Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self hasn’t had the greatest week — what with Tuesday’s 72-40 loss to Kentucky in Indianapolis.
That game and the Jayhawks’ performance in it proved a popular topic three days after the fact at Self’s Friday afternoon press conference at Allen Fieldhouse.
With Rider coming to Lawrence Monday night, KU will soon have a chance to get back on track. But Self said the team has a long way to go.
Here are some of the highlights from the Q&A:
Bill Self: After a L like the Kentucky “mad doesn’t help you win.” You’ve got to get better and correct. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: Thursday’s practice didn’t go well. There was very little sense of urgency compared to what he thought they should have. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **KU practiced this morning at 6 a.m.** They’ll practice again this afternoon. Not because of punishment. They have to get better.
• **It’s too long a season** to put too much stock in one game.
Self: KU wasn’t ready to play that game vs Kentucky. They were bigger/better/longer… And KU laid an egg. It exposed the Jayhawks. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **If LeBron James goes 4 for 18**, does that mean he’s not gonna be confident the next game?
Self: Guys’ attitudes are good and they won’t remember the Kentucky L a few weeks from now if they continue to get better. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **At this point, no one is totally sure who KU’s best players are**. It’s probably discouraging for Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis, because they should be KU’s two best players and they haven’t played better than any of the other guys so far.
• **Jamari Traylor played his butt off against Kentucky and went 0 for 6**. It’s a little bit different scoring over 6-foot-6 or 6-7 as opposed to 7-foot.
Self: Teams can recover. He hates to say it, but it’s better to look bad now than in conference play or beyond. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **Self wishes a couple of guys would establish themselves** as the team’s best players. Their three most talented players are Frank Mason III, Selden and Ellis. They haven’t really statistically played well yet. But he knows they will. He isn’t worried about that.
Self: If you lose your confidence after one game, how soft are you? #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **Kansas doesn’t have a different-level freshman like Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid**. These freshmen are gonna be good but you can’t ask that much of those guys right now.
Self: KU practiced at 6 a.m. today and looked better. They finished some things they didn’t accomplish yesterday at practice. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: KU has some shortcomings and there hasn’t been a lot of separation as far as distinguishing the best players. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: The young players need some veterans to step up and show them the way. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: 6 a.m. practices suck for the guys. It might be even worse for the coaches. #kubball They might need to change that.
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: Selden, Graham and Mason are the most equipped to drive in and create havoc. #kubball didn’t do enough with that vs Kentucky.
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **Mason drove it but he needs to drive to pass** and not just drive looking to score, especially against length. … There was no intimidation of getting in there, KU just didn’t accomplish much in the paint when they got there.
Self: It remains to be seen if this Kentucky team is better than the one that won it all in 2012. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: This #kubball team can be as talented as the 2012 team that made the championship game. It remains to be seen if they will find that.
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: Cliff Alexander now knows what he needs to do after facing a team as good/long as Kentucky. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **Cliff is a good player, but he is 6-8 going up against 7-footer**s from Kentucky. He couldn’t maul people like he usually does. He will have to learn to put himself in position before the catch.
Self: Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr. need to show a lot more leadership wise for this team. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• **”Productivity, leadership, calming influence, intelligence.** There are a lot of things I think which need to see from those guys. That’ll definitely filter down to the rest of the guys.”
Self: Not scoring over length vs Kentucky messed with their heads some. They need to learn how to score through what they run. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: KU has to do a better job of feeding the post. Without question. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self: Kelly Oubre Jr. did some good things vs Kentucky. Put the ball down, made a nice 3. #kubball But they need more activity on the glass.
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
• “**But one of the big keys to that game, and seems like a minor key, was how their three man kept every ball alive on the glass**. Every ball. Poythress and Lyles kept every ball alive on the glass.”
Self: KU’s guards did a poor job of helping big guys on the boards. The big guys played really hard at times vs Kentucky’s size. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
Self hopes KU leaves the Orlando Classic much better than they were when they left Battle4Atlantis last season. #kubball
— Benton Smith (@BentonASmith) November 21, 2014
*- Listen to the complete press conference: [Bill Self discusses 6 a.m. practice, other topics][1]*
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/podcasts/press_conferences_postgame_interviews/2014/nov/21/bill-self-discusses-6-m-practice-other-topics/
