Bill Self Talks Latest Big 12 Championship + Kansas’ Postseason Record
The Kansas Jayhawks have been a model of consistency under head coach Bill Self, wrapping up the program's 12th-straight Big 12 conference championship this season.
Self appeared on Inside the Locker Room to talk about his last national championship contender and the challenges of playing in a deep conference. The strength of the Big 12 makes this run even more impressive, and Self credits the players he's brought to Kansas.
"We've had a good run and we've been really fortunate because we've had really good players, as you guys know," Self said. "It means a lot to them. Of course, it means a lot to a lot of folks. But they seem to rise to the level when they have to.
The big knock on Self has been his postseason results. Even though he cut the nets down in 2008, Self gets criticized because he's only made two Final Fours while failing to make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in five of those 12 conference championship seasons. But you won't hear any excuses from Self.
"We've been good during the regular season a lot," Self said. "(We) haven't very consistent in the postseason. I think (we've been) really good and then not any good at all. Hopefully, this will be a year that we put it all together.
He'll have another chance to make a run in 2016 as his team could be in position to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Big 12 is projected to get seven teams in this year, and it'll be a chance to make up for recent struggles.
"If you're going to be considered the best league in the country, you've got to do it in the postseason," Self said. "We failed miserably last year in the postseason. Not only us, but as a league so we need to do much better this year."
You can listen to the interview in its entirety below.