Bill Self, Jayhawks turn their focus toward postseason

By Staff     Mar 9, 2015

Coach Bill Self congratulates Kansas guard Frank Mason III after the Jayhawks overtime win over the West Virginia Mountaineers Tuesday, March 4.

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self and his Jayhawks finally can turn their focus to the postseason.

At a press conference Monday in Allen Fieldhouse, Self spoke plenty about this week’s Big 12 Tournament and some about the NCAA madness that follows.

Of course, the status of three guys who didn’t play for KU at Oklahoma on Saturday — Perry Ellis, Cliff Alexander and Brannen Greene — came up too.

Here are some of the highlights from the Q&A:

**• On being named the Big 12’s AP coach of the year:** It’s nice, but it’s a reflection of the fact you have good players and a good team. There were several guys who could’ve won it.

Kansas forward Perry Ellis (34) drives against Iowa State forward Dustin Hogue (22) during the second half on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

“For the first time, I think the media actually knows what it’s talking about,” the coach joked (we assume).

**• The mood after KU’s loss at Oklahoma** was positive. The Jayhawks played hard, and fought and just got beat.

Losing on the last play again, like at West Virginia, made it harder to stomach. KU didn’t make shots the first half and did much better in the second half. The Jayhawks played better than they had the week prior, too.

**• Perry Ellis will be evaluated tomorrow,** as he has been every day. The hope is he will be able to go full speed at practice by Wednesday. If that’s not the case, he won’t play Thursday.

Ellis will wear a brace the rest of the season, regardless, for precautionary measures.

Kansas head coach Bill Self slaps hands with center Joel Embiid as he leaves the court following the Jayhawks' 86-64 win over Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013 at Allen Fieldhouse.

**• Self has never thought it is that important to win the Big 12 Tournament.** The Jayhawks want to go and win, just like every team. But it’s the only game where you can lose and immediately be recharged and looking to what’s next.

As soon as you win it, your whole focus turns. There is no relishing it. You want to win it because you’re competitive and it’s against your peers, but it’s not the end of the earth if you don’t.

**• One could make a case for seven or eight different teams winning the Big 12 Tournament** if they get hot. You could also make a case that if those same teams don’t come out ready on Thursday, they will lose.

**• Self might watch some other games** this week if they’re on TV, but he won’t study them.

**• In terms of preparing for the NCAA Tournament,** Self will do something differently this year. Last year the team thought it was going to get Joel Embiid back and prepared for him to play. That was a mistake. The Jayhawks should’ve prepared not expecting him, and if he came back it would be a bonus.

Kansas forward Jamari Traylor (31) dives out of bounds for an attempted save before the Jayhawks' bench during the first half, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

KU spent too much energy thinking Embiid would come back. So this year, Self won’t count on Cliff Alexander coming back. If he gets cleared, KU will plug Alexander in.

**• Based on Self’s limited information,** which he read on the Yahoo! report, he doesn’t really know where Alexander’s situation stands.

So Self is planning not to have Alexander available.

“He’s a stud… He’s down.. But his attitude’s great,” Self said of Alexander. And the freshman big man probably has practiced better than ever.

Every good player in the country has “somebody meet with somebody.” It becomes illegal if there are things beyond that. And Self doesn’t have enough information on it to comment on that part of it.

**• The players feel bad for Alexander,** but there won’t be a negative situation if they don’t get him back. The guys are prepared and focused.

**• Landen Lucas, Self thought even before the sophomore’s big day at OU**, would be good enough to start at Kansas one day. He is a good player and a part of the program’s future moving forward.

**• Brannen Greene should play on Thursday.** He has handled his business since Saturday’s suspension. He needs to keep doing that.

**• Self hasn’t talked to Wayne Selden Jr.** since the game at OU, but the report from the trainer is he is fine. He should be 100 percent by Thursday.

Selden also has suffered from the flu.

“We checked everyone’s schedule and there is no time for anyone to get sick,” Self joked.

**• Both Kansas State and TCU** — KU’s potential opponents on Thursday — guarded Kansas really well in the regular season.

**• The play KU ran to get Frank Mason III fouled on a three-pointer** at the end of the Oklahoma loss worked out well. They call it “home run,” and probably every team in America runs it or something close. It is like the famous Valparaiso play.

**• There is so much hype on the NCAA Tournament,** it means more in people’s minds and you have to deliver. From KU’s perspective, you know the difference between some of the seeds is very small, even if some people think of certain outcomes as monumental upsets.

Everybody can beat everybody.

**• Kentucky is “really good.”** They won games where they didn’t play well and that’s what is impressive about their undefeated mark at this point.

But if something happens and they don’t win it all, it won’t be monumental. The best team doesn’t always win.

**• Jamari Traylor’s season has been up and down,** but the last two games he has been really good. “He’s not big enough to do what he does,” Self said. Last year the role was easier for Traylor because he had big guys like Embiid and Tarik Black ahead of him.

Self just wishes he would defensive rebound the ball a little better. He’s on an uptick right now.

**• Nothing that happened Saturday at OU will hurt Kansas,** it can only help the team.

**• You don’t want your guys practicing more than an hour and 10 minutes or so** at this time of year to avoid fatigue. You might work on a couple of late-game situations a day and have some refreshers, but you don’t necessarily spend more time on those sorts of plays.

**• “The Big 12 Tournament should stay in Kansas City.”** That’s not because it is close to KU, it’s because it is the best setup. You’re guaranteed sellouts. At other conference tournaments there will be tons of empty seats in those early rounds.

Self joked, Fred Hoiberg would rather it be in Des Moines. But other league coaches like it in Kansas City, Missouri, too — not just Self.

**• If KU hadn’t played such a good schedule** the Jayhawks wouldn’t have had the same chance at a high seed as they do now, with a 24-7 record. The Jayhawks are used to playing hard schedules.

*– Listen to the complete press conference: [Bill Self talks Big 12 Tournament, March Madness and more][1]*

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/podcasts/press_conferences_postgame_interviews/2015/mar/09/bill-self-talks-big-12-tournament-march-madness-an/

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