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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WICHITA

March 14, 2018

Bill Self

Wichita, Kansas

THE MODERATOR: Delighted to have with us Kansas University head coach Bill Self, welcome to Wichita, and the challenges Penn presents tomorrow.

COACH SELF: First of all, we're proud and happy to be here, to be in the tournament. It's definitely a reward for the teams that have had outstanding seasons, so we're proud to be one of them, and certainly happy to be in Wichita. Certainly not home, but it's hopefully home away from home. So we're excited about that.

We know that we have a very difficult draw with Penn. My personal opinion is they don't resemble a 16 seed at all. Steve's done a great job. They're sound, they can shoot. They're physical. They can play through their bigs, and, of course, they got some depth, too.

So -- and they can guard. So we know that they pose some issues for us if we don't come ready to play, and they certainly have our attention.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the coach, please raise your hand.

Q. Kind of a random question. When you win the league every year and when you go to the tournament every year, how do you make it not normal, if that makes sense?
COACH SELF: You know, I think that's a good question. I think that, first of all, the staff, it's hard to do that with the staff. With the players it's not because there's turnover.

So like with our team right now, you know, this is really Mitch's first time to play in the tournament. This is Silvio's first time. This is obviously Malik's first time to play in the tournament. This would be Udoka's first time to play in the tournament if he's able to play and first time Lagerald has had a substantial role.

So with the players, I do think it's relatively new, but what we try to emphasize is this is the reward, and certainly you've listened to my rhetoric all year long, me jumping you isn't going to change anything now, just go out and have fun and let's enjoy the moment and let's play with joy and passion and play with a free mind.

Q. Coach, what is Udoka's status and has he been able to practice at all this week?
COACH SELF: Dok's been on the floor Sunday, Monday and Tuesday -- no. I'm sorry. Monday, Tuesday and today. He's been on the floor. Monday and Tuesday was strictly non-contact. Today was limited contact, went four possessions. We feel and the docs feel that he's making unbelievable progress. We do not want to have a setback. His availability tomorrow will probably be a game-time decision, but certainly we feel he's getting better each day, and each day has certainly played out to be a pretty big improvement from a rehab standpoint.

So I'm optimistic he can get in the game tomorrow. I'm not overly optimistic he can play significant minutes or be -- you know, be a real positive force inside for us. But I do think that he can be out there, and if he can play at 80 percent or 70 percent and be confident, we may use him a few minutes.

But that 70 percent tomorrow could be 90 percent or 85 percent by Friday and 90 percent by Saturday if we're fortunate enough to win.

Q. Coach, you had your last hard practice this morning and then last chance to install, and tomorrow you're facing a team that's very structured and will try to limit your possessions. Your thoughts on that?
COACH SELF: Well, there's no question, you know, we can say limit possessions, but Penn, if I'm not mistaken, is averaging 76 points a game. So they're wanting to score. They're wanting to get up and down. They're sound defensively.

So sometimes I think that opponents have longer possessions against them because they don't give up easy shots on the first or second side. So our deal is we've still gotta play fast, but playing fast doesn't mean shoot fast. Playing fast means move fast, move the ball fast, get the ball to the third side as fast as you can.

And certainly defensively, you know, they are structured, but there's a lot of freedom within their structure, too. And we know the bigs are unbelievable passers and then they got four guys around a big that can always shoot. So obviously that'll pose problems for anybody if they're not prepared.

Q. Coach, you've obviously seen firsthand the talent that comes out of Wichita. You know what Coach Marshall has got going on here and now this. Can you talk about your perception of Wichita as a basketball city?
COACH SELF: Well, I mean, my perception of Wichita as a basketball city has been very, very high, going way back, you know. When you're talking about Dreiling and Aubrey Sherrod and all those guys going back, there has been -- did Ricky Ross grow up in Wichita? I mean, if I'm not mistaken -- I can't remember if he did -- he did, didn't he? And I can't remember the bigs that -- all the bigs off the top of my head.

But this has been an unbelievable basketball town over time. And certainly, you know, us recruiting Perry, Perry was obviously one of the best players that we've had in my tenure at Kansas, and he was from Wichita. And with the success that Wichita State's had, which is incredible, certainly has put Wichita on the map nationally, not just with recruiting but with quality of play here in town.

So you know, I think that -- I think that Kansas as a whole, when you have three Division I schools and all three have done as well as they've done, I think it's made a pretty good name for basketball in our state. Although, most of the kids that play at the three universities are not local kids. Most of them are probably from somewhere, another state.

But I think Wichita's got a terrific name nationally basketball-wise, especially if you go back to the history of the guys that played here, Darnell and everybody else.

Q. Devonte' compared the 1 seed tournament loss to a 16 seed kind of like your Big 12 streak. Do you see a parallel just kind of in the back of your mind that you don't want to be the team to break a streak, that type of thing?
COACH SELF: Well, I think that that's fair. I don't see the parallel at all. But I think that that's fair that guys could say that. I think every team that's a 1 seed, you know, in the back of their mind would say, oh, geez, this hasn't happened before, it can't happen to us. I think that's fair that somebody would say that.

I think this is a little bit different this year because you can say 1 versus 16, but our players know after watching tape definitely not 16. So they have our attention. But once you get in the tournament, you should have to play well to advance. I mean, that's the reality of it, and I believe that we're prepared to do that.

Q. Bill, they are allowing 29 percent from the three, I think. Specifically what are you seeing on tape that allows them to be so successful?
COACH SELF: Well, I think -- you know, I heard Steve talk, and he talked a lot about they've got some guys that can really guard the ball. So if you can stay in front of your man and guard the ball, it creates less dribble penetrations, which create less help situations and rotations, which you know, we kind of make a living off of that, you know, making the extra pass off of rotations and things like that.

So from what I've seen is, you know, they guard the ball well, and certainly they don't give -- you know, even if you get up a three, it's usually contested. So we've gotta do a good job of forcing help on the first side just to set up a second drive and force help on the second drive just to set up a third drive as opposed to thinking that we can attack them like we did West Virginia who put so much pressure on the ball that if you can get your shoulders past them, initially, you may can score on the first side.

I don't believe scoring on the first side will be that prevalent against Penn.

Q. Coach, we had a chance to talk with Lagerald before you came in. Could you offer some insights about what your expectations and hopes are for him in this tournament?
COACH SELF: Well, I think, you know, in order for us to have a chance to advance, we need to have all our best players playing well, and he's certainly one of our best players. And I thought he played really well against West Virginia. I thought his activity level is good. He's had some really good practices since then.

And so I'm anticipating having a Lagerald that was -- his activity level was similar to what it was a couple of months ago. I don't think his activity level during league play was quite as good as it was before, and I think there's reasons for that, and -- but I think he's on a serious uptick right now.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. If there are no other questions, best of luck tomorrow, Coach.

COACH SELF: Thank you. Appreciate it.

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