Kansas basketball: Jayhawks could be without coach Bill Self vs. Howard

Head coach Bill Self’s status for KU’s NCAA Tournament opener vs. Howard is uncertain.

The Hall of Fame coach was absent from the Jayhawks sideline during the entirety of the Big 12 Tournament, and that could still be the case when Kansas opens its March Madness run.

After being released from the University of Kansas Health System this past weekend, he returned to his home in Lawrence. Self touched down in Des Moines, Iowa, with his family instead of the team.

It is still unknown if he will participate in any media events today. Interim head coach Norm Roberts is going to address them instead, which suggests that Self may not be healthy in time for the game vs. Howard. In an interview with Rivals.com, Roberts said this about him:

"“He’s doing good and he was at practice with the guys this morning and he was at practice yesterday. (Coach) Self came up earlier with his family. What you’re seeing (is the plan moving forward with Self), which is day-to-day…He’s day-to-day and we’ll see how it goes.”"

If there were a game that Self could miss during the tournament, it would be this one. Howard poses a very small threat to the Jayhawks — it is hard to fathom a universe that Kansas would be upset by a school that nearly lost by 50 points to Yale.

The expected recovery time for what coach Self had (standard heart catheterization) is 5-7 days, and that benchmark has not yet been reached. Kansas would play their Round of 32 matchup two days after tomorrow’s contest, so it would make sense for the team to prioritize his health over a measly 16-seeded school.

Self is currently in contact with the team and they are staying in the same hotel. More details should come soon.