Bill Self had a few moments left on the Superdome floor Saturday. And he didn’t want to waste them.
After taking out his starters in Kansas’ 81-65 victory over Villanova in the men’s Final Four, the Kansas coach gathered his players around him on the bench with 24 seconds left, similar to what would happen during a timeout.
He had one more message to deliver.
“I just said, ‘Hey, let’s enjoy this,’” Self told The Star afterward. “’But we didn’t come here to win one.’”
Self stopped and grinned a few steps outside the KU locker room about a half-hour after the Jayhawks’ win.
He felt the directive was necessary at that time. But maybe, looking back, he didn’t need to do that at all.
“They get it. They get it,” Self said of his players. “It’s unbelievable.”
It’s come to this point as KU secured its spot in Monday’s national championship against North Carolina: Self finds this group exceptionally easy to love thanks to its collective mindset over the last three weeks.
KU Athletics’ social media videos reflect this focus. There was jumping and screaming for the Jayhawks upon entering the locker room, but most repeated a two-word mantra their coach would’ve loved hearing.
“One more.”
The job isn’t finished. And KU’s players had just said similar things next to Self while elevated on the press conference dais.
“In the Elite Eight, we were saying, ‘We come to Kansas for big games, but you don’t come to Kansas to play the Elite Eight,’” KU junior guard Christian Braun said. “Then we win the Final Four game, and we’re saying, ‘We don’t come to Kansas to win the Final Four. We came to win the national championship.’”
Most importantly for Self, his players aren’t just talking about this emphasis; they’re more importantly backing it up with their actions.
Since KU’s last loss — a road defeat at TCU on March 1 — the team has taken heed of a short rallying cry that appeared on KU basketball’s promotional videos throughout the season: “Lock in.”
For the Jayhawks, that’s primarily centered on the defensive end … and also with the scouting report.
In its Elite Eight game against Miami, KU frequently bit for up-fakes. As a result, the Jayhawks were thrown off balance and fouled too often, with Self constantly barking, “Stay down!” from the bench.
KU learned its lesson quickly this past week. The scout was to remain solid defensively against Villanova’s rash of pumps and dekes, looking to make the Wildcats score over the top while not bailing them out by putting them on the free-throw line.
In that aspect, the Jayhawks graded out at an A-plus. KU point guard Dajuan Harris set the tone, swarming Big East player of the year Collin Gillespie in the opening minutes and thwarting his post-up attempts. He also swatted away an early steal to let Gillespie know immediately that offense wasn’t going to be easy.
The Jayhawks also succeeded in a way that had been a struggle all season: with precise scripted offensive movements.
KU had just 58 possessions against Villanova — its lowest number in a game since 2016. Yet the team still managed 81 points, putting up the best efficiency total against the Wildcats in more than five seasons.
That all came in the half-court. KU — its most significant strength all season has been transition — scored zero fast-break points, something that hadn’t happened all season.
With this one, though, KU snapped the ball side to side. The Jayhawks found Ochai Agbaji early to get him going, then they also remained patient with David McCormack and diligent when looking his way.
Self helped too. KU’s set plays cleverly put the passer and big man in the middle of the floor, which gave Villanova no chance to help on McCormack’s post-ups without risking more open threes.
“It’s not just him being outstanding,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said of McCormack’s 25 points. “It’s their execution and their schemes to get him the ball at the right spots.”
The turn-around is short now. KU will have to cram for its close-up against North Carolina, facing an unlikely foe in 2022’s most significant college basketball game.
Self is at a point, though, where he seems comfortable with his guys’ chances.
If the Jayhawks have proven anything over this 10-game win streak, it’s this: They’re going to listen to instruction, and they aren’t going to over-celebrate what’s happened in the past.
Slowly and subtly, this team has morphed into the type of group that Self respects most.
One that grinds. One that makes other opponents play poorly.
And one — during the season’s most important moments — that has found a winning formula by locking in.