Bill Self, the coach of USA Today/ESPN’s No. 1-ranked college basketball team, was asked earlier this week what could keep Kansas University from winning it all this season.
“A lot of things,” shrugged Self, KU’s second-year coach. “There are about 20 other good teams out there. That’s what people don’t understand. There’s such a fine line between winning and losing. I honestly believe there will be 15 to 20 teams that have a realistic shot. People who believe it’s win (it all) or unsuccessful I don’t think see it right. If we are as good as we can be, it means we’re in the game.”
KU also has been tapped preseason No. 1 by Street and Smith and Slam magazines — Wake Forest, Louisville and North Carolina have been designated tops in the land by other publications. But Self realizes teams do not win titles on paper.
“Hey, Kansas was hands down the best team in America in ’02,” Self said of the 33-4 Jayhawks, who were led by Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and Jeff Boschee. “They lost to Maryland (in the national semifinals).
“See, Maryland was really good, too,” Self said. “When you get to the last 16 teams, anybody can beat anybody.”
That’s one of the reasons the NCAA Tournament is one of the most exciting events of the year.
“If a guy turns an ankle, misses a key free throw, you don’t take care of the ball late, you don’t shade the basket on an out-of-bounds play, you have foul problems … it will come down to one or two possessions. There are no guarantees. None,” Self said.
The only thing a preseason No. 1 ranking guarantees a team is tons of publicity. Already ESPN Magazine has been to Lawrence for a photo shoot. Today, it will be Sports Illustrated’s turn to click away.
There’s no danger of the Jayhawks letting the pub go to their heads. Seniors Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and Michael Lee already have been to a pair of Final Fours and been interviewed countless times by the national press in their careers.
“You still have to play the game,” Langford said. “When we are actually out on the court, we are not thinking about what’s going to be written or what people are thinking. We’re thinking about winning.
“That was instilled in us when we were freshmen and the previous coach that we had and everything else. Expectation and pressure is all part of the game.”
Self doesn’t shy away from expectations. Looking at the bright side, all the positive pub can be used in recruiting mailouts. And coaches like Self think about recruiting 365 days a year.
“We might as well (embrace expectations) because there are going to be expectations,” Self said. “I get concerned sometimes where I was visiting with a guy last night and I said, ‘One thing that concerns me about this team, the expectations are so high that anything less than having a chance at winning at all would be a disappointment.’ He quickly reminded me that’s no different than the expectations of 15-20 other schools out there.”
No matter what the preseason pollsters say.
