Kansas will conclude exhibition play by taking on Division Two Washburn in Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. Head coach Bill Self met with the media on Monday, looking back at the Arkansas game, giving his thoughts on the roster, and previewing the matchup with Washburn.

Arkansas game exposed a lot of areas for improvement, a good learning experience

Although Kansas played without Hunter Dickinson, Rylan Griffen, and Shakeel Moore, the Jayhawks did not look sound in their exhibition in Fayetteville. Self said the loss exposed some things on both ends that the team needs to improve on.

“I learned that we haven't figured out yet how to guard a ball screen. I've learned that and there's some certain things we've got to figure out,” Self said. “[I] learned that our transition defense was, I don't want to say horrendous, but it was poor. I also learned that I think from an aggressive mindset, you score a high percentage of points when you get paint touches and you score a ridiculously low percentage of points when you don't. So we have to start valuing different things on what's important to actually leading to good possessions. There's a lot of things like that that I think we can get better at.”

Despite the rocky performance, Self thought it was a good experience for the team. Kansas plays a tough schedule this season, and Self thinks the tough situation from the exhibition can be a learning point.

“I do think that situation that we played in the other night was probably about as healthy for us because that may be the only place maybe going to another place where there's a new coach and the fan base is rabid, but that's probably about as good and tough a situation you can have in the exhibition game and that was probably good for us,” Self said. “And then not being at full strength probably made it made us look worse than what we actually were, but it also is a good way to get everyone's attention.”

Kansas needs its scorers to be aggressive

Part of the Jayhawks’ offensive issues against Arkansas stemmed from their new guards not making an impact offensively. Griffen obviously didn’t play, Zeke Mayo shot 2/6, and AJ Storr was 4/11. Self said Griffen and Storr have to play at a pretty high level for Kansas to have a chance.

Self said he thought Mayo was dealing with nerves and thinks he’s very capable, but he needs to be more aggressive.

“I think that we have to get more production out of him than what we have,” Self said. “And I think he needs to continue to put himself in situations to be more aggressive as opposed to just being out there. We talked about being the best player, one of the best players. Well, the best players have to put themselves in positions to succeed and when you do that you also don't succeed often. And I think the other day he kind of played cautious.”

Self often expects a lot out of certain players’ role that might be different to what they’ve been before. With Storr, who’s been a high-level scorer in his college career, Self has said he wants to see him take a jump in rebounding and defending. Self said he’s got Storr thinking too much as he tries to figure out his role.

“I think that I have AJ messed up at the moment because he doesn't know what aggressive looks like,” Self said. “Hey, be aggressive, move the ball that contradicts the two things, be aggressive, 0.5 rules, you got to pass it, shoot it or drive it within 0.5, but you want me to be aggressive. That kind of stuff. That's not on him as much as it is on us. Getting him to understand that you can do both.”

Griffen and Moore to play against Washburn

Self said that Griffen and Moore are both likely to play against Washburn, but it might be in a limited capacity. Dickinson practiced Sunday but is not likely to suit up against the Ichabods.

The matchup with Washburn features a personal connection between the two head coaches. Brett Ballard played at Kansas from 2000-2002 and spent seven years on staff with Self.

“He's probably as good and responsible assistant that we've had. I mean, he was terrific,” Self said. “And then he stayed on with Danny when Danny made his different stops. And then, of course, got the job at Washburn replacing a legend, and he's great, his family's great, and we're happy for Brett and all his success that he's had and will continue to have, and we're good friends. So I want to see him do well, not at the expense of us, but tomorrow night, hopefully, it's a fun game for he, him, and for us.”

Troubles with getting newcomers acclimated amidst a tough nonconference schedule

The Jayhawks once again play a tough non-con with games like North Carolina, Duke, Creighton, NC State, and others. Self said there will be a balance between seeing what he has in his rotation and trying to win the high-profile matchups.

“Hopefully, we're going to have a situation in some games where we can afford to do that more than we did last year,” Self said. “But the high-profile games obviously are not going to be games that you're worried about minutes. And I'm not saying you will on the other games, but the reality of it is you're trying to win those games at all costs on those particular nights. So you could play eight, or you could play nine, or maybe you could play get to 10 or whatever.”

Self said they couldn’t turn down playing North Carolina or Duke early in the season. The Jayhawks are often at the center of the sport, and that will be no different in 2027, as they open up the season in Las Vegas against Indiana.

“I just think it's hard to pass up being part of something that's going to be the focal point of all the eyeballs in college basketball,” Self said. “That's a pretty good way to tip off a season and bring interest to our sport at a time where football dominates. So that's good. We need more games like that. And of course, you'd rather be a part of it than not a part of it.”