Posted by Jesse Newell March 11, 2013 at 4:04 p.m.

Cliff’s Notes: Bill Self press conference, 3/11/13

Here is the Cliff's Notes version from Self's comments at his press conference today.

• Self said KU didn't play well Saturday, but KU could have played well Saturday and still come up short. Baylor was really good. It was a six-point game with six minutes left, so the final score was worse than what the game actually was. BU still controlled it from start to finish. Self thinks he'll have his team's attention after the loss. KU didn't play poorly because it wasn't prepared or excited. KU didn't play well because it didn't play well.

• On Monday, KU will spend some time preparing for Iowa State or Oklahoma. Both teams did things to KU that hurt the Jayhawks. KU does the same kind of prep for the NCAA Tournament, preparing for the second game early in the week before preparing for the first game. On Tuesday, KU will start preparing for its first-round opponents. That's not being cocky, Self says. Self doesn't think any coach practices four days for one opponent when that team knows it could play a different team the next day.

• Lots of people have reached out to Self saying, "Congratulations, but it sucks how you won the league title." Self says that's not true. It doesn't stink. He's proud of his guys. Once KU was 7-3 in conference, it wasn't in charge of the league race. KU had to do what it did, and it didn't get much help from other schools knocking off the other top teams. KU did earn its share of the Big 12 title. Self says KU isn't going to apologize for sharing it at all. K-State deserves a share of it, too, because it had a great year. After you spend 2 1/2 months trying to win a league championship, you shouldn't discredit it even if you tie. Self is proud of his guys. To get a piece of nine in a row is cool. Every player in the locker room is maxed out on Big 12 championship rings. Self hopes that streak continues.

• Self has never seen the league better with more teams that can win the conference tournament than what the Big 12 has right now. Not very often can you go in and say that six teams can positively win three games in a row. That's not counting Texas with guard Myck Kabongo back or West Virginia and Texas Tech, who are playing better now. TCU also beat two NCAA Tournament teams. There are six teams that can win three games in a row, and no one would think of it as an upset.

• Self says Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson is a first-team all-leaguer in his mind. KU saw him when he was pretty good. So much of postseason accolades are based on numbers and how your team does. If there was a year when six players should have been on the first team, Self said this was the year.

• KU hasn't celebrated its Big 12 championship yet. The team did talk on the bus some. Self is proud of his guys. This team isn't finished yet, but Self's guys did some special things. It's never great losing the last game of the regular season, but the body of work for KU since Jan. 10 has been pretty impressive. The team will talk about the championship, but Self doesn't think KU should be giddy or excited about the way it played. KU has to get its killer instinct back. KU didn't do anything to make Baylor play poorly. The Bears were comfortable the whole game.

• Elijah Johnson can do a better job of "putting himself in the game." Tyshawn Taylor loved being the guy. So much of Johnson's criticism has been from him not making shots. Taylor didn't make shots in last year's NCAA Tournament, but everyone still credited him for playing great. Johnson has to make sure he impacts as many possessions as he can down the stretch.

• Having assistant coach Doc Sadler on the bench gives KU a different perspective. Self thinks Sadler's been good for him to get that differing point-of-view.

• Self thought forward Perry Ellis was KU's best player against Baylor, hands-down. He was aggressive. It tells you what he's capable of. It also shows how valuable Kevin Young is, because when he's playing well and Ellis is playing aggressively, KU's front line totally changes. Self was excited about Ellis, but the team needs everybody to contribute at a high level.

• Self thinks No. 1 seeds are overrated. He said he still told his guys, "Do you deserve a No. 1 seed if you don't win the Big 12 Tournament? The answer is no." Self is not hung up on a No. 1 seed, though. The NCAA Tournament is all about matchups. Self would like to be as high of a seed as possible because that helps guarantee his team plays close to home.

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ralster 2 months, 1 week ago

I like the not-so-subtle statement from Self: "Every player in the locker room is maxxed out on championship rings." All I can say is I hope this team's experience and gritty-D seniors play for keeps in the BigXII Tourney and BigDance. If they think they can just flick a switch and play their A-game, Im not so sure that is doable with this roster, as they couldnt do it in glaring fashion vs. TCU and Baylor.

OakvilleJHawk 2 months, 1 week ago

Intense defense is the key to this team. Blocks, rebounds, run outs, fast break dunks, open threes...this all depends on KU plaing in your face defense.

Talent-wise, there is no margin for error with this group. if the Jayhawks don't bring their "A" game, starting with their "D", their final grade is likely to be an "F"!!

AsadZ 2 months, 1 week ago

I am curious to know as to what is the different perspective Self is talking about with Doc on the bench. Can this be elaborated as to what are the differences?

jaybate 2 months, 1 week ago

Doc assisted Eddie Sutton at Arkansas back when Eddie Ball broke out onto a national stage. And given Eddie's substance issues, Doc probably remembers more about how Eddie did what he did than Eddie does in some respects.

Doc was at UTEP as an assistant and then a head coach at a time late in Don Haskins life when Doc probably picked The Bear's brain clean. Haskin is one of Iba's big three, and maybe the biggest since he alone won a ring among he, Eddie and Jack Hartman.

