual and looked fine doing so. He even led the team off the floor for the final time before tipoff by out-sprinting everyone to the locker room.
The 6-foot junior finished Saturday’s game with three points and a turnover in 10 minutes. He was the first Jayhawk off the bench, checking in at the 14:55 mark for Kevin McCullar Jr.
After the game, Self said both Yesufu and fellow-reserve guard, Bobby Pettiford, were dealing with a stomach flu.
“We were lucky either one of them played,” Self said.
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Box score: Kansas 76, West Virginia 74
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With March right around the corner, Kansas coach Bill Self was asked this week about KU’s status as the defending national champions and Self said that fact had not really occurred to him recently.
“You brought up something I haven’t thought about in months, us being defending national champs,” Self said. “I don’t think like that. I probably thought I would going into the season, but once the season (started), that was totally irrelevant. We asked our guys — we even said it to the media — that it’s time to move forward and I think our guys have done a pretty good job moving forward.”
The official phrasing KU used when the season began was “turn the page,” and these Jayhawks have done that while maintaining their spot as one of college basketball’s true title contenders. Recent odds have Kansas among the top five betting favorites to win it all this season, and that, along with their solid play of late, has sparked national discussions about KU having the potential to become the first team to repeat as champs since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007.
“We’re the only team that actually has a chance to do it this year,” Self joked. “But I don’t think there’s been very many teams that won it and the next year put themselves in position to be talked about in a way that maybe we’re getting talked about now. Still, it’s just talk, It doesn’t mean anything.”
Self was asked this week on his “Hawk Talk” radio show his thoughts about the Jayhawks’ travel fate in the upcoming NCAA Tournament bracket.
While being put in the Midwest regional, where Kansas City host the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at T-Mobile Center remains a possibility, Self said nothing was anywhere close to decided.
“We don’t know where we’re going to be sent,” he said. “It’s too early to do that kind of stuff — totally. We’ll think about it maybe the week of the Big 12 Tournament. You can’t get hung up on stuff like that because it’s like putting your arm around a cloud. It changes shapes and sizes all the time. Come Big 12 Tournament time, those will be the things that come creeping in.”
Self was not shy about expressing his hopes for KU’s potential road through this year’s tournament.
“In all honestly, we do hope we go to Des Moines (for the first and second rounds),” he said. “That’d be great, and obviously a goal would be to go to Kansas City.”
Self explained that a lot of KU’s fate with getting the Midwest region — as a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 — depends on what happens with other teams in the mix.
“You’re going to have to be the No. 1 (overall) team in the Midwest to go to Kansas City,” he said. “Well, what region is Houston going to go to or what region would Purdue go to? They’re going to go to the region closest to them, too. Or (they probably) want to. Kansas City is heck of a lot closer to go to than Vegas or whatnot. It remains to be seen how it all plays out.”
Saturday’s victory by the Jayhawks gave KU 12 wins or more in conference play for the 23rd consecutive season. The streak started during the 2000-01 season and includes every season of the Bill Self era… KU now leads the series with West Virginia 20-6 overall and 11-0 in games played in Allen Fieldhouse… The Jayhawks are now 14-1 at home this season… KU is now 22-0 this season when leading at halftime… KU’s 24th victory over the season gives Self 24 wins or more in 18 of his 20 seasons at Kansas and 22 of his 30 seasons overall as a head coach… KU wore an alternate uniform with a gray and white color scheme on Saturday to honor the 100-year anniversary of the 1923 Helms Foundation national title.
