Jayhawks seek to clear hurdle that often has stopped them
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bill Self has touched each step of the NCAA Tournament, and experienced every emotion imaginable. The Kansas coach has won a national championship, and lost a national title game. He has been upset in the first round, and he has made a Cinderella run while at Tulsa.
On Saturday night, Self returns to the Elite Eight for the ninth time in his career, looking to lead No. 1 Kansas to the Final Four with a win over No. 3 Oregon, but entering with a 2-6 record in regional finals.
This year, Self has arguably the best team in the country, playing at its highest level of the season, but he has had that before. On four different occasions, including last year, Self and a top-seeded Kansas team have fallen one win short of the Final Four.
“I think it’s the hardest game in the tournament,” Self said Friday. “We haven’t experienced very much success to date in this game. It’s a hard game because there’s so much emphasis on road to the Final Four. It’s almost like the Final Four could be the equivalent of the national championship 30 years ago, with the type of intensity and the type of publicity that it gets. If you get beat in this game, you come just that close to getting to the goal.
“If we’re going to get there then we’re going to have to sweat one out. We know that.”
What could make this time different?
Well, this time, the Jayhawks (31-4) enter as the most dominant team in the tournament, having won their previous three games by an average of 30 points. This time, they are led by a senior who doubles as perhaps the best player in the country: guard Frank Mason III. This time, they have a potential top-three NBA pick: freshman sensation Josh Jackson.
Oh, and this time, they get to play the Midwest Region final on their satellite campus — the Sprint Center — in front of their crazed fanbase, which will occupy nearly every seat in the arena after a short drive across the state line.
“We all feel like we’ve got it set up so perfect for us,” Jackson said.
During the Jayhawks’ incredible run of 13 straight Big 12 titles, they have reached the Final Four twice, most recently in 2012. At Kansas, the five years have felt like forever.
At Oregon (32-5), which also came within one win of the Final Four last year, its most recent Final Four trip really did take place in another world: Oregon made its only appearance while winning the first NCAA Tournament in 1939.
That was back when the Ducks were called the Webfoots and before Hitler invaded Poland. That was back when just eight teams were invited to the tournament, and the NIT was still the sport’s top event.
At Oregon, a win would mean even more.
“When you talk about a program like Kansas, they go to the Sweet 16 or so every year it seems, so it’s special to have these opportunities,” junior guard Casey Benson said. “Kansas is historic, has a bunch of tradition and is always in the mix, but we came to Oregon wanting to be in the same place.”
And none of them know if the long-awaited chance may be the last.
“I’m getting old and you don’t know how many years you have left,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “All the games, you feel the pressure, but this one a little bit more because the Final Four is the goal for everybody.”