KU’s Bill Self: TCU basketball can ‘beat just about anybody’ going into March Madness
Not many coaches have as much March Madness experience as Kansas’ Bill Self. He’s been a part of every NCAA Tournament since 1999.
Self has experienced the highs of winning a national championship and reaching multiple Final Fours, and the lows of being upset in the early rounds. Self knows as well as anyone which teams are dangerous in the Big Dance.
Count Self as a believer in TCU as a team that could make some serious noise in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think TCU can beat just about anybody if they play well,” Self said. “I love that team. I do. They’ve got great depth. Those players at 2, 3 and 4 are athletic. They can all do different things.
“Defensively they’re interchangeable. Then of course I’m a big fan of their two bigs. They’ve both given us problems, especially [Eddie] Lampkin, all three times we’ve played him. He has great hands, good feet. I think they’re a team that could really be a very tough out.”
Self made the comments after his Jayhawks pulled away for a 75-62 victory over the Frogs in a semifinal matchup Friday night at the Big 12 Tournament.
TCU and KU split the regular-season series with each team winning its respective home game.
Self felt his team benefited from TCU returning to game action a day after rallying from a 20-point deficit to knock off Texas in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. KU led by as many as 19 in the first half and were never threatened down the stretch.
“I really feel like we caught a break because they had to expend so much energy yesterday to have a great win against Texas,” Self said. “We didn’t have to expend quite as much energy [in a 24-point victory over West Virginia]. I thought that was the difference early.”
TCU (20-12) will now await its March Madness fate on Selection Sunday. Most project the Frogs to earn a 7- to 10-seed.
KU (27-6), meanwhile, is eyeing a potential 1-seed in the tournament and will play for the Big 12 title on Saturday.
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