Doc was with James Dickey, another crucial link Okie Baller coaching, because of Dickey having assisted Eddie at Arkansas and UK.

So Doc might be said to know as much, or more than any guy alive right now about the Haskins and Eddie lines of Okie Ball. Given that Self had Janks on staff for several years and picked his brain for what Hartman knew, Self via Doc can now be said to have been able to absorb about everything that can be learned about Okie Ball short of channelling Henry Iba and Doyle Parrack and its reputed that Self got to have some chats with Iba and since Parrack died in 2008 its likely Bill got to pick his brain, too.

But this is, shall we say, the academic side of what Doc brings. He closes the loop on Self's command of knowledge of the Okie Baller Legacy.

Probably even more important is that Doc Sadler fills the Barry Hinson role of experienced head coach that knows what Self is going through. Only Doc knows it even better than Hinson did, because Doc made it higher up the food chain than Barry Hinson did. Doc actually coached against Self. Doc has had to study Self and figure out his tells and is weaknesses and his counterproductive tendencies. Doc can tell Bill what he's gotten too predictable at. Doc can remind Bill about the core principles of Okie Ball, when Bill's eclectic mind complexifies too much.

Oh, and Doc knows defense.

Throw it all together and Self is probably very, very grateful to have Doc around, especially with Barry Hinson moving on.

It gets lonely at the top. Self started as a head coach incredibly young. Once you become a head coach, you can only get so close to other head coaches. In some ways it has probably been a bit isolating for Self. Self is now old enough that some of his colleagues like Hinson and Sadler can buddy up with him on his staff, while they regroup looking for a new job.

Its good for Self and for guys like Hinson and Sadler.

Speaking of Barry Hinson, he is 14-16, but 6-12 in conference, at SIU. Let's say a prayer for Barry landing some recruits that can help him turn the corner in Carbondale.

AsadZ 2 months ago

Thanks for the assist.

actorman 2 months ago

Great info. jaybate, thanks.

Kip_McSmithers 2 months, 1 week ago

Off the subject here but I wanted to see what you guys thought about this subject. I'm sure most of you have seen Coach Crean "Melvin" ex-Indiana assistant coach, current Michigan assistant coach Jeff Meyer about his role in Sampson's tear down of Indiana in 06'-08'. I personally have no problem with the exchange of words. If I were an IU fan I'd be glad my coach stood up for our program. All too often do the players and teams get punished for what ex-coaches did. Then those said coaches get a new job that next year and see nothing for it. Don't you just love the NCAA!

JayHawkFanToo 2 months, 1 week ago

Wrong place and wrong time. It took the spotlight from his team's win and made Crean the center of attention. Things like that are better done in private; IMHO, Crean showed a huge lack of judgment and class.

austin5string 2 months, 1 week ago

Kornheiser made an interesting point on PTI.. It's really a chicken or the egg type thing, but if Meyer and the Indiana staff hadn't done what they did, Crean would probably still be slogging along at Marquette and wouldn't be receiving all the praise he is for rebuilding the mess at Indiana - maybe he should be thanking him instead. But JHFT is exactly right - wrong place, wrong time for that kind of nonsense.

deepind 2 months ago

Crean's behavior in one word - classless! Unless Jeff Meyer had started an altercation or a war of words with Crean either before or after that game, it was completely unwarranted. How would we like it if Bill Self went to Bruce Weber and said "The only reason you ever went to the Final Four was because of the kids I recruited!"... it would be completely classless even if the statement was entirely true.

HighEliteMajor 2 months, 1 week ago

Ok, Coach Self is wrong. Not just kind of wrong. Not just maybe wrong. Dead wrong.

Being a number 1 seed matters. He should be hung up on it. Actually, I'm sure he is, and I'm sure he knows being a number 1 seed is a really big deal.

Matchups? Yea, try playing a 16 seed, no better than an 8, and no better than a 4 .. to get to within one game of the Final Four.

Want to win the title?

1] Be a 1 seed .. #1 seeds have won 18 of the last 25 tournaments. That's 72%.

2] Think any seed has a realistic chance? Only if you have Danny Manning. Just one team below a 4 seed has won in the last 25 years (KU in 1988 as a 6 seed).

3] How about 2 seeds? Those sound great. But 2 seeds have only won 2 times in the last 25 years; 3 seeds 4 times; 4 seeds just once.

Being a number one seed is the most important factor in winning the tournament. No doubt. Being a number one seed means you're a very good team in comparison to other teams, and it means that the bracket is set up to give you the best shot at good matchups.

If you want to get to a Final Four, 42 of the last 100 Final Four teams have been #1 seeds.

Can any seed win it all? Sure. The odds are just significantly against it.

The most common denominator for teams winning it all is being a #1 seed.

Win all three in KC and perhaps other conference tourneys will pave our way.

arch007bak 2 months, 1 week ago

Maybe that was for the benefit of fans not in the know about those stats or even the team smarting after the loss Saturday? Just a thought.

arch007bak 2 months, 1 week ago

Or just a coach doing the typical PC coach thing...