KANSAS CITY — The dynamics of Kansas’ game Thursday against West Virginia changed midway through the first half, with Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins’ ejection.
The Jayhawks were rolling, up 19-4 in the Big 12 Conference tournament quarterfinal matchup, when Huggins’ first technical foul followed that of one of his players. Then, moments later as the situation continued, Huggins received the consequential second. And as Kansas coach Bill Self recounted postgame what occurred, and what it led to, he expressed disappointment that Huggins wasn’t there to coach the entire game.
Self made clear he wasn’t condemning how Huggins acted, or the decision to call technicals on Huggins. First a West Virginia player, and then Huggins, appeared to express a level of displeasure with how the game was being officiated. But Self said after the Jayhawks won 87-63, that no one wants to see the ejection occur.
“We caught a big break there,” Self said, “but it’s not a break that we wanted.”
Huggins would say postgame that he was standing up for his guys, and that he always has. Mountaineers senior guard Sean McNeil said that’s what Huggins was doing, too. And when Huggins was asked if he was surprised by the second technical, he said he’s not surprised by much considering how long he’s been coaching.
The sequence of technicals led to six-straight free throws for the Jayhawks, which were all taken by redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Wilson. Wilson would make five of the six, as Kansas went on to lead by 22 points at halftime and win by 24. Self doesn’t remember being a part of a situation like that before, and said he didn’t like it.
“I haven’t talked to (Huggins), and I’m sure we’ll talk about it at some point in time,” said Self, asked during his press conference if he’d sought Huggins out yet. “But right now is probably not the time.”
►RELATED: David McCormack able to rest as Kansas basketball dominates West Virginia in Big 12 tournament
Self and Huggins did have a conversation after Self finished speaking with reporters, although it’s unclear what that conversation was about.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What Bill Self said about West Virginia’s Bob Huggins’ ejection