Recapping everything Bill Self said after Kansas Jayhawks beat UCF in nail biting finish

Kansas escaped with a tight win over UCF in the Big 12 Tournament, but coach Bill Self isn’t celebrating yet, noting that they failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities and struggled against a resilient UCF squad, on Wednesday.

Despite the subpar showing, Kansas relied on key contributions from AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo and Parker Braun, whose critical 3-point shooting eventually secured the victory.

Self didn’t hold back on what went wrong. The defense was a mess, according to the coach:

“I thought that we didn't played a Scouting Report,” Self said (6:22).

UCF players got to their strong hands too easily; poor switches killed them, and shooters found open looks. The help defense faltered when drives came, and over-guarding non-shooters only made it worse. One bright spot: defensive rebounding held up.

“I actually thought there were some good things from a defensive rebounding standpoint,” he said.

AJ Storr stole the show, dropping a season-high 19 points for Kansas. Bill Self had a hunch about him, and it paid off.

"He (Storr) was big for us tonight and we don't win the game without him," Self said.

Storr, a Wisconsin transfer, had struggled all season. Before Wednesday night, he averaged just 4.3 points in 12 minutes per game in conference play and had yet to deliver a breakout performance.

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Bill Self acknowledged the challenge, given Arizona’s talent

Bill Self reacts to game play during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats - Source: Imagn

Looking ahead to a rematch with Arizona just four days after their last meeting, Bill Self acknowledged the challenge, given Arizona’s talent.

“It's going to be a challenge because they got really good guys, and they got a really good team,” he said.

However, he saw an advantage in the quick turnaround, saying that the team had a rare opportunity to prepare with fresh familiarity.

“The benefit is from a preparation standpoint they're going to be more familiar with it than at least I think they will be in than what we normally be,” Self added.

Jayhawks coach reflected on their previous battle, noting that all four seniors played well, yet it was barely enough to secure a home win. That, Bill Self said, underscored the need for even more energy and sharper defense in the upcoming game.

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