From preseason royalty to March underdogs, Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks are clinging  to their Final Four hopes by a thread. They were projected as a top-5 team in the entire nation, but are now just looking for a playoff berth. Hunter Dickinson, the preseason NPOY pick, has alternated between dominance and invisibility this season. There has been no consistency in coach Self’s team.

A perfect example of inconsistency is the Jayhawks’ recent game against Texas Tech. They lost a close game to the Red Raiders, coming up 5pts short. Not only that, they conceded threes like nobody’s business! Even coach Self pointed out their lax defense around the perimeter after the loss.

In the post-game press conference, Bill Self addressed the media with a lot of transparency. He was critical of his team’s perimeter defense, and the mindset that they played with. “We were trying to keep up with them by shooting 2s and them shooting 3s, which is hard to do.” The coach said, detailing the difficult task his team had.

The Jayhawks really let the Raiders light up from deep. Especially someone like Christian Anderson, who put on a three-point shooting clinic going 5-10 from the arc. Overall, the Kansas team’s offense couldn’t make up the difference.

“When it’s 15-4 (in 3s) you’ve got to make a lot of 2s and a lot of free throws to offset that. And we didn’t do enough of that. We didn’t guard the arc whatsoever. And of course, that was the difference in the game.” Bill Self continued. Kansas dominated inside, however. They scored 44 of their points in the paint, a noteworthy attempt at making up the difference. KJ Adams Jr., in particular, played a really nice game. He was the reason the game was close.

Bill Self recognized his team’s efforts, but efforts alone won’t win the team a championship. Alongside the work, they need the results. Hunter Dickinson, with all of his experience and ability to dominate, needs to take onus for the team. They did many things well, they rebounded the ball with a passion, and their experience really showed.

But Kansas fans need to cool it a little too! After the loss against the Red Raiders, they sent an immense amount of hate towards Zeke Mayo, a senior guard. The messages and tweets were vile and disgusting, following which both the coach and player had to issue a statement too!

Zeke Mayo targeted by trolls, Bill Self takes responsibility

Mayo has a lot on his shoulders. As a senior on a team that has a lot of expectations behind it, his performances are scrutinized under a microscope. Fans celebrate his wins with a passion, but are equally quick to put him down too!

After a lackluster performance against Texas Tech, the six-foot-four point guard got the worst of it. Trolls harassed and abused the Kansas star, throwing racist insults and personal threats. Fans forced Mayo into a corner, following which he made a social media post about the situation.

The post read, “I 100% deserve all the criticism in the world. My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now. I work my a– off everyday to be great, but I can’t be perfect all the time. I’m sorry to our fans and my teammates, I will continue to get better.” Attached were horrific messages from alleged Jayhawks ‘fans’ calling him slurs and threatening his safety. He has since deactivated his account.

Bill Self reacted to this situation by issuing a statement of his own on the Kansas X page. He admitted that his team made mistakes in a respectful response, and concluded with the statement, “Any criticism about the team should be directed at me. I’m the head coach.” 

The Kansas Jayhawks are still in contention, even with a rocky regular season. They will look to test their fortunes in the Big 12 tournament, and ultimately, March Madness. However, Kansas fans need to keep their temper and their respect. It is a tough road ahead for the Jayhawks, and only time will tell where it takes them.