Kansas basketball's Bill Self drops 'monster' truth bomb on Big 12
07/05/2024 15:42
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self knows his conference is about to get even harder. Self is calling the new look Big 12 a ‘monster’ of a league.
"It's going to be a monster of a league" @KUHoops coach Bill Self joined @TheAndyKatz to speak on Kansas' offseason and the strength of the new look @Big12Conferencepic.twitter.com/SW5w0pMT4C
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) May 6, 2024
“We’re going to 20 games a year in our league, and last year, I think 18 totally beat the hell out of everybody,” Self said. “Our league was so competitive last year.”
The conference confirmed each team will play 20 league games in 2024-25. The league is expanding by adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Texas and Oklahoma are out and headed to the SEC. It is the second straight season that four new teams are joining the conference. Things are certainly getting no easier in a Big 12 that is no longer seeing Kansas as a year in, year out favorite.
Kansas basketball rebuild
The Jayhawks had a rare down season in this past campaign, losing the most regular season conference games in the Bill Self tenure. Kansas basketball struggled with injuries, as leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. missed the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. Hunter Dickinson was also hobbled with a hurt shoulder. The Jayhawks bowed in the NCAA tournament Round of 32, due to a depleted roster.
Kansas basketball is making moves to turn around their fortunes. The Jayhawks got a huge boost when Dickinson announced he would return to the team. Dickinson led the Big 12 in rebounding last season. Kansas also added a huge pool of transfer portal additions, including former Alabama wing Rylan Griffen. Kansas also added another huge piece with incoming freshman big man Flory Bidunga. Bidunga is no. 11 in the 2024 college basketball recruiting class, per 247 Sports. Experienced point guard DaJuan Harris is also coming back to lead the team.
The team is losing McCullar, and guard Johnny Furphy is also expected to leave. Furphy is testing the draft waters and is expected to be a first-round NBA Draft pick, Self says. Despite those losses, Kansas is probably going to be a preseason Big 12 top 5 team, along with one of the top ranked teams in the country for the first basketball poll.
Those accolades don’t seem to impress Self. He knows that several other teams, including Houston, Baylor and Arizona could easily take the league.
“The one that is a little different now, is that the majority of those teams we’ll play once,” Self added. “This league as good as it was last year, I see it even being better next year.” Under the previous conference schedule, the Big 12 teams played each other twice a year in a true round robin. The amount of schools has made that impossible now.
The Jayhawks are also playing a tough non conference schedule, including Duke and Missouri. Kansas basketball fans are truly excited to see how their team fares next season.
The post Kansas basketball’s Bill Self drops ‘monster’ truth bomb on Big 12 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
