Kansas head coach Bill Self had some interesting comments after his team’s second-round exit against Gonzaga.
Self’s squad was run out of the gym — and the NCAA Tournament — in an 89-68 loss Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
During his postgame press conference, Self was asked whether he was already mentally moving on from the March Madness exit and thinking about next season. The 61-year-old coach took his answer a step further.
“Well, I think for the last month I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest,” admitted Self.
“For the last month, I’ve been thinking about next season”
– Bill Self 😳#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/YfGseyZkjK
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024
Self qualified that his yearning for next season wasn’t happening during the tournament games themselves, but rather due to the slew of injuries throughout the year. Only eight scholarship players were healthy enough to play for Kansas down the stretch of the season.
Kansas on Saturday was without top scorer Kevin McCullar Jr., who averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the team. The senior guard had been ruled out of the tournament due to a nagging bone bruise in his knee. McCullar’s co-star Hunter Dickinson had also just recently returned from a dislocated shoulder.
Self added that Kansas just didn’t have the “firepower that you’ve had in past years” to be able to overcome the team’s injuries to key players.
