Kansas Men's Basketball Head Coach Bill Self, Postgame Press Conference – Kansas vs. TCU
Here is everything Self said after Kansas men's basketball's improbable comeback to beat TCU 104-100 on Tuesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
On the significance of the win after trailing late:
“Well, first of all, TCU was better than us tonight for 35 minutes. And then for 10 minutes we were actually quite a bit better than them. They played great. They only shoot about 23 threes a game, average making eight, and they make 15 on us and shot 20 in the first half. So our defense was awful, we were soft, we didn’t rebound, not very competitive in a lot of things. Pouty — body language sucked.
“And then for some reason, the switch flipped. Down the stretch a couple good things happened. Next thing you know, the crowd feels it a little bit and guys start playing reckless abandon and played great. So it was as exciting a win as we’ve had. I think the probability to win tonight was probably less than the West Virginia game several years ago.
“Because that team was a one seed and went to the Final Four. This team is unproven. For them to stick it out and do it the way they did was pretty cool. The best thing that potentially happened tonight was we became a team. That remains to be seen if we are, but that was pretty special.”
On Darryn Peterson’s aggressiveness:
“The best thing he did tonight — he shot it poorly — but the best thing he did was get downhill. He hasn’t done that. People can question whatever they want, everybody can be an armchair quarterback, but you saw what his legs look like when he can get downhill as opposed to settling for jump shots, which is all he’s done up until tonight.
“That was two good things: hopefully we became a team, and we saw Darryn play through some stuff and look healthy. He didn’t get through the whole game, but he got through the vast majority of it.”
On Peterson coming out late and returning for the final play:
“Did I think if we were down three when he went out that I could put him back in? Yeah. But the bottom line is he started cramping, or felt it coming on, so that was his decision to come out. He wouldn’t have come out unless he had to.
“For five seconds, he could suck it up. We didn’t execute it great, but didn’t execute it bad. He got the three free throws. But even after he made them, he said, ‘OK, get me out.’ He’s a special talent, but we don’t know how to play with him yet, and he doesn’t know how to play with the others yet.”
On Melvin Council Jr.’s overtime performance:
“I thought our team collectively was really poor, but somehow the script flipped, and he was great in overtime. He didn’t jump for balls tonight, then in overtime he’s playing with both hands above everybody else on consecutive possessions that basically helped win and seal the game.
“We can get better, but that was a poor effort that we got away with because the guys flipped the switch at the end.”
On Peterson’s last shot attempt at the end of regulation:
“No, it wasn’t close. I don’t think it hit rim. If he could do that again, I think he would’ve tried to lift him and bounce it rather than shoot it because there was time to do that. But we were so lucky tonight.”
On late turnovers forced by Kansas:
“Elmarko has the potential to be a really good defensive guard, and he doesn’t do it consistently. But the best play he made tonight was stepping through the trap in the corner. Those are basketball plays. If you gave a player of the game for us, I don’t think there’s any doubt in my mind Elmarko Jackson should be the player of the game.”
On what caused the "switch" to flip:
“I really don’t know what triggered it. We weren’t playing well. We got fortunate they missed a front end and we took advantage of that. Sometimes in sports it’s not something you did unbelievably well, maybe a lucky bounce or good fortune.
“We had whatever the announced attendance was tonight plus one. I think that probably had as much to do with it as anything. Maybe our No. 1 fan for the last quarter century was looking down on us.”
On defensive rebounding:
“We didn’t try. They whipped us. We go from being a good defensive team three weeks ago to a soft team. We weren’t soft at game point, though, and that’s positive. But we certainly were tonight.”
On locker room celebration:
“It was celebratory, but exhausting. Tennessee topped it, those guys got $300,000 for winning that game. That probably had something to do with it.”
On leaving the arena:
“I’ll leave here very thankful knowing we caught a break tonight.”
