Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self addresses the media after his team defeats the Baylor Bears 64-61 on February 10, 2024. He discusses the missed opportunities at the end of the game, how misleading the steals total was and more.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 >> Jamar, I'm just wondering what the final game plan was for you guys tonight?
00:05 I mean, I'm sorry, McCuller, I mean, what was the goal?
00:08 I mean- >> To win the game,
00:11 final game plan was try to play seven.
00:16 If we had to go eight or nine, it would have been Cenk and Wilder.
00:19 Try to rotate those guys a little bit if we could,
00:24 just to get our guys enough rest.
00:28 I was hoping the game was slow, which it was.
00:31 I was hoping the game was ugly and muddy, which it was, in large part because
00:38 they turned it over in large part because we didn't make shots.
00:40 But yeah, but the whole thing was,
00:45 this is probably the least happy I've been after winning because
00:51 that's not how you play basketball.
00:53 And that's certainly not the intellect in which you're supposed to play.
00:56 So I'm disappointed that we can make those four or
01:01 five plays that we made in the last minute that put us in harm's way to actually
01:06 lose the game.
01:07 >> And coming home from Manhattan, how important is it to not let one become two?
01:11 Hunter talked about that a little bit,
01:12 the importance of getting this one and getting back in the column.
01:15 >> Yeah, yeah, I think it's, yeah, you gotta do that,
01:17 cuz the next one's the top 25 team on the road.
01:23 So with no time to in between, so yeah, this is,
01:29 we knew it was gonna be this one, it's a hard part to schedule.
01:32 Not just because who we play, but the timing in which we play them.
01:35 So yeah, we had to get this one tonight.
01:38 >> Bill, is there any concern with DeJuan and
01:40 Kevin's status, considering it's a Saturday and Monday turnaround?
01:44 >> I don't know anything about Juan, but
01:45 I can't imagine Kevin being a lot better on Monday if he can't hardly move on
01:49 Saturday, but we'll see.
01:52 So, but I don't know about Juan, they said he got pretty good, but
01:55 he's a pretty tough kid, so we'll see when he comes back.
01:58 >> In terms of forcing those turnovers,
02:05 I mean, how important was it for you guys to have really active hands in the defense?
02:08 >> I actually thought our hands were better tonight.
02:10 I thought our ball screen defense was excellent.
02:13 I thought Hunter did a great job on ball screen defense.
02:16 I thought behind it, we had some guys screw up a couple of times, but for
02:20 the most part, it was really good, cuz that's how they score.
02:22 They score off threes and pin ins and ball screens, and
02:27 Missy's obviously gonna be a fabulous pro, and she's a terrific prospect.
02:32 But I thought our hand activity was good.
02:34 But I also thought Baylor, let's call it like it is, we got three or
02:37 four steals where they just fumbled the ball right to us.
02:41 So I don't think they did a great job handling the ball, so
02:44 the steals are a little inflated based on how we played,
02:48 even though I did think we were more active.
02:51 >> And did you give any consideration to fouling up three and
02:53 the last position?
02:54 >> Not without a timeout, no, no consideration.
02:57 We've done it a lot of ways differently, but not without a timeout.
03:04 Missed free throw confusion, Juan ended up not engaging until after he got
03:08 to half court, maybe in the back court.
03:11 Baylor's a great offensive rebounding team on free throws.
03:15 They got more size, so that was not a consideration for me.
03:20 But they got exactly what they wanted because we couldn't get matched up five on
03:23 five and switch a simple high ball screen, so.
03:27 >> They got everything they wanted in those two threes in the last?
03:31 >> Yeah, they're wide open.
03:32 Nick overhelped, and then we didn't get matched up off a free throw.
03:37 I got you, you got me.
03:38 I mean, didn't get matched up, and then we're switching fives, so
03:42 that shouldn't have been that difficult to guard.
03:44 We let them dribble right into a three in the scoring area.
03:47 >> 17 steals, even though you just said they gave some of them up.
03:51 What do you think of 17 steals?
03:54 >> Actually, I think it's good.
03:57 But the one thing that you can look at on steals is we got
04:02 17 points off the turnovers with 21 turnovers.
04:11 17 of them are steals, and steals usually lead to transition.
04:15 We score 11 points in transition, so we didn't take advantage of the steals.
04:20 I think we could have if we were maybe at full strength.
04:24 >> How'd Timberlake do in this?
04:29 >> We won, so I'll just leave it at that.
04:31 So we won.
04:32 >> And finally, is Juan, his ankle and his cutting just the same thing with the knee?
04:39 >> Yeah, same thing I just said.
04:42 Juan, I don't know.
04:44 He'll get treatment.
04:45 I don't know if he'll be able to play or not tomorrow.
04:47 He got it pretty good, they said.
04:50 They said he got it pretty good, but
04:52 he still made the biggest shot of the game when he came back in, though.
04:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]