Kansas basketball led by as many as 21 points in the first half of Saturday’s matchup with the Baylor Bears. Yet somehow, the Jayhawks squandered their biggest lead in program history and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Waco.
Although the Chiefs are heading to their third Super Bowl in as many years next Sunday, college sports haven’t been kind to those residing in the Sunflower State. But if sitting through two historically improbable defeats within the matter of a week wasn’t painful enough, head coach Bill Self’s tone-deaf comments from his postgame press conference were the cherry on top for the KU faithful.
Self’s trust in veteran forward KJ Adams has been a topic of discussion all year. Even with his offensive limitations and uninspiring performances, he still gives him a longer leash than anyone else on the roster. When asked why freshman standout Flory Bidunga and defensive stalwart Shakeel Moore only received a combined six minutes of playing time in the second half, KU’s coach responded with an answer that infuriated just about everyone:
Self on going with Diggy and KJ at the end over Flory and Shak said it was because Flory and Shak didn't score at all. Said it wasn't a hard decision.
— Henry Greenstein (@HenryGreenstein) February 1, 2025
Bill Self’s postgame responses continue to confuse Kansas basketball fans
Self said both players hadn’t done enough offensively to warrant playing them during that spot. With that being said, Adams had an abysmal offensive outing, scoring six points and turning it over four times on 2-for-5 shooting. He missed consecutive push shots in crunch time and completely ruined any rhythm the team had.
Bidunga had been on fire leading up the meeting, averaging 13.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in the three prior games. Moore has also made several defensive plays in recent games that turned the tide of the contest upside down, and his energy could have paid dividends during Kansas’ offensive rut.
Despite the loss, Self found it to be a good time to crack a joke about the fruit offered in Foster Pavilion, citing it as a reason why the Jayhawks were outscored 60 to 30 in the second half.
Self jokes: I honestly believe the oranges that we ate at halftime that Baylor provided was probably the reason why we sucked the second half.
— Henry Greenstein (@HenryGreenstein) February 1, 2025
As one might imagine, nobody was pleased with his comedic failure. “What [a] clown statement. Time is passing this guy by,” one furious fan wrote on X.
Last year, the Hall of Famer was given a pass considering the circumstances. Kevin McCullar was injured for the latter portion of the season, and KU had lost out on a plethora of depth to the transfer portal. Self even admitted that he had already been looking toward the next year after Gonzaga ended the Jayhawks’ campaign.
All offseason long, Self stressed that the coaching staff would address KU’s shortcomings in the transfer portal. They added AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo, Rylan Griffen, David Coit, and Shakeel Moore, earning themselves the title of the preseason No. 1 school. This current roster has the talent to make a deep run in March, but it feels like we are watching a carbon copy of last year’s team.
Self has given Jayhawk fans lasting memories since his tenure began in 2003, but it isn’t unreasonable for people to have their doubts. Two consecutive Kansas basketball squads have been bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first weekend, and the 2024-25 Jayhawks aren’t doing anything compelling to suggest a different outcome next month.