Kansas head coach Bill Self has shockingly found himself in the hot seat as the Jayhawks have fallen from the No. 1 team in the country to being unranked in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll.
However, despite some calling for Self to be out as the men's basketball coach, the Jayhawks' leader shared that leaving his job is the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. When asked about the possibility of his retirement by The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman, Self kept it simple:
"That's not true at all," Self told Goodman.
Just like that, five words called for the end of any speculation that Self was heading anywhere other than the basketball court next season.
Also read: Incredible Kansas basketball AP streak ending is all on head coach Bill Self
Self has been the Jayhawks' head coach since 2003 and has led Kansas to a 605-144 overall record, which has included two NCAA Tournament championships. However, over the last two seasons, the Jayhawks have recorded just 40 wins and are currently sitting at 20 losses, a significant drop in production level.
In fact, last season, the Jayhawks were knocked out of March Madness in the Round of 32 for the second year in a row, despite being just two years removed from winning the national title in 2022. Now, Kansas is clinging to a No. 6-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, according to Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, as the Jayhawks head into a tough stretch of conference matchups.
With just three games remaining in their regular season, the Jayhawks have to face the No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders, the No. 4 Houston Cougars, and the No. 22 Arizona Wildcats as Kasnas fights to reach the 20-win mark this year.
If Kansas can pull off those three upsets, the Jayhawks would be sitting in a much better position for the rapidly approaching Big 12 Tournament and the subsequent NCAA Tournament in March. However, if they fail to acquire the three wins, Self might not have a choice when it comes to his employment status.