Kansas head coach Bill Self didn’t make it through the first half Tuesday night in the Jayhawks’ loss at Arizona State.
Self was ejected midway through the opening half after picking up two technical fouls while arguing with officials, a sequence that added to an already chippy game in Tempe.
The exchange began when Self disputed a foul call involving Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson. Self said after the game that he believed Peterson had been getting “held all the time,” prompting him to step outside the coaching box to argue the call.
“The first one, that’s fine,” Self said. “I mean, I was out the box.”
Moments later, Self was assessed a second technical foul and automatically ejected. According to Self, the second technical came because he remained outside the coaching box longer than the officials allowed.
“The second one I was still out the box,” Self said. “So I guess that’s the reason why he gave it to me, because I was still out the box and didn’t retreat in the timely manner in which he wanted me to.”
Self said the reaction wasn’t meant to escalate the situation.
“That was it,” he said. “It certainly was not intentional whatsoever.”
Assistant coach Jacques Vaughn took over head coaching duties for the remainder of the game after Self was escorted to the locker room.
The emotional tone of the night didn’t stop there. Vaughn was also assessed a technical foul later in the game, adding to the tension between the Jayhawks and the officiating crew.
Self suggested after the game that frustrations were high on both sides.
“Jacques is a relatively mild-mannered guy,” Self said. “I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, but I think it was a situation in which we all could have handled some situations better. It was a pretty temperamental crew tonight.”
Kansas struggled early in the game even before Self’s ejection, falling behind as Arizona State hit several early shots and controlled the tempo. The Jayhawks later mounted a second-half comeback attempt, trimming the deficit to two points before Arizona State pulled away again.
Self watched the remainder of the game from the locker room.
“I was able to watch it on computer in the locker room,” Self said. “I thought we tried.”
Still, the early technical fouls and Self’s ejection were a defining moment in a night that Kansas ultimately couldn’t recover from.
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