If Bill Self returns to KU basketball, here’s where his focus will be

SAN DIEGO, California — However you feel about what's been happening these last few years, it hasn’t lived up to the standard that’s been established for Kansas basketball. There have been moments of success, sure, where the Jayhawks have proved they can compete with the best the nation has to offer. In a challenging Big 12 Conference, they’ve collected wins that would look good on any team’s resume.

But KU hasn’t won a Big 12 regular season or tournament title since the 2022-23 season, when it captured the regular season crown, and it hasn’t advanced to the second weekend of the men’s NCAA tournament since winning the national title in 2022. Including the round of 32 exit in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, at least for the purposes of March Madness, it’s a four-year stretch that’s brought heightened attention to Lawrence. It led to a question on March 22, after a round of 32 loss against St.

John’s in San Diego, California, about whether there’s something about KU’s identity that needs to change. And while Kansas coach Bill Self didn’t agree with that notion, it’s not as if there wasn’t something on his mind looking forward. RELATED: NBA draft projections: KU basketball’s Darryn Peterson, Flory Bidunga “The first year, we were a 1 seed, and I had serious health issues and I didn’t finish the season,” said Self, speaking to the four-year streak in general.

“The last two years hasn’t been — well, this year included, it’s been inconsistent and not as good. So, obviously, it’s disappointing. I really feel that we had a team this year that could have been a higher seed if we would have played better in other games.