Kansas Jayhawks: Bill Self and the Amazing Home Record

No one has ever accused Kansas Jayhawks’ head coach Bill Self of being a sore loser, but he is on the wrong side of the final score so rarely, one could excuse him if he was.

In his 12 years at the helm of Kansas the former Oklahoma State point guard has nine home losses — as in less than ten.

Self has more consecutive Big 12 Conference championships (10 working on 11), than Allen Fieldhouse losses during that span.

They are so few are far between, hard core Jayhawk fans can actually remember them.

There was The First One (Richmond (69-68), Jan. 22, 2004), The Surprising One (Kansas State (59-55), Jan. 14, 2006), The Inexplicable One (Oral Roberts (78-71), Nov. 15, 2006), The Back Flip One (Oklahoma St. (85-50, OT), Feb. 2, 2013), and The Last One (San Diego St. (61-57), Jan. 5, 2014) — with a few others sprinkled in between.

More impressive than nine losses is the fact it is coupled with 189 victories — a 95.4 winning percentage.

If this were an answer to a fourth-grade math problem, the teacher would just have you round up to 100 percent.

It feels like that is how often the Jayhawks win at home, and many seasons that is exactly what happens.

Self has only lost two home games in a season twice, and the Jayhawks have been undefeated in front of the home crowd five times during the streak (with one home game left in 2015).

After a Feb. 3, 2007 loss to Texas A&M, the Jayhawks didn’t lose in Lawrence again until Jan. 22, 2011 versus Texas.

Since that game, when the team played after staying up all night helping Jayhawk Thomas Robinson cope with the loss of his mother, they have only dropped two home contests.

Of course sacred Allen Fieldhouse plays a role in Self’s amazing record, but in the 48 years prior to Self, KU coaches won at “just” an 84 percent clip — much less than Self’s 96 percent.

Also, he is not the only coach of a blue blood program with a prestigious home venue.

During this same stretch, dating back to the 2003-04 season, Duke, who plays in famous Cameron Indoor Stadium, has lost 13 home games.

Kentucky has dropped 22 games at Rupp Arena the past 12 years, almost 2.5 times than Self and the Jayhawks.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been nearly as impressive in McCarthey Athletic Center (which opened one year after Self began at KU), going 168-10 after losing to BYU Saturday night.

Head Coach Mark Few, however, has one more loss than Self (in one less season), and despite what anyone would like to argue, the West Coast Conference does not stack up to the Big 12.

It’s not like Self has been a slouch on the road or on nuetral courts either at Kansas. He has won at a better than 70 percent rate (159-66) away from Allen Fieldhouse, including 26-10 in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s the home record that is so impressive to most, and if Self and the Jayhawks win their final game at Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday, it will be the main reason for Big 12 title number 11 in a row.

If they lose, you could see something like this.

If that’s the case, give him a break.

As we’ve established, he’s not used to losing in front of the home folks.

Next: Kansas Jayhawks: Naming the All-Bill Self KU Teams

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