Bill Self: "We need to be able to make six or seven threes"
As it turned out, KU’s run through the Big 12 Tournament lasted just one day. Bill Self’s squad, the No. 6 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, was eliminated by Cincinnati, the No. 11 seed, 72-52, on Wednesday night.
It certainly wasn’t one of Bill Self’s more memorable moments inside T-Mobile Center on Wednesday night. Despite falling behind Cincinnati by 17 points with 2:23 left in the first half, Kansas rallied to pull to within two points of the Bearcats, 40-38, with 13:29 left in the game, but would get no closer the rest of the way.
Kansas, on the following possession, had numerous opportunities to take the lead, but KJ Adams, Jr., came up short on a jumper. A turnover by Cincinnati opened up the door for the Jayhawks to finally push themselves over the hump, but Adams, Jr., had his shot blocked by Jamille Reynolds.
John Newman’s free throw with 12:27 left in the game extended Cincinnati’s lead over Kansas to three points, 41-38.
Kansas, with 10:54 remaining on the clock, pulled to within three points, once again, but it didn’t take long for Cincinnati to regain control and, in doing so, cruised to a 20-point victory.
On a night when Kansas was without the services of Kevin McCullar, Jr., and Hunter Dickinson, both out with injuries, KJ Adams, Jr., led the way with 22 points and four rebounds. He was the only player to score in double-figures for Kansas.
Not long after the final buzzer sounded, Kansas head coach Bill Self addressed the media inside T-Mobile Center.
“I actually thought we tried really hard,” said Self late on Wednesday night. “I thought the kids tried. Obviously, we were bad offensively and didn't make shots, didn't make any shots, and tonight would have been a night where things would have had to go a lot better for us shooting the basketball to have a chance.
“I thought defensively we were pretty good, didn't rebound, but we took away stuff they like to do but we couldn't score the ball at all on the offensive end,” he added.
Without McCullar, Jr., and Dickinson, Kansas, not surprisingly, looked like a completely different team. Against Cincinnati, Self’s squad shot just 21-of-62 (33.9%) from the field, 3-of-20 (15.0%) from behind the arc, and 7-of-10 (70.0%) from the free-throw line.
Additionally, Kansas lost the battle on the glass, 49-38, committed 12 turnovers, and never found any flow or rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. Unforced turnovers at critical times, missed layups and, more than anything else, an inability to stretch the defense from behind the arc, continued to haunt the Jayhawks on Wednesday night.
Against Cincinnati, Kansas had a number of wide-open shots from behind the arc, but simply couldn’t convert.
Self, after the loss, talked about KU’s struggles from behind the arc this season.
“When you can't stretch it, it puts a lot of people around Hunter, but we had -- the bottom line is, you know, we haven't shot the ball well beyond the arc since the second game of the season,” said Self. “But what we have done is run really good offense and score a lot of two's, a lot! Probably as efficient as anybody in America inside the arc. But, you know, the bottom line is we need to be able to make six or seven threes. When you get outscored 15 to 30 points every game from beyond the arc, that's a lot of twos and you don't have enough opportunities to make those up.
“So, we do have to shoot it better. Johnny has been in a slump obviously shooting the ball,” he added. “And, you know, Nick shot it well on senior night and did tonight and Juan has to be able to make one out of two or one out of three from beyond the arc. We just didn't do that tonight. When we do have our full complement of guys and you put Kevin out there, we've got enough threats that we can stretch the defensive and run good offense.”
An early exit from the Big 12 Tournament isn’t all bad for Kansas. Looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament, Self can now rest his entire squad before kicking off the most important part of the schedule.
With Selection Sunday right around the corner, Self provided the latest update on McCullar, Jr., and Dickinson on Wednesday night.
“Hunter for sure couldn't (play in the Big 12 Tournament),” said Self. “Kevin probably could have, but Hunter, when it popped out of place and the MRI and what the doctor said, he's got to pass some tests before we put him out there. But, you know, you could make a case that if this game was played on Saturday, could he have played? The answer may be yes. But he should be good to go by next week.
“Kevin, you know, he's probably practiced three times in the last four or five weeks,” he added. “And he didn't practice after the K-State game and then felt good enough to play against Houston, at least that's what he said, and once he got out there realized it was a bad idea. So, whenever Hunter went out, to me it was an easy decision to sit Kevin. You know, you try your butt off to win a game, and with the risk of injuring him. It was an easy decision.”
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Kansas will rest and prepare for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.