Kansas Coach Bill Self Expresses Frustration After Upset Loss to Cincinnati
LAWRENCE, Kansas – The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks suffered a disappointing 84-68 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse, marking their fourth conference defeat of the season. Following the game, head coach Bill Self voiced his frustration with his team’s performance, citing a lack of defensive intensity and rebounding effort.
“We were just awful today defensively and then they were great,” Self stated, emphasizing Cincinnati’s strong play. “They played great. Their bigs dominated, and their guards… we didn’t pressure them. They got where they wanted to. So it was a combination of defensive rebounding, their guards basically getting where they wanted to go, but their bigs, they destroyed us.”
The Bearcats controlled the boards, outrebounding the Jayhawks 40-29. Self attributed this to a lack of physicality from his team. “I’d say they were more aggressive, they were more physical, and we played soft,” he said.
When asked about comments made by Melvin Council Jr. Regarding a lack of energy, Self downplayed the issue, stating, “You didn’t ask him? There wasn’t bad energy, but I don’t think that we were as enthusiastic. I don’t think we were as energetic. I don’t think what he said is necessarily maybe the right phrase, but I could feel it too. I could feel it was a lot like the Utah game, to be honest with you.”
Flory Bidunga suggested the team didn’t show enough respect for their opponent. Self dismissed this notion, responding sharply, “I’m not going to buy that s***, okay? So, respecting opponents more? Maybe coming out with the same energy that you have against Arizona and other people would be equal respect. We didn’t do that today, but don’t make something out of nothing, because no team is on point and at a 10 every game of the season, regardless if you’re playing home or away. So I’m not buying that.” He added, “We respected the opponent, but the bottom line is, we didn’t bring it as a unit from an energy standpoint, like you got to when they’re good. I mean, they’re obviously good. We played an NCAA Tournament team today, there’s no doubt about that.”
Bidunga led Kansas with 18 points and 12 rebounds, but Self acknowledged the team’s overall struggles. “I didn’t think anybody played well today, so I’d certainly include all our players in that,” he said. “The thing about it is, we can chop it up however much we want to, but the defensive intensity from everybody was lacking.”
Self also commented on Cincinnati’s strong shooting performance, particularly their 12 three-pointers made. “It is elite. It was great. Their length, they protect the rim. Those shots that Melvin makes a lot of times, it’s a little different shooting over 7-2 and 6-11 like that. So yeah, I thought they did a good job, for the most part, keeping the ball out of the paint.”
Looking ahead, Self indicated the team would meet to discuss the loss. “We’ll meet tomorrow at two, and go over it. And things happen, and we got to stay together. I think that we will, without question, they’re great kids. But we weren’t competitive today. And the message is, ‘If you can’t make other people play poorly, no matter where you’re playing, it could be a long afternoon or evening,’ and that’s exactly what happened. We didn’t do anything to get them out of rhythm.”
He also highlighted Darryn Peterson’s performance, noting, “If we’re going to grab a positive out of this today, yeah, let’s go with that. So I actually thought that for the most part, he moved pretty well. But to me, playing is, did we pressure? I think he was out there, and I think that was great, but that’s still not what I’m looking for from an entire team.”
