Kansas head coach Bill Self has put together quite the career already in Lawrence, one that already put him in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached many teams and won multiple National Championships, and he could be on his way to another one this season.
Self has coached a lot of great players who have helped lead his teams to a ring, but this season, he has the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and has found ways to win without him. The Jayhawks just took down No. 1 Arizona in a huge matchup where Darryn Peterson was unable to go late with flu-like symptoms.
The Hall of Fame head coach was able to still get his team ready with a five-minute pep talk to take on the undefeated Wildcats, and clearly, he knew what he was doing. With Peterson not being a lock to play every game this season due to injuries, Self has had to find ways to coach around it, and it may be one of the best coaching jobs of his career, at least Jon Rothstein thinks so.
"I'm not going to say this is the best coaching job that Bill Self has ever done," Rothstein said. "But I think you have to say it's one of the best coaching jobs that Bill Self has ever done."
"I think you have to say this is one of the best coaching jobs Bill Self has ever done."@JonRothstein points out that Bill Self has adapted well without Darryn Peterson in the lineup consistently. pic.twitter.com/acRyCZgaEb
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 11, 2026
The CBS Sports college basketball analyst spoke about what Self has done, coaching practically two teams this season, one with Peterson and one without Peterson. The team with Peterson is certainly amazing and has such a high ceiling; however, they have played more games without him.
When Peterson was out for a longer stretch in November, it forced other guys to step up in big ways. The two that have done that the most, well, of course, Melvin Council Jr., who is in his first season with Kansas after transferring, and Flory Bigdunga, who played limited minutes for Self last season.
Both players have grown to be serious threats that opposing teams have to worry about, along with Peterson when he is in the lineup. Against Arizona, both players tied for a team-high 23 points, Council even shooting the ball 25 times as a point guard. Bidunga has been one of the best shot blockers in the countrya nd showed it against the Wildcats with a whopping six.
Self has found a way to coach both "teams" this season, and while Peterson certainly is a huge piece of this Kansas squad, Self has found a way to get it done without his star guard. It may not be his best coaching job ever, but he is certainly putting together an amazing season late in his career.