Why Bill Self said, ‘I don’t feel great about the big picture,’ after loss at Houston

Kansas’ last Big 12 Conference road game of the 2023-24 men’s basketball season turned out to be the Jayhawks’ worst of a campaign that has been the most unsuccessful of the Bill Self era outside of Allen Fieldhouse.

The No. 1-ranked Houston Cougars (28-3, 15-3) put an exclamation mark on their league championship season by pounding the 14th-ranked Jayhawks (22-9, 10-8) 76-46 at sold-out Fertitta Center. The loss gave KU a final road mark of 2-7, worst in Self’s 21 years at KU, just behind a 3-6 season in 2018-19.

On a day Hunter Dickinson suffered a dislocated shoulder (it popped out, then back in) in the second half and a day Kevin McCullar sat out the final half after failing to score while missing four shots in 15 minutes the first half, the Jayhawks suffered their worst loss in a conference game in the 21-year Bill Self era.

Previously, 29-point losses to Texas Tech this season and again to Tech in 2019 had been the biggest blowout defeats in league play under Self. It also was the third-worst loss overall in the Self era, trailing a 34-point loss to USC in 2021 and 32-point defeat to Kentucky in 2014.

KU’s 46 points were the lowest scored in a league game in the Self era and third-lowest total overall in a game under Self.

It all made for a somber scene in the postgame interview room, as Self didn’t mask his concern as the postseason begins.

“I don’t feel great about the big picture,” Self said in a media session that included only one player, Parker Braun, “only because I don’t know what our health situation will be. Guys, if we had our five guys and they are all lined up and they are healthy, we can play with anybody. We’re not (healthy) right now. That’s not why we lost today.

“That’s been a primary reason when we haven’t played well recently. Hopefully we’ll get a good report on Hunter and hopefully Kevin will start feeling better. If that’s the case our outlook will certainly be different than what it is right now. We’re leaving out of here thinking that was a terrible loss today and not a great effort and also we got beat up.”

Dickinson left the court and headed to the locker room in great pain after getting hit by Cedric Lath while going for a rebound with 11:08 to play and KU down 57-34. McCullar, who had missed four of the last seven games heading into the Houston contest because of a bone bruise in his knee, was totally ineffective versus the Cougars.

“He was hurting,” Self said of McCullar. “I wish we wouldn’t have played ‘Kev.’’’

As far as Dickinson, Self said he’d undergo an MRI and then a plan would be implemented for the postseason.

The Jayhawks, who went 3-of-21 from 3 to the Cougars’ 11-of-29, were never in Saturday’s game. Houston, which fell to KU 78-65 on Feb. 3 at Allen Fieldhouse, led 9-2 and 22-5 early and never was threatened.

Jamal Shead, who is leading candidate for Big 12 player of the year, approached a triple-double with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Four Cougars scored in double figures. Even senior walk-on Ryan Elvin had a memorable outing on Senior Day with seven points in six minutes.

“They were turned up and ready to go. The few good possessions we had we came away empty on them,” Self said. “The few bad possessions they had, it seemed they got 3 points at the end of the clock. It was one of those things.”

Asked how KU could win by double digits in Lawrence and suffer such a lopsided defeat on the road against the No. 1 team in the country, Self said: “I think a lot of it is their want-to. They were playing for a lot. They were playing for the No. 1 overall seed.

“They were playing before they knew Iowa State lost (to K-State, giving the Cougars the undisputed title in the first half of the KU game), playing to win the league outright.

“They also probably were being told most every day by somebody who has to be their head coach they are circling March 9 (for the KU rematch). They were turned up and ready. We tried to prepare our guys to be prepared for that. You get a good team that is well-coached and well-drilled and they are turned up and athletic and has so much to play for … that’s what happens sometimes when the other team doesn’t do enough to make the other team play poorly or stem the tide.”

Self also was asked about his team’s effort in the regular-season finale.

“I don’t know I am disappointed in the effort. I am disappointed in the competitiveness,” Self said. “There’s a lot of 50/50 balls, a lot of blown things we did that made it look worse than it was. I am not going to fault the effort. Being prepared from a competitive standpoint I certainly thought we could be a lot better.”

It was one big party for the Cougar fans Saturday. They didn’t storm the court at the final buzzer, instead were invited down for a party of sorts that was still going on with music blazing over the sound system a half hour after the contest.

Self tried everything early in the blowout, calling three timeouts during the Cougars’ early barrage. Houston led 34-9 at one point.

“I don’t know it (calling timeout) was as much trying to get back into it as much as get them from running and hiding,” Self said. “They were already dominating the game. I called three. I was just trying to stem the tide.”

Of Houston he said: “They could win it. If they played Connecticut ... we saw them (Huskies) so long ago, a season ago and Tennessee the same way. They could beat those teams. Those teams are really good too. If they played well they could give Houston all they wanted. Houston has to be one of the favorites. I hope they are No, 1 overall seed going into the tournament. I think they deserve that. Kelvin (Sampson) has a team that can win it all.”